About this property
Seeing is believing when you stay at the palatial Villa Darat, on the north coast of the Greek island of Crete, set in the azure waters of the Aegean Sea. This incredible four-storey, one thousand one hundred and fifty square metres, detached villa, has seven spacious ensuite bedrooms and can comfortably accommodate up to fifteen guests in some style. The villa would make an ideal holiday retreat for a large family gathering or a group of friends get-together. Villa Darat is set in its own grounds and gardens, with sea and mountain views, surrounded by ancient olive groves, and enclosed by high stone walls for privacy, security, and seclusion. This exclusive villa has secure parking for up to eight cars, comes complete with complimentary air conditioning and Wi-Fi throughout, has an internal elevator, and your own private swimming pool, gym, and games room.
The villa is an architectural masterpiece, constructed in an impressive classical style, with white stone walls, and floor-to-ceiling glass windows, flooding the property with natural daylight. The interiors are breathtaking, decorated in a clever combination of beautiful Baroque and Regency Rococo styles, using sweeping marble staircases to take you to Louis Quatorze rooms, with crystal chandeliers sprinkling their sparkling light.
Take the marble steps up to the grand entrance, where you will be greeted by a capacious, light and airy, open-plan living space, with access to the sea view terrace. There are three separate seating areas, a seventy-five-inch smart television, a piano, and Hi-Fi system, and a fireplace for those cooler months and evenings. The impeccably dressed fifteen-seater dining set would make for some splendid entertaining. There are two separate fully-equipped kitchens, each with informal dining tables and chairs, and that must-have wine fridge. The first of the seven exquisitely-appointed bedrooms is on the ground floor, with a double bed, a TV, and an ensuite bathroom with a bathtub. Make your way to the first floor, where there are three superb ensuite double bedrooms. The ornate Master bedroom has a king-size bed, a TV, an ensuite bathroom with a Jacuzzi bath, and a sea view furnished balcony. The other two bedrooms have double beds, bathrooms with bathtubs, and sea-view balconies. On the second floor, there is a large bedroom with a double and a single bed, a TV, and an ensuite shower, perfect for a small family.
Access a huge terrace, take a seat at the table and chairs, and admire the panoramic views. The lower ground floor is home to a private garage for up to eight cars, which can be sealed off. There is a professional fully-equipped gym with a shower room, a seating area with a fridge, a sound system, ping pong and football tables, and a separate laundry room. Within the grounds, there are two independent studios, one with a double bed, the other with twin beds, both with ensuite bathrooms, and mini kitchens, perfect for your teenage children or staff.
The grounds and gardens of Villa Darat are a dream. Marble steps lead down to a ladder-entry, heated swimming pool, with a shallow-end kid’s pool, and a hydromassage therapy corner. The pool is surrounded by deep-cushioned sun loungers with shady parasols. Take a walk around the beautifully-maintained gardens, and relax on the well-manicured lush green lawns. Children can amuse themselves in the playground, and all the family can join in a game of football or badminton on the dedicated courts. Enjoy morning coffee and sundowner cocktails at the soft seating spots. Meet at dusk for dinner, and feast alfresco at the outdoor dining set, with dishes prepared in the summer kitchen, and grilled on the built-in, stone barbeque. As the stars come out to shine, raise a toast to the most memorable, magical holiday, in the most romantic of settings.
Villa Darat can be found nestled in the countryside in the village of Daratsos, near the north coast of the Greek island of Crete, in the azure Aegean Sea. The villa is eighteen kilometres from Chania airport, a short drive will have you at your holiday home from home. The picturesque village of Daratsos has family-run stores stocked with local produce, a weekly farmer’s market, handcrafted gift shops, and cafes and bars to stop and sample the local dishes. You are spoilt for choice with a selection of superbly organised beaches within a two-kilometre radius. Choose from the nearby sheltered Agioi Apostoli, the sandy shores of Glaros, the golden sands of Chrissi Akti, offering a range of water sports, or the crystal clear waters of Kladissos, great for swimming and snorkelling.
The town of Chania is only four kilometres from the villa. Walk the narrow streets to see the fourteenth-century Venetian harbour, with a sixteenth-century lighthouse, the Archeological and Nautical Museums, and stop at a waterfront restaurant for a dinner of freshly caught fish. Visit local villages, most especially, quaint Aspro, historical Gavalochori, and Kefalas, with a museum showing typical Cretan life. The village of Kokkino Chorio is where ‘Zorba, The Greek’ was filmed, stop at the glassblowing workshops, and for the view alone, dine in a local taverna.
A twenty-minute drive will take you to the port of Souda, where there is the archaeological site of ancient Aptera and an Ottoman fort. Explore the island’s three hundred hidden caves, hike over hillsides, streams, and rocky ravines to discover watermills and ruins, and stop along the way at a local winery to taste the fruits of the many vineyards. All aboard for a day at sea, where you can swim and snorkel, or scuba dive underwater ruins.
For the adrenalin junkies, jet skis or paraglide at one of the many water sports clubs. The port town of Heraklion is a two-hour drive away, take a tour around the ancient Palace of Knossos, visit the Archaeological Museum, walk along the Venetian walls, and stroll through the old quarter, where you can shop for souvenirs. Go further afield to Vai, Crete’s easternmost tip, where you will find lush forests and a unique date palm. Explore Psychro Cave, reputedly the birthplace of Zeus, and rock climb Mount Ida to find the Ideon Cave.
Sitia Geopark is three hundred and fifty square kilometres of the island’s diverse ecosystem, where you can trek through gorges, bathe on beaches, walk the wetlands, bird-watch, and be at one with nature. Hike the Richtis Gorge, stroll through streams to reach the twenty-metre waterfall, and then cool off in the inviting pool. Find solace in the fifteenth-century Toplou Monastery, and admire its exquisite Byzantine icons. Take a boat from exclusive Elounda to the intriguing island of Spinalonga, once a former leper colony with a Venetian fortress, and now an open-air museum. Go to Agios Nikolaos, a harbour town that uniquely houses a lake in its centre, and is home to an archaeological museum of Minoan treasures, and shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants in which to sit, and watch the local life go by.
Accommodation
The Villa
1150m2, 7 bedroom, 8 bathroom luxury sea and mountain view villa, with lift, private heated pool, hydromassage corner, kid’s pool, gym, and garden, sleeps 15
Ground floor:
- Living area with access to the pool terrace
- 3 seating spaces, 75” smart TV, fireplace, piano, Hi-fi system
- Dining set x15
- 2 separate fully-equipped kitchens, mini wine fridge
- Bedroom with double bed and flat screen TV, and bathroom with a bath tub
First floor:
- Living space with sofa, chairs, table, office desk, 42” flat screen TV
- Master bedroom with king size bed, TV, wardrobe, ensuite bathroom with Jacuzzi bath, balcony
- 2x Bedrooms with double beds, TVs, ensuite bathrooms with a bathtub, balconies
Second floor:
- Bedroom with a double and single bed, TV, ensuite shower room, large sea view balcony
Lower floor:
- Private garage for up to 8 cars
- professional fully-equipped gym
- Bathroom with shower
- Seating area with fridge
- Hi-fi system
- Table tennis
- Table football
- Washing machine and laundry area
Studios:
- 2 independent studios one with large double bed, one with 2 single beds, mini kitchens and ensuite bathrooms
Exterior:
- Sea, mountain, and olive grove view terrace
- 75m2, 13m x 7m private heated swimming pool
- Hydromassage corner
- kids pool
- Stone BBQ
- Garden
- Kids playground
- Soccer field
- Badminton court
Additional facilities
- Air conditioning
- Wi-Fi
- Elevator
- Midweek clean
- Private garage x 8
- Professional piano and guitar players by arrangement
- Wheelchair accessible