Ismini Apartments

The location was brilliant, so close to the beach and yet in the centre of Kalives. and set in a beautiful garden. Ismini is such a lovely lady! She made us two cakes while we were staying! She was so friendly and helpful. We hope to return with our family at some point.

Ismini's place was so relaxing! The complex consists of two small houses with "balcony" bedrooms for 3 people each, a bigger 2-storey house for 4 people, and the house where Ismini herself stays. The buildings share between them a huge lawn that is surrounded by flowers and trees. The apartment complex is located between a restaurant and a hotel, but due to the tall trees and bushes along the perimeter you don't notice these neighbours. All of the buildings have terraces facing the lawn and - beyond that - the beach. We loved that we could cross the lawn and go directly out on to the beach, where Ismini has set out umbrellas and sunbeds - exclusively for her guests and at no extra charge. We (my husband and our 5-year-old) stayed in one of the small houses. The house has good and sturdy furniture - loved the beds! - and beautiful old lamps. The terrace was wonderful: we ate all our meals there. The staircase to the bedroom and the bedroom floor are not creaky, so you don't have to worry about waking up your child when you go to bed later at night. The house has a window (and an extra door) facing the main road - but you don't hear any noise due to excellent sound isolation; and there is a blind and a pretty curtain that together shut out the road also visually. There is cleaning twice a week, when you also get clean linen and towels - we appreciated this very much. The air-condition works well, and so does the cooking stove. We absolutely recommend this place. Thank you for being such a nice host, Ismini, and of course - for your delicious cake :)

Originally we (my wife and me) went to Crete to travel around. We looked for a convenient place to stay which will be close to tourist attractions. When we entered this wonderful house and garden we decided to spend most of our time there, and actually gave up most of our travelling plans. As Israelis, who live just 10 minutes from the beach, it is relatively difficult to impress us with beaches, but this was outstanding. The direct access from the appartment to the garden and from there straight to the beach is just fantastic. But above all we found great people who made every possible effort to give us an unforgetable holiday. We shall be back.

I loved it here. The place is very clean. I stopped in the house which had a lounge and kitchen, downstairs toilet. Upstairs two bedrooms and bathroom. The main bedroom has a balcony which overlooks the bay. Outside there is a beautiful terrace and a large garden which leads to the beach. It is in a really good location with mini supermarkets and local shops and bakeries within two to five minutes walk. The local eating places are also very handy. Ismini heraelf cannot be more helpful. The bay itself is beautiful. I would definitely recommend Ismini's and hope to visit again as soon as is possible!

Ismini was a very welcoming host (we even received a freshly baked cake on arrival!) and the property was just perfect! It felt like a home rather than a holiday apartment, it was super clean and had beautiful antique furniture and wooden features. The garden was beautiful and led directly onto the beach where we could use private loungers. We have a one year old and he loved playing in the garden on the toys provided and also felt very at home here. Can’t recommend highly enough.

The garden and the proximity to the sea. Very quiet.

Ultra clean. Gorgeous sea view from every window. Ismini is a delightful host who personally saw to every detail. We now think of her as our friend! The apartment is quite new but carefully built in the old Greek style with solid wood, thick walls etc. Every modern comfort inside. We'll always remember our visit.

Wonderful location. Clean, modest rooms. Amazing amount of private space on the beach with a beautiful garden. Amazing view. Property owner is wonderful and couldn’t have been more friendly or helpful. Wonderful restaurant next door and many others in walking distance.

The Ismini Apartments were very nice. Ismini is an older woman who is very friendly and keeps beautiful gardens. The pictures on the web site are absolutely accurate -- the beach is just across the lawn. The beach right in front of the apartments is next to an outlet of cold spring water, and a very short walk around the breakwater takes you to the main beach where the water is warmer. The benefit is that the beach right in front has few people on it. The only negative to the Ismini Apartments is that they are on the Kalives town road and get some road noise -- mostly from motorcycles. It's not terrible -- I used earplugs at night and got used to it during the day. I happily recommend the Ismini Apartments.

We have been going to Kalives for 20 years now and 15 of those years have been spent at the Ismini Apartments which says it all. The Apartments and House are well situated with a big lawn and gorgeous colorful flowers. Open a gate at the end of the garden and and you are on the beach where there are high quality umbrellas provided for the sole use of clients. Ismini is very welcoming and kind with a cake on arrival, fresh oranges and grapes when in season. The accommodation has everything you need, is kept very clean and if you have any problems Ismini is always there to help. Tavernas and shops are two minutes walk away. Perfect!! Beryl and Mark