Renting a basic villa on Crete for 4/6 weeks next summer - any recommendations please

[cupcakesinthesnow]

Hi

I am looking into renting a basic but safe/clean villa on Crete for 4/6 weeks next July/Aug.

It will be for myself and 2 ds's and I want a very non commercial/touristy area but easy to get to/from airport and the villa needs to be walking distance to small local shop just so as I can get food relatively easily. A small garden/outside area would also be preferable. Walking distance to a quiet beach would be ideal.

Has anyone ever done something like this or have any really good recommendations for quiet pasts of the island or any longer term rentals they have stayed in. I can only find affordable villas available for minimum of 13 weeks rental at the moment.
Any ideas much appreciated

My main recommendation would be to bring me along

Sounds fab, hope someone can help.

I know nothing about Greece but have been trawling for holidays in France for next year and found this site pretty good as the search facility has stuff on that actually makes it helpful. They have availability calendars so you can see what's free for next July/August.

Western Crete is nice - Hania airport rather than Heraklion. Try around Kalives? - we were in the White Mountains, so not anywhere beachside, but Kalives looks like a nice coastal bit.

Thanks for your help. As long as it's somewhere where there are no touristy bars or clubs I will be happy. Ds's want a Gerald Durrel experience a la 'My Family and Other Animals' which they are obsessed with bt I thought Crete rather than Corfu as is larger and less commercial.....?

Well ... I think anywhere on a Greek island that is walking distance to shops + beach is going to be touristy, sadly. Crete's coast is very commercial, dumbfoundingly so round Heraklion/north-east coast - very like southern Corfu. (Northern Corfu much nicer - I wouldn't discount that.)

If you want to be right away from tourists, you'll do better inland - the White Mountains had some utterly unspoilt villages (unspoilt meaning ancient ladies in black looking out of crumbly doorways & yelping dogs). Much more the Durrell vibe.

a couple of years ago we went to Paleochora in South Crete. It was fab, hardly any tourists, genuine Greek food, only the one club which is a cafe by day (and our host happened to own). We didnt have kids at the time, but it would be fine. We rented an apartment off a local man for very cheap, think it was about Euro 25 per night

here is some basic info