奧萊安德的花園(Oleander's Garden Traditional Cretan Cottage)

A wonderful place to stay. I don’t want to tell you about it because I want to keep it secret time for myself forever.

We only wanted to stay one month at Oleanders Garden in the winter, but ended um with two and a half month. Miro and John are so heartwarming and good hosts! We had nice talks and long evenings at the fireplace at the reception. Everything we needed was just a question away. They also offered us eggs, fresh olive oil, from their own olives and (of course) self made raki. The cottage itself lies about 10 minutes foot walk from the sea and is located in a small valley, surrounded with mountains. In the village Ferma you will find everything you need. A small grocery shop with fresh vegetables, bread, feta, honey and everything else. There is a bakery and also a butcher, if you like to have fresh meat. If you have no car, like us, there is a bus stop with daily busses except for Sunday. But Miro also offered us to drive us to Ierapetra, the next bigger city, to go shopping at the local markets, which are slightly cheaper, than the one in Ferma. Picking us up from the bus stop in Ierapetra was also no problem at all. The room was very clean and cozy. There are air conditions in every room and during the winter was a heater and warm blankets provided. We had a big, shared kitchen in the first room we stayed and after a month we switched to another room with an own kitchen. Both had a refrigerator with a small freezer, an oven and a stove. In each room we had a private bathroom and a balcony where you can sit in the morning sun and enjoy breakfast. Another plus was the washing machine and the sauna, which we used twice during our stay. Close to the cottage, there is a river, which you can hear along the place. With the sound of the trees, it’s very calming and relaxing. At night, when the sky is cloudless, you have a beautiful view of the stars. Half hour away, a little bit deeper in the valley, you will find the largest waterfall on Crete, where you can have a nice refreshing bath, if you are brave enough. So all in all, we really can recommend, visiting Oleanders Garden and would like to thank Miro and John (again) for this amazing stay. If we are around, we will definitely will come again, even it is just to say hi.