Ismini Apartments

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 :)

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.

Είχαμε προγραμματίσει να μείνουμε στο Ismini's Apartments για μία εβδομάδα, και μείναμε μία εβδομάδα επιπλέον γιατί ήταν τόσο τέλεια. ΄Hρθαμε με το μικρό μας κοριτσάκι και ήταν απίστευτα και γι' αυτή. Το σπίτι και τα δαμερίσματα έχουν όλα όσα χρειάζεστε. Είναι καθαρά και όμορφα διακοσμημένα. Φαίνεται ακόμα καλύτερο απ' ότι στις φωτογραφίες. Τo σπίτι είναι μεγάλο και καλαίσθητο, τα διαμερίσματα έχουν περισσότερο το στυλ σπιτιού στην παραλία. Αλλά το καλύτερο μέρος είναι σίγουρα η μεγάλη αυλή, μπροστά στη θάλασσα, τα πάντα θρεμμένα με αγάπη από την Ισμήνη. Η Ιμήνη είναι τέλεια, και μας βοήθησε με όλες τις πληροφορίες, τα εστιατόρια τριγύρω είναι καλά και όχι πολύ ακριβά, εκτός από την παιδική χαρά στην αυλή, υπάρχουν δύο ακόμη παιδικές χαρές πολύ κοντά οπότε είναι το τέλειο μέρος για παιδιά. Η παραλία είναι επίσης τέλεια, μία από τις λίγες παραλίες της Κρήτης που δεν πάσχει από τους ισχυρούς ανέμους. Θα θέλαμε πολύ να επιστρέψουμε! Συνιστάται ιδιαίτερα!…

We have stayed at Ismini's appartments two times, and the place is very nice indeed. The house where we have lived in, the Guest House, has always been very clean and well equipped. The location by the sea is fantastic, and Ismini's garden is absolutely the best. On windy days, the garden gives shelter, and in warm days, the nice terrace area gives shadow. There was also two small soccer goals in the big flat garden, perfect for family soccer games. Ismini, who is the hostess, is very friendly and tells stories of Kalives in the old days, if she is asked for it. But she is also very careful not to disturb her guests.

Homely atmosphere and breathtaking view! Greek hospitality at its best... Ms. Ismini is a kind-hearted and a warm person and truly cares about her customers and went out her way to make our stay pleasant and comfortable. We had a great time and would love to visit again! :)

I have stayed several times at Ismini's many times over the years and cannot recommend it highly enough. The main "apartment" is really a house, not an apartment, but Ismini is reluctant to reflect that in her prices up and charge the market value because she is a generous soul and feels loyal to her repeat customers (of whom there are many). The house is spotless, the situation is absolutely idyllic and Ismini is charm and kindness personified. This is just a gem of a place and we hope to go back again and again...

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 spent two weeks at Ismini's apartment in April 2015 with our 19 month old son and had a great time. The big garden and the many toys and swings kept out son busy. Ismini was very generous with her time and advice on where to eat and shop. The local tavernas delivered to our apartment. The apartments have been recently renovated and look very nice. There are nearby mini markets with very good local products. We would recommend this place for families with young children.

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

All in all a perfect stay. We stayed here with our one year old for a small week at the end of April. The apartment had everything we needed. We had lunch and breakfast at the apartment, dinner we had outside most of the time. What the other reviews forget to mention is that the beds are brand new and very comfortable. Ismini was, as you can also read in other reviews, very friendly and helpful. The garden and direct beach entrance are all you need. We definitely recommend this place and would come again.