Athena and Nefeli Villas

Villa Athena & Villa Nefeli ... with multiple capacities for hosting a significant number of persons…

Elia suites and Elia villa are designed in simple, austere lines and subtle luxury in harmony with the natural landscape and the olive groves surrounding the village.

The interior layout of the living spaces ensures full isolation of each space so that guests can enjoy their holidays in true relaxation and regeneration, whilst at the same time they feel like home.

Εlia suites Εlia suites comprise the following six separate suites located at the same building: Elia, Athena, Poseidon, Dimitra, Persephone and Pluto.

According to mythology...

As the myth dictates, Αthena, the goddess of wisdom, was born out of the all-powerful Zeus’s head.

According to yet another version, she was born in Crete from a cloud that Zeus struck with a lightning.

Goddess Athena and Poseidon, god of the seas, contested as to who would become ruler of Attica and Gods were to decide on the outcome based on the offers those two would make to the city.

Poseidon pierced the rock with his trident and saltwater started running, while goddess Athena pierced the soil with her spear and out came the evergreen olive tree offering its blessed fruit to mankind.

After her victory, the goddess gave her name to the city of Athens.

Dimitra (Demeter), one of the oldest goddesses of the Ancient Greek pantheon, daughter of Cronus and Rea, was the goddess of fertility and vegetation, goddess-patron of the earth; along with her daughter, Persephone, they held a key role to Eleusinian Mysteries.

According to mythology, when Pluto, god of the earth’s riches and king of the underworld, led on a golden chariot Persephone to his underworld kingdom, Dimitra left the mountain of Olympus and started wondering amidst people looking for her daughter, Persephone, until Zeus sent Hermes with a message to Pluto ordering him to set her daughter free.

Thanks to Dimitra’s return, the plants sprang from the earth’s soil, the crops grew and the slopes turned green with vegetation.

In Crete, one of the most beautiful islands of Greece and the entire Mediterranean Sea, where the east meets west, the legend says that Zeus was born, God of the skies and thunder, father of all gods and men.

According to mythology, after Zeus seized Europa from Phoenicia, he crossed the seas and, accompanied by Tritons and Sea nymphs, carried her to Crete. In the Dictaio Andro cave of Psiloreitis mountain, Zeus brought to Crete, along with Europa, the early roots of civilization…

Crete, an island amidst different seas, filled with sunlight and authentic beauty, is a journey by itself leading to the Cretan hospitality in the village of Loutra, Rethymno Prefecture, which at the time of the Venetian rule was a fief owned by Matthaios Kallergis.

The narrow picturesque alleys, the patios, the arches and the monumental fountain with its inscription in Arabic travel visitors back in time.

Eliá (the Greek word for olive tree) is a symbol of peace, prosperity, fertility and well-being as well as a symbol of victory for Olympic winners, whereas from its fruit comes the blessed olive oil… It is a tree associated with ancestral tales and legends, felt by all people to be a true blessing…

The village of Loutra is situated in the midst of olive groves with an endless view to the sea, full of Greek colors, narrow cobbled streets and never-ending bougainvillea plants, Venetian buildings and the blazons of the Kallergoi family – evidence of a monumental era.

In the best part of the village, Villa Athena & Villa Nefeli await holidaymakers, offering a combination of the traditional Cretan hospitality with modern luxury and comfort.

Both Elia suites and Elia villa are located next to the village’s square where there is a spacious parking area.

They are found at a distance of 8 km (5 miles) from Rethymnon, 2 km (1 1/4 miles) from the sea and 8 km (5 miles) from the historical monastery of Arkadi.

Villa Athena…. Common-use areas

Elia suites offer four spacious, outdoor common areas at four different levels for the guests’ comfort.

At the first level, namely where the entrance to the suites can be found, the vegetation is thick offering a great opportunity for relaxation in the beautiful terrace and the small swimming pool.

At the second level, there is another beautiful terrace with a large white table while indoors, on the white marble flooring, there is the suites’ lounge with comfortable sofas in simple design lines and a concert piano.

Right next to it, visitors can find the main kitchen with wooden lining and fully equipped (a fridge, a range with an oven and ceramic cooking zones and a dish washer).

A marble staircase leads to the first floor of the Elia suites building where there is a nice veranda with olive trees and picturesque blue coffee shop tables and chairs in perfect alignment with the minimal design of the suites.

The veranda enjoys the refreshing shadow of a 200-year old vine wrapped around a trellis. From there, one can enjoy the exquisite view to the olive groves and the garden.

The entrances for the Pershephone, Dimitra and Elia suites are found in this veranda.

Old iron stairs lead to the final level where, in a terrace surrounded with thick vegetation and offering a clear view to the olive groves and the sea, guests can sunbathe all day long sitting on their comfortable chairs.

At a slightly higher level, there is a dining room with a trellis, an ideal observation point of the stars and the night sky.

... the Poseidon Suite

• The Poseidon suite is on the ground floor, next to the swimming pool.

• It can host two persons and has a bathroom with a bathtub and a toilet.

• It enjoys complete independence as in addition to the first entrance there is also a second entrance from a traditional street cobbled with various patterns of sea pebbles.

• This suite has the privilege of a view to the swimming pool and the back street.

... the Pluto suite

• At the next level, next to the swimming pool, one can find the Pluto suite with two rooms and a capacity of up to four persons.

• Guests can enter from the terrace right over the swimming pool.

• In the room there is a double bed and a corridor leads us to a second room with a bunk bed. The bathroom has a shower and a toilet.

... the Athena suite

• Going up a marble staircase next to the pool on the first floor, one can find the Athena suite with its white marble flooring and two iron single beds with a capacity of two persons.

• The suite has a private balcony overlooking the pool and all other windows have a view to the village’s picturesque streets and alleys.

• Facilities offered: a fully built-in electric range with cupboards, a fridge and a bathroom with a shower and a toilet.

... the Elia suite

• The Villa Nefeli is also located on the first floor.

• This dream of a suite is two-storied (a maisonette) and can host two persons, being ideal for your honeymoon.

• On the upper floor, Elia has an absolutely beautiful white double bed and two armchairs, while the windows offer a fantastic view to the vast olive groves that virtually reach the seashore and the village’s traditional alleys.

• On the lower floor, there is a traditional lounge in white and a dining room with a view to the veranda and the olive groves.

• Facilities offered: a range, a fridge and a bathroom with a bathtub and a toilet.

... the Persephone suite

• The Persephone suite is also situated on the first floor with a capacity of two persons.

• It has a double bed, a bathroom with a bathtub and a toilet, a range and a fridge.

• Entry from the veranda with the olive trees and the coffee shop tables.

... the Dimitra suite

• In the same veranda and next to the Persephone suite, one can find Dimitra suite with two separate spaces and a capacity of two persons.

• When entering the suite, there is a living room with a sofa bed, which provides the potential of hosting two more persons.

• It has a range, a fridge and a bathroom with shower and toilet.

• In the inner space of the suite there is a second room with a double bed for two more persons.

• This room has a view to a picturesque village alley at the one side and a view to the veranda and the olive groves at the other side.

• This suite can host a total of four persons.

Apart from the main entrance, all three suites, ‘Elia’, ‘Pershephone’ and ‘Dimitra’, have a second entry point from the village’s main street where the arched entrance of the old house used to be.

Elia villa Elia villa is a new villa with four two-bed rooms extending on two floors and four levels with the capacity of eight persons in total.

Elia villa has a large outdoor space with a 33m² swimming pool surrounded by lush vegetation. Next to the pool, guests can enjoy their meal under the refreshing shadow provided by a trellis.

Inside Elia villa, on the ground floor, there is a main lounge with deluxe oak flooring, leather sofas, a wooden dining room and an old piano.

At the same level there is a fully equipped kitchen with a fridge, range and dishwasher as well as a WC for common use.

In the beautiful winter garden with the marble table, guests can enjoy their breakfast with a view to the pool...

On the ground floor there is another bedroom with oak flooring and two iron single beds with its own bathroom and toilet. This room has a balcony with a view to the green garden.

At the highest level of the villa, guests can sunbathe enjoying the spectacular and clear view to the olive groves and the sea, whereas in the sunset, the barbeque grill located in the same area will be the basis for unforgettable nights for our guests and their company.

At the next level there are three two-bed rooms and two bathrooms with a toilet.

All bedrooms have oak flooring and fairytale beds made of iron with wooden details, with an endless view to the olive groves, the sea and the green garden by the pool.

Two levels lower inside the villa there are two more beds and a bath with a spacious Jacuzzi for special relaxing moments.

At the same level, there is a gym with an exercise bike and an abs workout instrument, a play and workout area and a ping-pong table.

In a separate common area, the following facilities are provided: a washing machine, a dryer, an ironing system and an electric iron.

Villa Nefeli

• Terrace
• Veranda
• Swimming pool
• Lounge area
• Sofas
• Piano
• Kitchen
• Fridge
• Oven and ceramic cooking zones
• Dish washer
• Garden
• Dining room
• Bathrooms with a bathtub or shower
• Toilet
• Air-condtioning (extra charge)

Villa Athena

• Four two-bed rooms
• Swimming pool
• Lounge area with deluxe oak flooring
• Leather sofas
• Dining room
• Piano
• Fully equipped kitchen
• Fridge
• Dishwasher
• WC for common use
• Garden
• Balcony
• Barbeque
• Jacuzzi
• Gym with an exercise bike and an abs workout instrument
• Play area
• Workout area
• Ping-pong table
• Washing machine
• Dryer
• Ironing system and electric iron
• Air-conditioning (extra charge)