# Villas & Holiday Homes in Greece

> A guide to renting a villa or holiday home in Greece, from the stone villas with private pools of Crete to the green Ionian islands. Where the best self-catering villas are, region by region.

**A villa or holiday home is often the best way to stay in Greece with family or friends — more space, a private pool, a kitchen and real quiet, usually for better value than several hotel rooms.** Greece's best self-catering villas cluster in two places above all: the stone villas of Crete, and the green Ionian islands. Here is where to look, region by region.

## Villas in Crete

Crete has the widest choice of villas in Greece, many of them traditional stone houses with private pools set among olive groves and within a short drive of the sea. The Apokoronas area of Chania is the classic villa country, but every one of the island's four regions has good self-catering options. Browse them by region: [Chania villas](https://fly2greece.net/chania-villas.html), [Rethymno villas](https://fly2greece.net/rethymno-villas.html), [Heraklion villas](https://fly2greece.net/heraklion-villas.html) and [Lasithi villas](https://fly2greece.net/lasithi-villas.html) — or start from the [Crete island guide](https://fly2greece.net/crete.html).

## Villas in the Ionian islands

The green Ionian islands off the west coast are the other classic villa destination, with lush gardens, easy beaches and a gentler climate than the Aegean. Look at [Corfu](https://fly2greece.net/corfu.html), [Lefkada](https://fly2greece.net/lefkas.html), [Zakynthos](https://fly2greece.net/zakynthos.html), [Kefalonia](https://fly2greece.net/kefalonia.html) and quiet [Paxos](https://fly2greece.net/paxos.html) for villas and holiday houses close to the sea.

## Choosing a villa

Decide first how close to the beach and the tavernas you want to be: a villa deep in the countryside is peaceful but needs a hire car, while one in or near a village puts everything on foot. Check whether the pool is private or shared, whether air-conditioning and Wi-Fi are included, and how the villa is reached — some sit at the end of rough tracks. The best villas for July and August go months ahead, so book early for high summer; May, June, September and October are quieter and easier. Not sure which island suits you? Take the quiz above.

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Source: [Villas & Holiday Homes in Greece: Where to Rent](https://fly2greece.net/greekvillas.html) — fly2greece.net, an independent guide to Greece written and photographed by Hans Huisman since 2000.

Reviewed July 2026.