Blue Paradise Villa is a stunning and well maintained blend of modern and traditional just walking distance from the beautiful and quiet town of Magarites. The facilities are excellent, the pool is perfect for those lazy days or to cool off after a day of excursions. The owner, Elias, met us on arrival and supplied a gift pack which was really kind, he is very friendly and made us feel so welcome, he even bought some homemade traditional Greek food for us one day made by his wife, which we had that evening with a local wine and produce, my only regret is we did not invite them both over for dinner as we made lots! Hopefully next time! Our children loved the pool, and the jacuzzi bathtub, we breakfasted on the balcony table and had lunch and candlelit evening meals on the main patio table, the new sun shade is very good for those really hot days. We ate in Margarites on several evenings at Taverna Mantalos, very nice food and again, very friendly people and extremely good value. Margarites is a quiet and rustic charming town, we loved evening walks to the taverna and shops for supplies of local Raki. We travelled to local beaches at Panormo and Bali, both sandy and with local amenities very close by, the beach at Bali has a calmer sea, sheltered by the surrounding bay. No need to panic about arriving early, these beaches were surprisingly quiet but with a good vibe, another pleasing characteristic of our trips out in Crete. We ventured out to Rythymnon to the old harbour town area for some 'hustle and bustle' and despite the vigorous attempts of harbour front seafood restaurants to get us seated, we navigated through the thriving back streets and found a beautiful spot to have lunch at Taverna Lorenzo, well worth a visit. Later in the week we took the kids to Water City to SSE of Heraklion, a good water park with plenty of slides to go at for all levels of fear. Food here was what one might expect..... Back to the Villa: we have stayed in apartments, hotels and villas, none have been as pleasant to simply chill and enjoy being in such a wonderful place as Blue Paradise. I wondered why there hasn't been many reviews posted lately, the visitors book in the Villa certainly has dozens of messages like ours, thanking Elias for such a lovely stay. Then the penny dropped, perhaps they want to keep it to themselves, but that simply wouldn't be fair...... Efxaristó polí

Dalal H. Stayed here: Jul 02, 2013 5 stars Wonderful Stay. .We stayed at the Green Paradise villa for one week and thoroughly enjoyed it. The villa is newly renovated and quite lovely. I particularly appreciated having a well-equipped kitchen to make breakfast. We all enjoyed the garden area (surrounded by olive trees) with swimming pool and barbecue. The owners of the villa were very helpful and accommodating and even brought us home cooked food on two different occasions! The villa is about a half hour drive from Rethymnon and one hour from Chania renting a car is a must. The nearby village is quaint with two very good, affordable tavernas. Overall, I highly recommend the Green Paradise Villa, especially for families.

Simon &Mary A. Stayed here: Jul 13, 2013 5 stars Beautifully presented villa, fantastic owners. .Elias & Maria are the perfect hosts, the property has been lovingly built/restored by Elias, clean and fresh, with great attention to detail, the most relaxing holiday since our honeymoon in beautiful surroundings. The villa looks small from the outside but inside its very spacious, three large bedrooms, huge bathroom downstairs with a laundry room, shower room upstairs, huge terrace, great kitchen/diner/sitting room, sitting room area would be tight for six but who wants to sit inside in Crete with such great outside seating? Plenty of outside furniture and the pool is great for small children or teenagers who are intent on getting a tan and going for a regular dip to cool off. Lovely upstairs terrace, good place for breakfast, or drinks watching the sun go down. Great BBQ, almonds on the tree, herbs in the garden, good supermarket in local town, beaches 15/20 minutes away. What more could you want?Plenty of local history and fantastic pottery in the local village Maria is a fountain of knowledge and very proud of her heritage. Lots to see locally and of course slightly further afield, or stock up and just relax in lovely surroundings, the perfect place for a good read. A thorough clean twice a week with change of linen, great air con, all mod cons. Their English is better than they think but their son Yiannis is just amazing and an absolute delight, Anastasia will soon catch him up! They have a house next door where they stay at the weekends but the villa is very private and peaceful. Customer service second to none, I have never felt so well looked after or come home so relaxed since having children. Delightful family, great holiday.

Christine Stayed here: Jul 27, 2013 5 stars We stayed in Green Paradise villa. .Christine We were 7 people (5 from south of France and 2 from Athens) and we stayed in the Green Paradise villa near Rethymno during one week in July 2013. Our stay was fantastic!!!! A luxury villa with an extraordinary garden in a beautiful area. Everything was perfect! We really appreciated the area from which we could easily reach very nice and quiet beaches (on the north or south coast), visit nice cities such as Rethymno and Chania. We appreciated the beautiful garden where we had pleasant barbecues parties with the nice swimming pool and the small garden area apart from the swimming pool where our smallest kid was playing (4 year old). It was a very confortable place to have one week luxury and quiet holidays in Crete. In addition, we were warmly welcome both by Elias (the owner) but also Cretean neighbours near the villa. We should recommend this site without any restriction and should be very pleased to have the opportunity to stay again in Green Paradise in the future.

Mark Stayed here: Aug 03, 2013 5 stars Beautiful Relaxing Outstanding Quality. .We would like to say wow what a great villa you have created. It is clear to see the time and effort you have put into building this. The first of the two weeks was spent relaxing in the villa and we couldnt believe the views and how beautiful the area is. The area is peaceful and tranquil. We much appreciated you making us feel welcome and taking the time to show us parts of your beautiful island and friendly Greek culture. Thanks Maria, we officially love moussaka now. Elias your craftsmanship in the villa is amazing. Janos (the translator) thank you for all your help, you were very patient with us. Thanks for a special holiday.

Scott W. Stayed here: Aug 17, 2013 5 stars Feel welcome and very comfortable. .Elias Moschakis was a wonderful host who made us feel welcome and very comfortable at his beautiful Green Paradise villa. He was also extremely responsive to our needs and gave us very helpful advice. The villa has everything a family needs, a well-equipped kitchen, air conditioning in all rooms, a great bathtub, laundry machine and dishwasher, comfortable beds, an outdoor barbeque and an excellent pool. The view is spectacular, especially from the large upstairs balcony. Set on a charming village with good tavernas, an enchanting monestary and at the start of a walking trail through some of the islands best ruins, Green Paradise is a peaceful haven for a relaxing holiday. We strongly recommend it to other renters, particularly families with children.

Andew J. Stayed here: Sep 02, 2013 5 stars A romantic get-away. .The house was amazing. The owner has clearly put a lot of thought in making the stay as pleasant as possible for the visitors. We had a great time and the house was a lot of fun to explore.

Damon & Paula Stayed here: Oct 01, 2013 5 stars A slice of Greek Heaven. .We stayed at this beautiful villa from 1st to 8th October and, what can we say? It is even better than the photos suggest. Elias, the owner, and his familys hospitality was overwhelming, the villa was absolute luxury, the location was stunning with breathtaking views across the mountains and the sea beyond from the very private glass balcony terrace. If you want a place to escape and sample genuine rural Greek hospitality then this is the one! 5 minutes walk to the friendliest little Greek village with tavernas. We cannot recommend the Green Paradise highly enough, perfect in every way. We will definately return.

Michel Stayed here: Oct 11, 2013 wirklich beeindruckt. 5 stars .Michael : Wir waren vom neu gebauten Haus wirklich begeistert. Elias hat uns herzlich begrüßt, seine Frau Maria hat uns sogar leckeres Essen gebracht. Die Bilder entsprechen genau dem, was man auch bekommt. Das Haus ist sehr hochwertig eingerichtet und hat einen sehr schönen Garten mit Pool und Grill mit Aussicht in die Berge und bis zum Meer. Die Lage ist sehr ruhig, der Ort hat 8 Häuser. Margarites mit einem kleinen Supermarkt und mehreren Tavernen ist 500m entfernt. Zum nächsten größeren Supermarkt sind es 5min mit dem Auto, nach Rethymno ca. 30min, zum nächsten Strand 10min mit dem Auto oder 30min mit dem Rad. Wir hatten von Olympic Bike in Rethymno Mountainbikes für die ganze Woche geliehen, die uns kostenfrei zum Haus geliefert und wieder abgeholt wurden. Damit konnten wir die ganze Umgebung gut erkunden. Wir können dieses Haus jedem Empfehlen ! Vielen Dank an Elias und Maria für die Gastfreundschaft