Agustina

The concept: Stay out a little longer

Villa Agustina looks particularly striking because its architecture does not try to imitate the landscape around it. Crisp white planes, pale stone walls and dark-framed glass sit against the rugged terrain of Crete, opening the house toward the sea while keeping its geometry deliberately clean. Four bedrooms accommodate eight guests over three levels, with a 120 m² pool and lawn stretching across the front of the villa. It is contemporary in a confident, unfussy way, with enough warmth to keep the design from becoming the whole story.

Outdoors

The terrace has been given plenty of breathing room. Rather than crowding the pool with furniture, Agustina leaves stretches of lawn, open sky and uninterrupted views around the water, with loungers positioned along the edge for quieter hours in the sun. Dining happens beneath a geometric pergola, while a separate outdoor kitchen and gas BBQ create their own setting away from the main house. The heated jacuzzi adds another place to settle in, particularly as the light softens over the coast.

Indoors

When you eventually come inside, very little of the outdoors disappears. Wide glass doors fold the main living area toward the terrace, and the sea remains visible beyond the dining table and soft, oversized seating. The kitchen is open and practical, built around a generous island, while the house distributes its four king size bedrooms over three floors. One sits privately at the lower level, two belong to the main floor, and the fourth is tucked upstairs with its own balcony and dedicated workspace.

Good to know

There is more variety around the area than the immediate landscape suggests. Agios Onoufrios has a small, sheltered beach popular with locals, while Chania is close enough for an unplanned dinner or a walk around the Venetian harbour. On another day, the peninsula leads in a completely different direction, toward the centuries-old monasteries of Agia Triada and Gouverneto and the rocky landscape surrounding them. The contrast gives you plenty of reasons to stay in, and just as many to head out.