Nymphes Luxury Apartments

If you are traveling to Crete, particularly the Heraklion area, we would highly recommend the nymphes hotel. The location is outside of the city about 20 minutes and is high atop a hill which overlooks the small beach town of Agia Pelagia. The hotel is very nice and Pepy welcomed our family when we arrived late at night. She graciously offered us food from her home so that we could have dinner! The accomodations were perfect and we rented two apartments for our group of 7 travelers. Each apartment had a small kitchen so we were able to cook dinner on the nights where we wanted to stay in and relax. The location is just off the national road so we were able to travel to Rethymnon, Knossos and Agios Nikolaos on day trips.

If you love cats, stay here. There were several cats running around the property that would 'invade' the balconies and patios and would run into your room if there were open windows or doors. The owner suggested that we should "spray them with water" to get them to stay away. We tried, but it didn't work. The owner and staff were extremely friendly and helpful. I gave the 'service' a 3 because of the fact that the room smelled when we first arrived. It turned out to be spilled milk under the refridgerator. They came to clean it, but it still smelled afterwards and we ended up having to ask for cleanser (and they gave it to us) to attempt to clean it ourselves. Same reason for the midlevel appraisal of the condition of the hotel. Otherwise, it was a nice, clean place. The rooms only have hand-held showers. Otherwise our lower scores were based on the invasion of cats throughout our stay. If we had liked cats, or not been allergic, it would have been a nice place to stay. It is also basically mandatory to rent a car if you want to get to anywhere else--a grocery store or a restaurant, for example. It is high on the side of a mountain with a difficult road to travel to make it there. We didn't think that was clear on the description of the hotel. The location makes for a beautiful view and fresh air.

Hotel was clean and very comfortable, with a great porch and view of the coast 1000 ft below. I only wish the pool were heated so we could swim! This is a great get-away and super-peaceful environment to relax in. My only complaint is that the lighting in the living space isn't adequate for reading.

We stayed at the Nymphes in September 2009. The hotel is in a great location for exploring the island of Crete, just west of Heraklion and not too far off the main road. Perched high on a hill on a rough, narrow road, you will definitely want to rent a car if you stay here. Our double room on the top floor included everything we needed... a large wardrobe, a kitchenette, a table and chairs and a tiny shower. The view from the private balcony overlooks the town of Agia Pelagia and the Cretan Sea. We would start our day with a coffee on the balcony, and in the evening we would just sit and watch the stars, the twinkling lights of the town, and later, the lights of two cruise ships passing in the night. The owner, her staff, and her many cats helped to make this a very pleasant stay. I would highly recommend this hotel!

The view is really fantastic. The stay was pleasant.Only the pool is not heated and too cold to swim in the autumn.

Rooms: This is a very pretty apartment-style hotel--a cluster of townhouse villas on a hillside. Classic Greek white and blue. Ample space with kitchenettes, balconies or patios with stunning views over the hillside to the town and sea. Tastefully furnished. Friendly cats and atmospheric grape arbours. Owner / manager / staff: Pepy is a very nice and generous woman. Talked us in my mobile phone when we drove their quite late after a delayed ferry arrival. She and her staff leave home grown grapes and oregano and local wine for the guests. She uncomplainingly came through with a flashlight / battery lamp when the area was hit by a power outage late the night we had to pack for an early morning departure. Travellers should know this is a not a thickly staffed hotel. It's the owner and a couple of others. Think largish friendly B&B, not conventional hotel. Location: overlooking Agia Pelagia, just off the main national road, about 15 km west of Heraklio. Well located for exploring everything from Rethynmo to Matala to Agios Nicolaos. But the road up to the hotel (quite steep, poorly lit) and the isolated location (alone on a hilltop road) may not be for everyone. We liked it (away from the beachtown craziness of much of Crete and the grittiness of Heraklio), but it's not for everyone. And the drive up the hill at night is not for the skittish.

I can't say enough good things about the Nymphes. The hotel is everything that you think a Greek hotel should be. White washed walls, blue trim, fabulous view of the sea, lovely patio with grape vines dripping down. The apartment was immaculate, the beds were comfy, (not something that I can say of other hotels in Greece). The AC was excellent. The pool had a lovely view of the Meditterean. Only cavet is the goat path that disguises it self as a road up to the hotel. Narrow and steep doesn't even begin to describe the white knuckle experience of driving up this path. Yes, it got better each day as we learned the twists and turns, but we choose not to navigate it in the dark. NO LIGHTS on the road. And we are used to driving in the Caribbean.

This is one of the bext places to stay in Greece! A terrific and exciting location, quiet, helpful staff, large apartment.

The hotel is located on the hill above the town of Agia Pelagia, about 20 minute drive outside of Iraklio. You need to call ahead and get directions because it is not so easy to find unless you know where you are going. Because of its location, the hotel has a spectacular view of the coast line, but it is about a 20 minute downhill and about 1.5 hour walk uphill if you are on foot. Its only about a five minute drive either way. We arrived late at night, and they provided us coffee and tea in the morning till we got our groceries. The service was good, and the place was kept very clean. We had a one bedroom apartment, and it was quite comfortable.