Took me some time to get used to the mattress, was less soft that I am used to :)

The beautiful place in an almost untouched area of Crete. Though not extra spacious, the room has everything that you need inside. There is tea, coffee, oranges, bread, olives there for your stay ❤ The room is beautifully decorated. The area around the building - this is something incredible and this is a place to rest with your soul. Beautiful garden, a lot of places to just sit, lay on the hammock and not be disturbed by the other guests (there are 4 rooms only, so you are not disturbed in any case). Palms, olive trees, blooming flowers, grapes, pomegranate trees. All this is done with so much care. There is also a 19 yo cat at the property who is a purring, soft, bit gentle bandit :) P.S. Snorkeling at the beach is fantastic

Stayed in October 2023

Not much. Yannis Retreat is close to perfect. One point of improvement might be the distance from the beach. It is a (lovely) 12 min walk to the beach, bars and restaurants. We knew, not a problem at all. However closer to the beach would be nice/convenient.

Amazing place!!! Beautiful appartement in a lovely garden! This is really a place to relax, unwind... enjoy. The owner every day provided fresh bread and cake... never had that. Kato Zakros in perfect for hiking. Good beach, spectacular gorge. Half of oktober calm but still alive with a summer feeling.

Stayed in October 2023

Beautiful human centric place. Ideal to rest and recover

Stayed in October 2023

Lovely rooms in a stunning setting, perfectly clean and very well maintained

Stayed in September 2023

Nothing

We enjoyed the hospitality of Maria and Katarina. The appartment exceeded our expectations. It was very tastefully decorated, clean and contained everything that we need. We enjoyed the breakfast. It's a relative short walk to the beach and tavernas.

Stayed in September 2023

The serenity… so quiet! This is perfect if you are searching for some peace and quiet.

Stayed in September 2023

everything was just perfect… and the welcome basket was more than excellent

Stayed in August 2023

Inredible place and inredible appartment- house! With great staff. Beauty in everything around you. Heaven!

Stayed in August 2023

If you are looking for the definition of philoxenia (the Greek word for hospitality) then you have to visit Yiannis retreat. Everything was perfect!

Stayed in August 2023

That we only stayed 3 days

The Yannis retreat is a very beautiful place decorated with great taste - both the room as well as the garden. The breakfast offered made us feel at home. Katherina is an amazing host, and we hope to be back often in Kato Zakros, always in the Yannis retreat.

Stayed in July 2023

Everything was excepțional.

Stayed in July 2023

There was nothing that we didn't like.

We liked everything here. Our stay here was perfect. Facilities were great - clean, cozy, comfortable and had everything what is needed. Very calm and beautiful place. We really liked Lavazza coffee machine in the room and daily local food bucket - small stuff, but it really contributed to our wonderful feeling while being there. Many thanks to the Katerina and Maria who made this kind of atmosphere there.

Stayed in May 2023

Great location for a peaceful time, nearby the beach and the gorge of the death. Katherine was a great host and brought us lovely homemade cake and tea. I couldn’t recommend this place enough!

Stayed in July 2023

No wifi and network coverage inside the room, only on the terrace. Also, the rooms have old-style doors witn 2 parts (upper and lower), common in this area. The location is safe, however it wasn't possible to actually lock the door neither from inside nor outside (room 1). The door closes but the locking mechanism isn't functional, only decorational. Lastly, there isn't much daylight in the room but this is due to the nature of the architecture (stone house with small windows).

Fantastic peaceful location in a well-maintained garden, ideal to disconnect and relax. The rooms are perfectly clean and well stocked with everything. Comfortable mattress, good pressure in the shower & plenty of toiletries and fresh towels. The owners think about little details that are often missing elsewhere - like a socket splitter in case you want to keep the bedlight on and charge your phone at the same time :D The kitchenware is spotlessly clean and the kitchenette is equipped with all basic supplies - coffee, tea, oil, salt etc.. different types of coffee/tea makers to suit everyone's preference. I found fresh bread, olives, cookies, raki and a pile of butter and jams in the fridge on arrival - absolutely perfect as you don't need to plan for breakfast (no restaurant or shop directly on site). I received a replenishment of bread and butter daily, as well as delicious homemade cake from Katerina, the owner - it was almost impossible to finish it all! The housekeeping was done daily and thoroughly, and I never felt disturbed although I was often leaving the room later in the day when cleaning was already im progress; they tactfully waited until the room is vacant. I really appreciate the attentive and courteous approach of staff at Yiannis. The beach is a 5min drive, clean, spacious and it was fairly empty (early June). It's a well maintained pebble beach with easy access and clear water, plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas from the local tavernas. There are about 6 of them, however Kato Zakros beach is fairly remote so it doesn't get crowded. Thank you for a wonderful stay!

Stayed in June 2023

The patio, the view, the room, the goodies, the stuff and the kittens!

Stayed in June 2023

Fantastic, plenty of space to relax in the beautiful garden, constantly replenished food and fruit.

Stayed in July 2023

Room was small, though very comfortable. The AC was hard to control.. either too hot or too cold.

A lovely and quiet and very comfortable place to stay on the far east side of Crete. The area is very natural and beautiful. The gardens are luxurious and well tended. It's very close to the Gorge of the Dead trail head (end point) and about 15 minutes walk to the beach.

Stayed in June 2023

We stayed at Yiannis Retreat for a week and can honestly say, there was nothing that we disliked. Quite the contrary, it was a wonderful stay in an amazing location. On top of that we had a great view and a very welcoming and helpful host. We would gladly come back. Thank you for everything Katerina!

Stayed in June 2023

Nothing at all.

A beautiful apartment in stunning stylish gardens. Everything you could possible need had been thought of. We had food supplies topped up daily, biscuits, water, bread, fruit etc all local products. The staff were so lovely and helpful. It was an incredibly peaceful special place to spend time.

Stayed in May 2023

a pool would have been nice, but that‘s against the law (which we support)

it‘s a gem, to say the least. wonderful welcoming hosts katarina and maria; a spectacular garden setting with lots of personality; a room with everything you could wish/need; little treats when coming home from a hike; a small terrace with seaview. really nothing we could have asked for more. we travel a lot, have seen/stayed in many hotels around the world, from luxury ***** to little guest houses. believe me/us, yiannis retreat was an unique experience.

Stayed in April 2023

The hosts made our stay unique. They were so polite. We just loved our stay there and we would come back anytime. You just live in a secret garden, it’s unbelievable. So don’t hesitate and book the retreat

Stayed in October 2022

Beautiful and peaceful place

Stayed in October 2022

We were last there for 3 days at the end of September/beginning of October. The sun being lower in the sky and being in the middle of a very hot spell, there was a shortage of shady spots to lie or sit outside. I think this would be easily remedied with some hanging shadings and/or strategic plantings.

We made breakfast ourselves with groceries and coffee that were in the studio. There was excellent ground coffee and a French press with which we made coffee that was every bit as good as that which we make at home. The landscaping is just nothing short of awesome and the gardens extremely generous and beautiful. Another thing seldom mentioned in reviews is the social environment. Places like Yiannis Retreat seem to attract guest who are interested and interesting and are willing to have contact. We value that as much as anything.

Stayed in October 2022

Away from the crowds. Peaceful.

Stayed in October 2022