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Two houses. Two pools. One olive grove above a Cretan village.
2 villas
Three bedrooms each
6 guests
Per villa — 12 for the estate
2 private pools
Saltwater, never shared
45 minutes
From Chania airport
Bleverde is a private estate on the hillside of Gavalochori, in the Apokoronas region of Chania, Crete. It holds two luxury villas — Villa Elia and Villa Levanda — each with three bedrooms and its own saltwater pool, set in a working olive grove with views across the village valley to the distant Aegean. Each villa sleeps up to six. Book one, or take the whole estate for twelve.
Not a resort, and not a rental in a row of rentals
Most villa holidays in Crete put you in a house on a development, sharing a pool wall with strangers. Bleverde is the opposite proposition: a single gated estate with two houses in it, far enough from traffic and tourist crowds to hear nothing but goat bells, ten minutes’ walk from a village with proper tavernas.
Orange, lemon and clementine trees at every turn. Aromatic bushes of rosemary, lavender and mint peppering the stone walkways. From every room and terrace, uninterrupted views over the terracotta roofs and olive groves of the Gavalochori valley and out to the sea.
Guests have called it a home away from home for years, and a good number of them come back.
The estate belongs to Penelope and Danny. They bought a half-finished building here in 2009 and have been making it into Bleverde ever since. Both are artists, and much of the work on the walls of the two houses is theirs or by artists they know. You book with them directly rather than through an agency.
Two villas, two characters
Villa Elia — the stone house
The original house of the estate, authentically restored and built entirely from native limestone quarried on the surrounding land. Calming white stone walls, rich earth tones, artisan furniture. Two master bedrooms with en-suites and a large terrace on the upper floor; a twin room with its own bathroom on the middle floor. Its living-room terrace looks over Gavalochori village; the master terrace looks down the valley to the Aegean.
Villa Levanda — the contemporary one
Spaciously designed and dotted with inspirational art. The middle floor is given over entirely to one master bedroom with walk-in wardrobe, en-suite and terraces facing the distant bay. Two more en-suite bedrooms below, one with its own lounge and a terrace into the garden. The top floor is a single 85 m² open plan of living and kitchen space opening onto two large terraces, with a dining terrace beyond. Swedish Dux beds throughout.
| Villa Elia | Villa Levanda | |
|---|---|---|
| Character | Restored stone house | Contemporary, art-filled |
| Bedrooms | 3 — two en-suite plus a twin | 3 — all en-suite |
| Sleeps | Up to 6 | Up to 6 |
| Private pool | Saltwater | Saltwater |
| Living space | Open living room and kitchen | 85 m² open-plan top floor |
| Best for | Families wanting a twin room | Two couples, or one wanting a whole floor |
Take the whole estate
Both villas can be booked together, subject to availability — twelve guests, two pools and the entire grove behind one gate. It works for two families travelling together, a milestone birthday, or a group that wants the run of the place without anyone else on site.
We also run guided art retreats here.
Wellness and yoga retreats in Crete
Where you’ll be
| Gavalochori village and tavernas | 10 minutes on foot |
|---|---|
| Almyrida and Kalyves sandy beaches | 4–6 km, about 10 minutes by car |
| Chania town | About 25 km, roughly 30 minutes by car |
| Chania airport (CHQ) | 45 minutes by car |
| Heraklion airport (HER) | 2 hours by car |
Gavalochori sits in Apokoronas, the green, hilly stretch of country inland from the north coast between Chania and Rethymno. It means you get the quiet of a working village and the beaches of the Almyrida bay within a ten-minute drive.
If you are looking specifically at the western end of the island, our page on villas in Chania covers the region in more detail.
Read our Gavalochori & Apokoronas guide
What’s included
On arrival
A welcome basket prepared with love, and wine.
Every stay
Mid-week cleaning and a linen change. Bathrobes, slippers, bath, face and pool towels. A fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher, oven, microwave and coffee machine. Central air conditioning with autonomous controls in every room. Free wifi across the estate.
On request
Pre-arrival grocery delivery, and a welcome service for late arrivals.
Who these villas suit — and who they don’t
There are two houses here, not a portfolio. It is worth being honest about who that works for.
They suit you if
You want a house with a pool and a view rather than a hotel with a lobby. You are happy to hire a car. You like the idea of walking down to a village taverna where the owner learns your name by Wednesday. You are travelling as a family, as a couple who want space, or as two households who want to be near each other without being on top of each other.
They are the wrong choice if
You want to walk home from dinner in a city, want a beach on the doorstep, want a resort with staff on hand around the clock, or are travelling without a car. The beaches are a ten-minute drive, not a stroll. Both houses have stairs between every floor and no lift. The estate is genuinely quiet — that is the point of it, and for some people it is too quiet.
Guests here tend to be repeat guests. Several families are on their third and fourth visits, and one review notes booking the following year before leaving. That is the clearest signal of the kind of holiday this is: not a stop on a tour of Crete, but somewhere to settle for a week or two.
What guests say
Beautiful spacious villa, tastefully furnished in light tones of white and grey. Enjoyed every corner, all the views from the terraces.
We first stayed here 6 years ago, loved it — it’s a superb villa and location, and have always wanted to return.
How booking works
Availability and booking run through our own booking system, and enquiries come straight to Penelope and Danny. There is no agency in between and no call centre.
1. Check dates
Live availability for both villas is on the booking page. Both houses are let by the week, minimum seven nights, with a fixed changeover day.
2. Choose a villa, or both
Six guests per villa, twelve if you take the estate whole. If you want both, say so and we will hold them together.
3. Confirm
A 30% non-refundable deposit confirms the booking. The balance is due six weeks before you arrive.
4. Before you travel
We send arrival details and directions. Tell us if you are landing after 21h00, or would like a grocery delivery waiting.
Check-in is from 16h00, check-out at 11h00. Rates are per villa per week for four sharing, with a supplement of 50 Euros per night for the fifth and sixth guest.
Frequently asked questions
How many people can Bleverde sleep?
Each villa sleeps up to six. Rates are based on four people per villa, with a per-night charge for a fifth and sixth guest. Both villas together take twelve. Prices for each season are on the rates page.
Does each villa have its own pool?
Yes. Villa Elia and Villa Levanda each have their own private saltwater pool and pool terrace. Neither is shared.
Can we rent both villas together?
Yes, subject to availability. That gives you the entire estate — both houses, both pools and the olive grove — with no other guests on site. Check which weeks are free on the availability calendars.
How far is the nearest beach?
The sandy beaches of Almyrida and Kalyves are 4 to 6 km away, roughly ten minutes by car. Our guide to the best beaches in Crete covers the rest of the coast.
How far is the airport?
Chania airport is about 45 minutes by car. Heraklion is about two hours. Our guide to Chania airport transfers, car hire and getting to Gavalochori has more.
Is there anywhere to eat within walking distance?
Gavalochori village is a ten-minute walk through the olive groves and has well-known tavernas as well as a village shop. More on the village in our Gavalochori guide.
Which villa should we choose?
Villa Elia is the restored stone house, with two en-suite master bedrooms upstairs and a twin room below — often the easier fit for a family. Villa Levanda is contemporary, with all three bedrooms en-suite and an 85 square metre open-plan living floor — well suited to two couples sharing. See the full details on the Villa Elia and Villa Levanda pages.
How does booking work?
A 30% non-refundable deposit confirms the booking, with the balance due six weeks before arrival. Check-in is from 16:00 and check-out is at 11:00. You book directly with us, so there is no booking platform commission. See the weekly rates and the availability calendars.
Plan the rest of your trip
Gavalochori and the Apokoronas
The village, the Venetian wells, the walks and the coast on this stretch. Read the area guide.
Where to stay in Crete
If you are still deciding which part of the island suits you. Compare the areas.
Coming as a family?
Pools, bedrooms, beaches and what we can arrange before you land. Family villas in Crete.
Coming as a couple?
A whole house for two, and what a honeymoon week here actually looks like. Villas for couples.
A small wedding?
The estate on exclusive use — and an honest account of what we do and do not provide. An alternative to Crete wedding venues for small weddings and elopements.
The beaches within a short drive
Where to go with small children, and where to go for the day. See the beaches.
Things to do in Chania and Crete
The Old Town, the harbour, the gorges and the villages. See what is worth doing.
When to come
Month by month, honestly — including which months we would not recommend. Read the month-by-month guide.
Guest reviews
Ten years of reviews, published in full. Read what guests say.
