Holiday villas in Heraklion, Crete
The south of the province, where the Messara plain runs down to a coast of long sandy beaches, with the island's main airport and its greatest archaeological site an hour behind you.
32 villas in Heraklion
Popular areas in Heraklion
About villa holidays in Heraklion
Most people meet Heraklion as an airport and a motorway. Our villas are on the other side of it, south across the Messara, and that is a different island: a wide farming plain of olives and greenhouses, mountains on both sides, and a south coast that feels a long way from anywhere.
The villages around Timpaki and Kamilari are where most of our houses are, within a short drive of Kommos and Matala. Matala is the one with the caves cut into the cliff and a reputation from the sixties it has never quite shaken off. Kommos, just north of it, is a long stretch of sand with a Minoan harbour excavated at one end and very little else. Further west, Agiofarango is a walk through a gorge to a beach you have to earn.
This is also the base for Knossos and the Heraklion museum, which between them hold most of what is known about the Minoans, and for Phaistos and Agia Triada, which are far closer and far quieter. Going early matters at all of them.
The airport is about an hour and a quarter away over the hills, and the port at Heraklion a similar run, so the ferry from Athens is a genuine alternative to flying.
The south coast is warmer for longer than anywhere else we let, which makes late October and even early November realistic here in a way they are not further north. High summer is hot inland, so a pool matters more here than anywhere on the island.
Frequently asked
Where in Heraklion are your villas?
South of the city, across the Messara plain, around Timpaki and Kamilari. That is a different island from the airport and the motorway: a wide farming plain of olives and greenhouses with mountains on both sides, and a south coast that feels a long way from anywhere.
How far is Heraklion airport from the villas?
About an hour and a quarter over the hills to the Messara. The port at Heraklion is a similar run, which makes the overnight ferry from Athens a genuine alternative to flying rather than a curiosity.
Which beaches are near the Messara villas?
Kommos is a long stretch of sand with a Minoan harbour excavated at one end and almost nothing at the other. Matala, just south, has the caves cut into its cliff. Agiofarango is a walk down a gorge to a beach you have to earn.
Is this a good base for Knossos and the Minoan sites?
Yes, and for the quieter ones. Knossos and the Heraklion museum are the pair everybody visits and both want an early start. Phaistos and Agia Triada are far closer to our villas and far emptier, and they are Minoan palaces in their own right.
When is the best time to stay on the south coast?
It stays warm later here than anywhere else we let, so late October and even early November are realistic in a way they are not on the north coast. High summer is hot inland, which is why a private pool matters more here than in any other region.