Ismini Apartments

We have just returned from a wonderful week's holiday at Ismini's Apartment (B). We have a 2 year old daughter and the setup is perfect for families, with a large and well maintained lawn/garden which is fully secure with fencing and gates all around, swings, slides etc. and then straight onto the private stretch of beach. A travel cot was provided and there's even a permanent stairgate too. As such, our daughter was able to run around safely and we had an unencumbered view onto the beach and ocean. The apartment is basic, but perfectly comfortable with large beds, aircon and a little kitchen overlooking the terrace and sea. It's a traditional Greek property and we learnt that Ismini's family have been in the same house for several generations! Ismini was lovely, greeting us with freshly picked lemons and oranges, arranging taxi if so desired. It was wonderful to get to know her over the week. I was a little wary of the 4 x 1 star reviews on Google, but suspect they were all written by the same group of disgruntled clients at the hotel next door looking at the dates of writing and comments - it's true that Ismini does ensure that the parasols and sunbeds are kept free for use by her clientele only (and it is clearly stated on the parasols too!) and she did have to politely ask a couple of people to use their designated area during our stay, but this is only for the good of the guests so I can't complain about that. The only minor point is that the hotel next door put on entertainment several times throughout the week, some of it fine, some of it less so (karaoke probably being the most grating!), but this was only for 60-90 minutes fortunately so certainly not enough to ruin the holiday. Fortunately the property is double glazed so it didn't disturb our sleeping daughter either. The location really is unparalleled and asides from the private beach, within a 5 minute stroll, there are numerous tavernas and beach bars with free beds and cocktails - the sea is invariably very calm and sheltered and Kalyves is the perfect combo of authentic Crete with just enough in the way of restaurants/ bars for tourists wanting to eat/drink. We also loved that there weren't many Brits at all - a great mix of nationalities (including lots of locals). Overall, we had a wonderful stay and look forward to returning again. Thank you Ismini and wishing you a wonderful summer!

We can’t wait to return to Ismini Apartments. The owner is lovely and we spent an afternoon chatting with her about her family’s history and childhood memories. She even gifted us a bottle of olive oil from her own harvest to take home as well as endless, delicious grapes throughout our stay. An absolute gem of a lady! A beautiful property, very well kept with love and a spotless private beach at the end of a well maintained, large garden. It’s wonderful to get this private beach access! I saw some negative reviews that compelled me to write this one. Unfortunately, sometimes guests from adjoining accommodations decide to venture onto Ismini’s private beach. Not an issue if it’s done by accident but not great if it happens again and again. We have witnessed this. That is not Ismini’s fault. She is an absolutely lady and only looking after her guests. Anyway, to us, this is a little slice of heaven. We have already booked our next visit! My brother and sister-in-law also booked here on our recommendation and are also coming back again in 2023 for their second stay. We count ourselves lucky that we discovered Ismini Apartments and are sure this second trip won’t be our last.

Das war ein Traum Urlaub bei „Frau ismini“ wir waren mit der ganzen Familie ( 6 Erwachsene und ein Baby) hier … die Anlage ist einfach ein Highlight und Frau Ismini ist so ein liebenswerter Mensch - wir waren einfach nur glücklich und zufrieden ( vor allem unser kleiner Enkel) hier