Nestling in the small hillside hamlet of Gallou and keeping its Venetian charm intact, Villa Svega is a romantic reincarnation that is a celebration of old and new. The location is within a quiet area with full privacy but very close to everything within the small town of Rethymno, just some minutes drive away. 

The villa has been a part of the owner family's property for the past 100 years and it is believed to belong to the second half of the Venetian era. The estate occupies 2,500 sq. m and includes a neoclassical house built in late 19th century, attached to two Venetian vaults and a building which was formerly an oil-mill, adjoining the western vault.

The villa was refinished to its previous condition with using traditional materials to highlight the building's historic charm. Tastefully decorated with a combination of mellowed stone, solid wood fitments, beamed ceilings, and soft natural colours the villa offers a unique atmosphere and the best comforts to our guests. Together with architectural knowledge, we have turned the west vault and the old oil-mill into a rustic, two-storey house of 140 sq. m., that can accommodate 6 guests in its 3 bedrooms. Villa Svega is also a wonderful retreat for a winter vacation as it is fully equipped for the mild winter of Crete with under floor heating (at an extra charge) and a huge stone fireplace.

Villa Svega is equipped with solar panels that produce clean energy from sunlight to meet all the home's energy requirements. Complementing this eco-friendly energy solution is a garden rainwater harvesting system, designed to collect and store rainwater for watering the villa's gardens.

Indoor layout

Entering the villa there is a spacious open plan area (Venetian vault) consisting of the living room with a large sofa, a fireplace and a 32” satellite HDTV, indoor dining area and the fully equipped kitchen. An old stone passageway takes you to the two story oil-mill house. A hallway leads to the ground floor master bedroom with a double bed and en-suite bathroom with shower. Additionally the main bathroom with bath and shower is also found on the same floor.

Reaching to the first floor through a wooden staircase there are 2 bedrooms both with two single beds. A further flight of stairs brings you to an enormous tiled rooftop terrace with magnificent  view - an oak forest to the east, the sea view to the north and then the village lying all around the terrace. The terrace is the perfect spot to enjoy your morning coffee or a glass of wine at sunset.

The villa does not have air conditioning however it has 1.5 meters thick, stone walls which perfectly maintain a cool temperature during summer and this makes it possible to stay in the villa ecologically and healthy without air-conditioning, avoiding unhealthy use of it.  Both bedrooms on the first floor are equipped with ceiling fans.

Outdoor area

The beautifully landscaped outdoor area of the villa offers a variety of facilities and spots for relaxation. The south patio, surrounded by its high Turkish walls can be your hideaway for sunbathing as well as the ideal spot for al-fresco dining. More specifically our outdoor facilities include:
- A private, 42 sq. m. swimming pool, 0,65-1,60 m. Deep

- Fully equipped barbecue area with charcoal grill

- Two outdoor dining tables under the patio with views to the pool and the surrounding landscape
- A variety of furnished spots (with sun beds, umbrellas, benches and chairs) for relaxing in the garden and pool area

- There is assigned outdoor parking space.

- The whole outdoor area is totally private and fenced, offering full privacy to our guests. 

Eco Awareness 

The Mylonakis Family following a long tradition in hospitality running Villa Svega for 22 years has decided to move to a new era.

We have being trying very hard all these years to control our environmental footprint. We have stopped growing  lawn, we had covered part of the garden with gravel to prevent water evaporation, we have increased the number of trees  in Villa’s gardens.

Last year we have worked out a project to minimizing our environmental footprint. We have installed photovoltaic system of 10kws so the whole establishment is 100% independent from any other source of power except the sun. 

Meantime, our second target was to eliminate the use of water for gardening by creating a new more environmental friendly garden design. Five more trees were added to the existing eight trees filtering CO2.  Also a number of Mediterranean  plants well adapted to the climate with minimum water demands also planted. The watering system has been improved with maximum watering time twenty minutes in total. 

Finally, we kindly ask our guests  to minimize the use of sunscreen creams and tanning oils while enjoying our pool facilities and always shower first. This small gesture significantly contributes to maintaining the water quality, as these products contain detergents that necessitate additional chlorination for proper cleaning, both harming the environment.