Villa Marie Kelly

We really enjoyed our week at Villa Marie Kelly. It is located only 2 minutes away from a lovely safe beach, in a relatively quiet area, but with a good choice of local tavernas (our favourites were Mylos and Skorpios). Good access to bus services, and car rental places, if you want to explore, as we did. The studio was fairly small but very clean. The complex has only about 30 residences in total, with a good pool. Our only criticisms would be the bed ( too firm to be comfortable) and the lack of basic cleaning stuff in the apartment ( no dishcloth, teatowels, brush). Overall, though, a pleasant place to stay, and good value.

Marie Kelly was a pleasant surprise and well worth the little money paid for the apartment. Advertised as 10 mins from Heraklion airport, it is in fact further than that and the only real reason they say 10 mins is the fact that the taxi drivers drive at literally 90MPH. In reality it is netween 10-25 mins dependent on driver and time of day. It will cost 30-35 euros for a one way taxi so a £60 coach transfer I would recommend if booking independently. Located 100m (lax Greek measurements) from the beach, but actually about 200m from the beach, our apartment had 2 ideal balconies overlooking the sea and pool. One had the morning sun and the other caught the sun in the evening which was great for sitting out on at both ends of the day. Although, from looking at them I don't believe they all had this view, so if you're at all fussy enquire first to get your ideal. The location was ideal for what we were looking for- a relatively quiet and easy quick break in the sun. Just within 5 mins walk are about 4 great Greek tavernas with a mix of traditional and Greek cuisine, 1 steak house a few supermarkets and adjoining bars, which were all pretty quiet when we went (early June) but well worth the visit for the Moussaka. Gouves centre is a little futher near the 2nd and 3rd beach and has more eateries, a few bars, a few supermarkets/ gift shops etc. Be warned- no clubs. The staff at Marie Kelly were all pleasant and friendly enough, with the resident barman Alex keeping those at the bar entertained enough. The staff were very helpful in any queries we had. It was the start of Euro 2008 when we were there so they had a large screen on for the viewings and this seemed to be on all day. The bar was ideally located at the foot of the pleasantly warm pool (allow time for yourself to adjust from the time in the scorching sun!)Snacks were also available. The general feel of the apartments is very relaxed and family orientated (generally older couples, families and yound couples). Definitely not recommended for young singles looking to party. A few small downsides for Marie Kelly- although minor are worth bearing in mind before booking the apartments and Crete in general. From mid June onwards you will need the air conditioning (50 euros a week-not cheap, but necessary to sleep at night- you could alternatively take small fans with adaptors). Also, insects in the hotter season can be annoying- take insect repellent and buy repelling candles and don't leave out food. Ants on the tiles near the pool came out in their 100's but generally don't bother you whilst on a lounger or in pool. This is not so much a reflection of the accommodation as the climate. Beware the mosquito bite- especially women! Also although generally good, some nights even the more senior holiday makers can make a fair bit of noise when a little tipsy and the bar music can be heard sometimes til nearly 3am, but it isn't too loud you would not be able to sleep, especially with the air con on and and windows shut. But if you have young children bear this in mind.The towels are a bit small, so if you want a decent one, take your own! Other than that, Marie Kelly also has a book lending, pool table , safety deposits, a kitchenette with small oven and great location on offer (you can easliy leave the beach for 10 mins and return to apartments if needed). Also in the room is free TV, although mainly all in Greek- some English programmes were on such as some films, House and CSI! (although I hope you don't need that- football etc also available in bar.)You also have the 3 beaches on offer with loungers available at 2,20 euro each and parosol the same. So a day on the beach with loungers etc is 13,20 euros for a family of 4, say. Well worth it in the scorching heat! The apartments are clean (the maids come round regularly) and generally well-maintained.Quite basic, but everything you need if you're the eating out and going out type If you fancy a louder, brasher, more exciting night out or more commercial offerings then 20 mins away (the barman will point you in the right directon) is a bus stop, and for about 1,30 euros you can get a bus to Malia or Hersonissos. They come about every 20-30 mins (again in relaxed Greek fashion, so be patient!) and are cheap, fast and very well air conditioned. All in all for those looking for the basics and are on a budget- Villa Marie Kelly is a great find and is well worth visiting. All in all, if you fancied; you could easliy base your holiday around these apartments- 3 beaches, supermarkets, tavernas/eateries, a few bars etc a safe , good bet when booking your break.

We found the studio very basic, no storage for any food and there become a problem with ants, the owners seemed not too helpful when we requested a change of studio and we were told none were available until the following week. The room was cleaned about twice during our two week stay and the bin in the bathroom was left unchanged for about 3 days (NOT HYGENIC) the towels and sheets (they were like sleeping on sandpaper) were only changed once during our stay. We resorted too washing the towels ourselves. Perhaps it was the maid who serviced our room as we did notice that the other apartments seemed to be cleaned more often so perhaps we just had the short straw. On the up side we were told that they served an excellent english cooked breakfast and Alex at the bar more than made up for their lack of being customer friendly.The pool was nice although they could invest in some sort of cushions for the sun beds as they were very hard and a lot were broken, so we used air beds on the top of them, sorry to say we will not be returning to this complex again although on the whole we did have a good holiday as it is only as good as you make it yourselves, and we did find a lot of lovely taverna's which served wonderful food which did'nt break the bank, and a stroll into kato gouves in the evening to enjoy a meal and drink was very pleasant if you needed a change of surroundings made a pleasant change, and the Irish Bar served a mean pint.

My fiance and I booked a late holiday to Crete and were not disappointed by these apartments. Basic, but very clean with all the amenities you need. Anyway, lets face it, you don't go on holiday to sit in your room! The pool is lovely and the bar is kept open all day serving snacks and drinks. Alex keeps it going in the evening until the last person goes to bed. The owners are both lovely and extremely friendly, eager to ensure they can help in any way to make your holiday more enjoyable. We noticed a lot of the holidaymakers had been several times before. Gouves itself is very quiet, which suited us perfectly. There are plenty of nice restaurants close by. Our favourites were the Oasis and Mylos. Da Vinci Code was not so good - a lot of reheated food. We took a trip into Heraklion to look round the Venetian Fortress - very interesting and the shopping is great. Hersonissos is much more commercialised, if you like that sort of thing. However, we did take a fishing trip out on Zorbas boat - an absolutely mad lady Captain made the trip really good fun. Thoroughly recommend them. You can book down at the harbour. The only negative points I can think of are that the beach is not the best I've seen in Greece - small and quite dirty. Also, the resort is in Heraklion airport's direct flightpath, so we had a lot of aircraft noise early morning and late at night. However, you do get used to it after a few days. All in all, a very relaxing holiday, made special by the people we met at Villa Marie Kelly - we will return

We have just returned from a week at the 'Villa Marie Kelly'. We had a really great holiday. Ditto to all previous reviews, which we had taken into consideration before we booked the holiday, we found them very informative and were not disappointed at all by all the comments. Personally we found the small complex ideal for ourselves and 2 children aged 12 and 15, as the place was very chilled which was what we wanted, but the kids could play pool, or use the computers[ to go on MSN, you know what they're like!] - 1 euro for 1/4 hour, which kept everyone happy! We had some great nights at the bar - thanks Alex- and met some lovely friends[Nathan and Michelle!]. I think all ages would enjoy this place as long as you didn't want loud nightlife. It is very basic, do not expect plush at all! But for the money, its fantastic value, clean, tidy and not shabby at all. I would recommend this place to all my friends!

We returned to the Marie Kelly after a 3 year gap.(We spent our 2001-03 holidays here) Glad to say its as lovely as ever. We were warmly welcomed back, and spent 2 wonderful weeks relaxing by the pool and the nearby beach. The apartments themselves are in small blocks, and are extremely well maintained and spotlessly clean.( Air conditioning costs around 40 euros a week). Many of the blocks are surrounded by well kept gardens and being family run, there is a homely atmosphere to the place. There is a bar on site and a wide range of snacks are available from 8am. Within minutes of the apartments are a selection of restaurants, many maintaining a genuine feeling of a typical greek taverna, which seems to be sadly lacking in some of the bigger resorts. The Marie Kelly will suit couples who want a quiet and relaxing holiday, and families, but is definitely not for the 24 hour party people.

Just back from Gouves (Crete) 5th June to 19th stayed at the villa Maria Kelly. Great place to stay for a relaxing holiday, rooms were basic but clean with all you need for a comfortable stay, air con cost 100 euros the safe cost 30 euros for 2 weeks. Alex the barman was very sociable always happy to chat staying until the last person went to bed no matter what time it was. The owners were not very welcoming making no effort to engage us or any other guest in conversation very dour faced they could have made more of an effort you felt like you were putting them out.The beach is a 5min walk and costs 4.20euros for 2 sun loungers for the day, the beach can be a little bit windy so watch you don't get to burnt by the sun, a nice sandy beach no stones you can walk out for 40 to 50 feet. There are plenty of places to eat the Oasis was very good just down the road from the villa on the left. Mylo's was another good place next to the bakery turn left at the bottom of the road from the Villa walking up the hill for 300 yards. The main shopping and bars are a good 20mins walk away along the coast road taking a left turn before the diving school. Irish bars and 2 chinese places very good food. Lots of shops that have the same things for sale. Don't book any trips with the rep as they cost much more than doing them on your own. You can catch a bus on the main road to all the major towns where you can take boat trips for a fraction of the reps price. The bus to Aghious Nikolaos costs 4.50 euros each way for 1 person and is well worth the visit. the last bus leaves at 21.30 the trip takes aprox 1hr. Have a meal at the lake its very romantic and a walk along the marina is lovely. All in all we had a great time very relaxed very chilled just the place to recharge the batteries. P.S Don't hire any cars,bikes or quads the Greek drivers are complete NUTTERS when it comes to driving.

Stayed at these apartment end of May. What a find! Only problem was that they are in Kato Gouves and certainly our taxi driver from the airport wasn't too sure where they were but didn't have a problem finding out from his fellow drivers whilst speeding our way in the general direction.(25 euros). They are between the Oasis & Skorpious restaurants, about 50 yards behind them. The biggest hotel nearby is the Panthean Palace, which is opposite the Oasis. That said that was the only problem. Excellant place quiet, apart from the frequent aerplanes which didn't spoil our time there,clean and well looked after. The rooms are basic but adequate, with a fridge, 2 ring stove + small oven/grill + electric kettle. You could hire a safe and air conditioning if you wanted. We were rather lazy and ate breakfast in the snack bar, opens at 8am till late, it was usually quite lively when we returned around 11pm. I would imagine it has the scope to be a lot more lively depending on who is staying there. The complex was well kept, all the staff were friendley and spoke English. It was populated by older couples and people with young families. The beech is 100 yards away, with loungers for hire. There maybe a shortage of sun loungers around the pool area if it got much busier/people didn't use the beach or go out. There is a good smatering of restaurants within the village and if you want to walk a bit further, 20-30 mins on the sea front, there are a lot more and it is more lively, especially if you go off the sea front to the area known as shopping street, lots of bars, resraurants and usual tourist shops. We only found these when we went on the 'train' on our last day! (Go on the train 1st day to get the geography of the area-8 euros.) We hired a car from Zaks cars, 60euros for 3 days for a small basic car. There is a bit of a price war going on so shop around. I wont recomened where to eat as none of our meals were unpleasant and taste is a personnel thing. We would have happily used any of the restaurnts we used again again. Many were open for breakfast and had a bar area where one could start or finish your evening. I would happily use the Marie Kelly again. Yes it is a bit out of the way but that is what we wanted.

we stayed at the villa marie kelly for 2 weeks in july 2006. There were 4 of us (2couples) ages 23-30. The apartments were clean and well maintained. The staff were great, really helpful and friendly. It is run by a family who are lovely people. The bar and pool areas were great, always enough sunbeds. The breakfasts at the pool bar were lovely especially the full english. The barman was really great... a good laugh and makes yummy cocktails. The sandy beach is just 2 mins down the road with some great waves. Local resturants are just round the corner and 20 min walk away is the centre of gouves with a main shopping street and more resturants. The resturants along the sea front were really lovely...if a bit chilly at night. All the resturants had the same food as eachother but it was a good selection...both english, italian and greek food. The area and hotel is great for families and couples but is not a "clubby" area. The weather was great everyday. We would definatly go back to Villa Marie Kelly. Would highly recommend it.

This is a very compact accommodation which is very clean, pleasing to the eye and very well run by Olga and Dimitri and their 2 daughters Marie and kelly. the rooms are spacious with air con if you want it (small charge-but worth it in high season). Located close to the beach and good restaurants. Centre of Gouves is a decent walk, but 2mins in taxi. At the end of a good day its great to return to the accommodation, where you will be madly entertained by Vassillis. Meals can be purchased, especially full english, prices very reasonable. Dimitri looks after the bar one night a week and he usually ends up making odd cocktails and invites (mainly the ladies) to sample them. You really are made welcome