Caldera Blue Villa by Estia

This was easily the worst place we’ve stayed in over more than 20 visits to Crete during the past decade. We booked the villa based on its listing, but what we found was drastically different. It was seriously misrepresented, with hygiene and maintenance problems, little privacy and an unprofessional host. The villa is described as private, but it didn’t feel that way at all. The upper floor is rented separately, and guests there can look directly down into the garden and pool from their windows and balcony. Houses behind the property also overlook the outdoor areas. We felt watched and exposed almost all the time. The road to the villa is extremely steep and dangerous, and many ordinary rental cars may struggle to get up it. Before our trip, the host explicitly approved our early check-in and said the key would be left for us. We changed our travel plans based on that. Then she cancelled through WhatsApp without apologizing. When we arrived at the agreed check-in time of 15:00, photographers and models were still using the villa, and were there at 15:10. So the host had withdrawn the early access she’d approved and the property wasn’t ready even at the official time. It immediately made us doubt her commitments. The house smelled strongly of mold. We could see black mold in the bathroom, on door frames, in the kitchen, inside furniture and even in the refrigerator. Other problems included broken air conditioning in the living room, no air conditioning in one bedroom, a broken jacuzzi with only a few working jets, a mattress with several visible blood and urine stains, peeling wallpaper, old deteriorating furniture with mold, and a pool in poor condition. Some pool fittings were missing, the eroded grout left sharp tile edges, and the poolside loungers were broken. There was also a room full of miscellaneous junk and an emergency kit that had expired more than five years earlier. These were serious hygiene, safety and maintenance concerns, not minor cosmetic issues. When we reported the living-room air conditioning, we asked that repairs wait until after we left so they wouldn’t interrupt our holiday. The host agreed at first, then the next day pressed us to cancel a planned outing and stay in for the technicians. We reluctantly changed our plans, but the technicians never showed up. Later, when we asked why no repairs had happened, the host claimed she’d followed our original request to postpone them, even though she had insisted they be done during our stay. When the shower hose broke the first time we used it, the host initially suggested we had broken it ourselves, and another contractor visit was needed. The repeated broken promises and conflicting messages made the stay deeply frustrating. It felt as though we were expected to give up holiday time so repairs could be done for future guests.