Villa Meraki

12/04/2024

We look forward to welcoming you in June with a 10% discount 🫒🍊☀️ ⛵ 🌺

06/10/2023

Let us tell you a little something about us, the hosts of the Meraki retreat.

We're Benthe and Anne. To cut a lifelong friendship story short; we met working our first job when we were fifteen years old and we instantly knew we were kindred souls. We have laughed, cried, danced and powerwalked our way through life together, sometimes living in the same street, sometimes with whole continents between us. But most importantly, we are able to carry each other's hearts when they feel heavy, and when we laugh together it is the most joyous thing.

For many years now, we have been spending a week at Villa Meraki together. Those weeks that we spend together in Crete have always been incredibly energising and profoundly comforting to us and we come back feeling invigorated and rested. We started to wonder, if this is so nurturing to us, could we also create that for others?

And so, the idea of a Villa Meraki retreat was born. five years ago, we jokingly took some yoga pictures at the villa, dreaming of one day organising a retreat. And now, many years later, we finally found ourselves in the situation where everything aligned and we were ready to actually set out on this journey together and organise a wonderful retreat for you. Looking back at it now, we might have planted a seed with those pictures we took back then. We wrote something in the stars and we are overjoyed to be able to welcome you to the Meraki retreat in May 2024!

🫒 DM, email or call for more information and to receive the full programme

🫒 Check out the retreat page on www.villamerakicrete.com

🙏 We look forward to seeing you there!

🫒 10-05/16-05-2024 🫒

05/10/2023

Let us tell you a little something about us, the hosts of the Meraki retreat.

We're Benthe and Anne. To cut a lifelong friendship story short; we met working our first job when we were fifteen years old and we instantly knew we were kindred souls. We have laughed, cried, danced and powerwalked our way through life together, sometimes living in the same street, sometimes with whole continents between us. But most importantly, we are able to carry each other's hearts when they feel heavy, and when we laugh together it is the most joyous thing.

For many years now, we have been spending a week at Villa Meraki together. Those weeks that we spend together in Crete have always been incredibly energising and profoundly comforting to us and we come back feeling invigorated and rested. We started to wonder, if this is so nurturing to us, could we also create that for others?

And so, the idea of a Villa Meraki retreat was born. five years ago, we jokingly took some yoga pictures at the villa, dreaming of one day organising a retreat. And now, many years later, we finally found ourselves in the situation where everything aligned and we were ready to actually set out on this journey together and organise a wonderful retreat for you. Looking back at it now, we might have planted a seed with those pictures we took back then. We wrote something in the stars and we are overjoyed to be able to welcome you to the Meraki retreat in May 2024!

🫒 DM, email or call for more information and to receive the full programme

🫒 Check out the retreat page on www.villamerakicrete.com

🙏 We look forward to seeing you there!

🫒 10-05/16-05-2024 🫒

22/09/2023

Join us for a magical retreat coming May 2024!

🧘 Daily yoga lessons and guided meditations

☀️ Scenic hikes through the magical Cretan landscape

🌺 A day trip to the beautiful town of Agios Nikolaos

🫒 Nourishing meals

Gift yourself a week of relaxation and bliss at Villa Meraki🙏

Check out our website or DM for more info🧡

06/06/2023

Dear friends of Villa Meraki,

We only have a couple of slots left for the summer of 2023 and we have thrown in a sweet little discount. Don't miss out!

16th of July/22nd of July
Book 6 nights for €2.295 instead of €3.570

2nd of August/9th of August
Book 7 nights for €3.325 instead of €4.165

27th of August/2nd of September
Book 6 nights for €3.200 instead of 3.570

We're looking forward to welcoming you!

31/03/2023

We had an incredible week hosting the lovely athletes from Team FrySk we hope you enjoyed your well deserved holidays and are all ready to break records again! We're cheering you on from Crete!

Villa Meraki

21/11/2022

When I think of winters in Crete, I can instantly access the divine smell of the burning of olive tree branches after the olive harvest, the land that is covered in clover. The soft humming of the olive press at the factory down in the valley and the warm, peaceful days that are so sweet and full of bliss. Last year my father and I spent many mornings watching the sunrise from the balcony with a cup of coffee and many a night sipping red wine in front of the fireplace.
And good news, this year Transavia is still flying to Crete directly from Amsterdam! (You can fly directly from German airports as well)
Don't miss out on the opportunity to experience the magic of Crete in winter and because it's almost the most wonderful time of the year, we've got a Christmas present for you:

🎄*Winter special* 🎄

€325 (instead of €365) per night (max 6 pax.)
⛄ Book 14 nights and receive a private chef's diner at Villa Meraki from us a a Christmas present!

*This offer is available from the 1st of December until the 31st of January, don't miss it!

*For more than six people there is an additional charge of €130 per night.

DM or email us for information at [email protected]

30/08/2021

And just like that... September is on our doorstep. Have you had the chance to stay at Villa Meraki yet? If you're looking for that short and sweet autumn getaway, contact us for our last October availability (17-22-10)
5 nights for €1750
Message or send us an email for more information and get booking!

16/07/2021

Dear friends of Villa Meraki, Did you miss out on a holiday with us this summer because our calendar was full? Boy, do we have good news! Due to a cancelation, we have two weeks of availability from the 8th of September until the 22nd. So send us a message and start packing! 🙏 ☀ 🌿 🌸 🌊

07/07/2021

Have you had the chance to stay at Villa Meraki yet? To swim under the stars, to get lost in the view? If not, this is your shot! Our last available nights in August:
-15th until the 21th of August
-6 nights
-max. 6 people
NOW: €2850 instead of €3150!
For more information send us a PM/DM or email us at [email protected]
*This discount is available for private bookings only. Sharing is caring 🙏

04/07/2021

Oh, do we have treats for you! Not only do we have the magic pictures of the latest evening shoot with our dear friend and insanely talented house photographer .kartsolis to show you. But we also have a great last-minute deal coming up for the last 5 available nights in August! Stay tuned!

02/06/2021

It's with great sadness that we had to say goodbye to our dearest Filou last week. We wanted to share this news with you because we know many of you met him in our garden over the last three years. Filou was a stray cat that showed up to our house three years ago. I was sitting in the garden, drinking coffee, and all of a sudden I felt a paw on my hair. He was just a kitten by then and always only really looking for companionship. Over the last three years we got to love Filou as our own. He was such a sweet cat and it would never take more than a couple of hours after we had arrived at the house, that he would show up in the garden. He was the kind of cat that would go on walks with us through the village, always by our side. We're very grateful for the time we had with him and the kindness all our guests showed him. We will miss him dearly 🙏 🌟 ♥

30/05/2021

Our new furniture is out, canvases are up, everything's been freshly painted and the garden is in full spring mode and...our first guests of the season have arrived 🙏 we wish all businesses in the area a good season and we're looking forward to welcoming you to the island and Villa Meraki! Καλή σεζόν ♥

14/05/2021

Dear friends of Villa Meraki, we promised you a last-minute discount and boy are we giving you one! From the 5th until the 26th of June we're doing a special spring - book 7 nights, pay for 6 nights deal! That's a €525 discount! So, drop me a PM or mail at: [email protected] and start packing.

Details:
-choose any period of time between the 5th and the 26th of June. If you book multiple weeks, you get multiple discounts.
-maximum of 10 guests
-We welcome families with children and adult groups over the age of 35.
-We offer this discount for direct bookings only, not for bookings via a booking platform.

13/05/2021

My face waiting for the travel code for Crete to go from orange to yellow tomorrow!! (and yes, also my face waiting for dessert, always🍰) Stay tuned people, last-minute discounts coming to you tomorrow! Oh and one more thing about rates. We really don't believe in sky rocketing our rates to make up for lost profits over the last year and a bit. Everyone has suffered through enough to see the prices of your favourite holiday rentals double. We offer the same rates, same quality, same amazing staff and the same amount of magical sunrises at Villa Meraki. We look forward to seeing you soon!

12/05/2021

It takes a village to get the garden ready for summer 🌿🌸 🙏

11/05/2021

The figs at the guesthouse are soaring up towards the sky and the bookings are flying in, we're very grateful 🙏 thank you for booking with us and keep them coming. This is the first year we're open all year round so do hold us in your thoughts for your autumn/christmas/whenever-you-feel-like-it-inbetween holidays as well 😎

09/05/2021

Two days of work in the garden and we're ready to welcome you again 🙏🌿

08/05/2021

Are you ready for some serious sunshine? Book with us and treat yourself to the ultimate Cretan holiday experience. Long days relaxing at the pool on the beach or sightseeing and balmy nights indulging in your favourite Cretan dishes 🙏☀🌿

07/05/2021

Some well-deserved and long-awaited good news for our Dutchies! The Dutch government is easing travel restrictions to both the North- and Southern Aegean islands from the 8th of May (tomorrow 🎉 )
This means that you don't need to test and quarantine upon return home. Up until now I chose to keep the calendar for May and the first half of June blocked to avoid unecessary cancelations but we feel confident enough with this positive news to throw our calendars wide open! So, what does this mean for you? Although May already booked up straightaway for both houses, Villa Meraki still has availability for three weeks in June and Villa Hestia for four weeks. So, secure your ultimate Spring holiday now! Feel free to send me an email at: [email protected]
We're looking forward to welcoming you to Villa Meraki or Villa Hestia soon!

14/04/2021

A little throwback to 15 years ago when Villa Meraki was still very much in the making. I remember playing football in an empty swimming pool with my little brother. We feel very blessed to be able to share Villa Meraki with our guests all these years later and to still be in awe of these views. We receive a lot of kind messages of guests asking us how we're doing and letting us know they're so looking forward to their holidays at Villa Meraki as soon as we get to travel again. We're doing well. We spend a lot of time finishing up details we never got to over the busy seasons. My father and I spent a good two months at the beginning of this year on the island. The quiet of lockdown made us realise even more how lucky we are that so many of you choose to visit Villa Meraki every year. And although we occassionally run out of patience as well, we try to focus on all the beautiful moments of the present and even more so on the future when we get to welcome you again. 🙏 ♥

02/04/2021

The view is beautiful, wish you were here ♥

19/03/2021

Good morning everyone!

17/03/2021

''We are all just walking each other home''
- Ram Dass-

15/03/2021

Hang in there, spring is almost here 🌸 🙏

14/03/2021

We don't usually do collaborations but when little travel society approached us, it felt like a match made in heaven! Their personal approach and story telling really resonated with us. So for all our German speaking friends, you can also find us on 🙏♥

21/01/2021

-There is always light if only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it-

Amanda Gorman

Such true words and such a hopeful and promising sunrise this morning 🙏 🌟