Saint Basil Olive Grove: Villa Holidays in Crete

09/04/2025

https://www.traveller365.com/articles/10-Cheapest-Greek-Islands-to-visit-this-year

10 Cheapest Greek Islands to visit this year Destinations Dreaming of a Grecian getaway without wrecking your budget? You're in luck. Greece isn’t just about luxury resorts and high-end cruises—it’s also home to a treasure trove of stunning islands that offer unforgettable experiences at walle...

04/03/2025

What does the Daily Telegraph say about Crete?

Top Travel writer Heidi Fuller-Love has examined the Top 50 popular Greek islands and comes to an obvious (for us!) conclusion.

Here is the short version

"It would be easy to think that one Greek island is pretty much like another. After all, they belong to the same country, swelter under the same – almost inevitably blazing – sun, and promise the same laid-back vibe. Their tavernas, reassuringly, offer the same delicious staples. In my decades of exploring them, however, I’ve discovered plenty of differences.

From the Minoans to the Romans, the Venetians to the Ottomans, successive invaders have left their mark on each island’s culture, habits, clothes, music, and even food. A major hub of Western civilisation’s earliest maritime trade routes, the Cyclades are littered with ancient sites, while the Dodecanese – occupied by the Italians from 1912 to 1943 – reveal a strong Italian influence, not only in the local dialect which uses a lot of borrowed words, but also in the cuisine – pizza obviously, but also in half a dozen pasta specialities that you won’t find elsewhere.

Crete, birthplace of the mysterious Minoan civilisation, and the island Greeks themselves know as the megalo nisi (the big island), is a world all in itself – head for any village kafenion (Greek café) and you’re bound to hear raki-fuelled talk of epanastasi (revolution), reflecting the islanders’ oft-voiced (if not acted-upon) desire for independence.

So which should be on your travel bucket list. Which lesser-known spots are worth a visit?

Spoiler alert ... The top destination is Crete because it gives a concentrated dose of everything tbat Greece does best.

25/02/2025

NEW FLIGHT FINDER TOOL

Try using this website to find your next direct flight to and from Crete. Then come back and book your villa holiday with us at www.rentavillacrete.co.uk

https://www.directflights.com/CHQ

All direct flights (non-stop) from Chania (CHQ). Explore all scheduled flights to 66 destinations with Ryanair, Aegean Airlines, Sky Express and 21 other airlines from Chania International Airport, Greece.

09/02/2025

IF GOATS HAD LAPTOPS.....They wouldn't be lolling about on a damp Sunday morning in February! No, they'd be online ... booking their Cretan summer holiday at a privaaaate villaaaa with baaaautiful views! A sunny place to do baaaackflips on the beaaaach!

The obvious place is Saint Basil Olive Grove: Villa Holidays in Crete.

UK airports offering direct flights to Chania in 2025 include:
London Stansted: Ryanair
London Gatwick: Easyjet
London Heathrow: Jet2
Manchester: TUI, Ryanair, Easyjet
Bristol: Easyjet and Jet2
East Midlands: Ryanair (and Jet2 to Heraklion)
Birmingham: TUI
Leeds/Bradford: TUI
Newcastle: Jet2
Glasgow: Easyjet

Check availaaaaability and prices at www.rentavillacrete.co.uk or call Marcus on 0780 157 6234 and he can do the work for you!

20/01/2025

NEW FOR 2025! We are testing 'flexible' changeover days at our Villa Helios in Crete. Arrive ANY DAY and depart ANY DAY with a minimum of 3 nights stay to a maximum of 28 nights. This gives you more choice of departing airports. Prices are always cheapest if you book direct with us, but you can see us on the holiday websites such as Airbnb, VRBO and Booking dot com. See our 2025 availability at www.rentavillacrete.co.uk
If you want fewer, or more than 7 nights please ignore the mandatory Tuesday changeover date and send us an email via the website requesting your specific dates and we will get back to you with a bespoke price. Alternatively, contact Marcus on the WhatsApp number below.

10/12/2024

A final tidy up before Christmas!

03/12/2024

First snow on the mountains! What is your favourite month in Crete?

26/11/2024

WE'RE DONE!

Thanks to John, Tina and our crack crew of local Cretan olive pickers, the 2024 harvest is complete. Our beautiful, fruity and peppery extra virgin olive oil is now on its way to Blighty. Although it won't be available before Christmas, we will be hoping to despatch orders across the UK in early January.

As usual, the oil is available in 3 litre tins, priced at £63.00 each equivalent to £21.00 per litre. (This includes a 5% price rise from last year - yet still compares favourably with 'top shelf' olive oil in supermarkets at £30+ per litre.) NONE of the oils you can buy in these supermarkets are true 'Single Estate', i.e. from a single farming family. More likely they will be regional blends. The local farmers bring their trucks of olives to be processed at the factory - and they will be of different quality (and flavour) depending on how careful the farmers have been in the picking process and also in the quality of the soil, which can vary greatly. The factory buys the oil and most of it is then mixed together with all the other oil produced by the other farmers. Some will have had pesticides used in the growing, some will not. However, Saint Basil Olive Oil is pesticide-free, grown on the nutrient-rich soil surrounding our holiday rental villas in the Chania region of North West Crete. We guarantee it is not mixed with the oil from other farms. You CAN taste the difference!

How many tins would you like?
Postage and packing (delivered anywhere in the UK) is as follows:
1 x 3 litre tin £10
2 x 3 litre tin £11
3 x 3 litre tin £12

To order, or ask a question, please email Marcus at [email protected]