Villa Amalia stands on the hillside between the hilltop village of Aptera and Souda Bay, just 15 km from the city of Chania and approximately 150 km from the city of Heraklion.
Below you can find directions of how to find us if you arrive at any of the two main airports of the island. The map is interactive and we've noted the routes with as much detail as we could. The markers show the location of Villa Amalia and the corresponding airports and harbours of each route.
From Chania
On leaving the airport, pass the Shell gas station on your right and take the first left (sign posted “Chania”).
Follow the road to the end (approx. 2,5 km) and at the rotary, turn right.
Keep straight on this road, past the villages of Aroni and Pithari till you hit the rotary. Carefully take the left, sign posted “Souda” and “Rethymnon” (the right leads to Chania).
Follow this road all the way down the hillside. As you reach the bottom of the hill, go past a Shell petrol station on your left and follow the road straight to Souda until the traffic lights.
At the lights (IN.KA supermarket on right), turn right, drive approx. 300m and then turn left, following the sign “Rethymnon”. This road leads to the highway (Greeks call it “National Road”) after 500m. Keep the left lane, go under the highway bridge and exit left onto the highway. Drive towards Rethymnon for approximately 6km and you will see the “Aptera” and “Stylos” sign. Pass the exit and continue straight on the highway for 400m more, until you see on your right hand side the sign that reads: “Villa Amalia, Next Right, at 100m”. Exit the highway on the paved, steep, uphill road. After 500m, you will see 2 identical villas. Pass the upper villa, turn left for 20m and you will find the gate for villa Amalia which is the lower of the two. Parking is in front of its main entrance, just past the pool area.
From Heraklion
Upon leaving Heraklion airport, follow the road with the terminal building behind you and exit this road following the signs to Heraklion (the sliproad on the right before the bridge). This will lead you onto the highway.
After 3-4 km you will come to a set of traffic lights. Go straight over these and continue along the highway, for almost 2 hours in the direction of Souda Bay and Chania.
Approximately 48km past Rethymnon, as you approach Souda Bay, and 1.8km beyond the sign/exit for Kalami / Kalyves there is a sign/exit for Aptera and Stylos where you should exit the highway, by turning left. The turnoff for the villa is actually 500m before this exit, but it is too dangerous to turn left into it as you are on the wrong side of the highway.
Once you have turned left into the Aptera/Stylios exit you will need to turn around (see below *) so you can take the highway back 400m until you see on your right hand side a sign that reads: “Villa Amalia, Next Right, at 100m”. Exit the highway on the paved, steep, uphill road. After 500m you will see 2 identical villas. Pass the upper villa, turn left for 20m and you will find the gate for villa Amalia which is the lower of the two. Parking is in front of its main entrance, just past the pool area.
The key will be under the front door doormat.
* To turn around, you can either circle the exit’s island, or drive up for 200m in a clearing just beyond the church on your right. You may also consider it safer to drive all the way to Aptera which is only a further 800m, and turn around in the small square in front of the Aptera Taverna.
