Whether you want to spend your holiday relaxing on the beach or seeing some of Europe's oldest historical sites, you'll find what you are looking for on Greek villa holidays in Crete.
The largest of the Greek islands combines the best features of a typical Mediterranean beach holiday resort with some truly fascinating historic attractions and the kind of natural beauty it is hard to find anywhere else.
You are never far from a beach on Crete, with the coastline home to a variety of sandy and pebble beaches.
Whether you want to top up your tan on a busy beach with a lively atmosphere or relax in splendid isolation in a secluded cove, you are sure to be able to find the perfect spot.
Many of the beaches in the west of the island are more difficult to discover, but if you make the effort to drive through Crete's imposing mountains and lush valleys to get there, you will be rewarded with beautiful views and tranquility.
It can be difficult to decide where to stay on Crete because there is so much to see, so it may be worth booking several Greek island villas for your holiday and basing yourself in more than one location.
As well as spending time in the tourism hotspots of the east, you may also want to ensure you visit the archaeological sites at Knossos, Gortyn and Phaistos.
Excavations at the historic cities have revealed signs of settlements dating back as far as the Neolithic Age, together with ruins of palaces from the island's Minoan Civilisation.
If you spend a few days in the west of the island, you will be able to enjoy the beautiful Old Town of Chania, together with its restaurants selling local cuisine and wine.
The west also has the famous pink beach at Elafonissi, together with a host of caves and spectacular monasteries perched on mountainsides, and the rugged beauty of the Samaria Gorge national park - which you certainly won't want to miss.