Hidden away on the south coast between Agia Galini and Moni Preveli and a good 2 hours drive from Chania Airport, the tiny hamlet of Agia Paraskevi, stands high on the hillside looking out over the Lybian Sea. Virtually abandoned for 25 years, the village has over the past decade been slowly restored and brought back to life and now provides the setting for a unique holiday experience and the ultimate place to unwind!

Agia Paraskevi has two churches and a score of houses, dotted haphazardly over a wide area of the hillside demarcated by rocky bluffs and olive groves sloping downwards towards the sea. All the houses are built in traditional style from local stone and wood, with terracotta tiled roofs, but all are different shapes and sizes and have their own particular character, based on the lie of the land and the vision of their individual owners.

Apart from the very occasional passing car, Agia Paraskevi is amazingly peaceful and by day you can clearly hear the tinkling of goat bells on the hillside a kilometre away. By night its even quieter and the sound of silence is almost tangible, save for the occasional soft hoot of a Skops Owl, or the distant murmur of the sea breaking on Ligres beach, 2km away down the hill.


With no large villages let alone towns nearby, the sky at night is a further revelation with a vast and dazzling canopy of stars, seemingly close enough to touch.

Finally, it is important to appreciate that Agia Paraskevi is not a new, purpose built holiday village, but a wonderful old village, that has been restored to life by the enthusiasm and dedication of some of its younger sons and now acts like a magnet to all whose lives it has previously touched. A recent champion of Agia Paraskevis renaissance is Kyriakos, who appeared out of the blue a couple of years ago. returned from the island of Ios together with his wife and young son and built a taverna with a few rooms and a swimming pool just below the village (10 mins walk from the square). Kyriakos who speaks good English, is quietly spoken but with a hugely infectious laugh, he's a real man of the people and loves company so all our customers will be made very welcome.


Local Information: The sandy Ligres beach, well served by two tavernas, is just five minutes drive away, whilst a ten minute drive will bring you to an excellent fish taverna on the little harbour in Agia Fotini. Twenty minutes further west of Agia Fotini the unsurfaced road follows the coast to Swallows Canyon where a palm fringed fresh water lagoon backs the sandy beach below the spectacular hilltop monastery of Moni Preveli.

Ten minutes drive to the east, are the superb beaches of Triopetra and beyond, Agios Pavlos. All the beaches on this stretch of the south coast are sandy and relatively quiet even in high season, with a good half dozen strategically placed tavernas. For bakers, mini markets, banks and a little more civilisation, the hill town of Spili, with its handsome Venetian fountains, is a good 40 minutes drive, so it's worth  stocking up whilst you're there (we found the delicious bread from the traditional wood fired oven baker  froze very well ). Several tavernas offer enticing coffee or lunch stops to make the trip worthwhile.

N.B. Car hire is essential and although metalled roads now link most of the small villages and beahces, hiring a 4-wheel drive vehicle gives you the exhilarating option to explore the myriad tiny roads and tracks.

Walking - In spring and autumn the area is excellent for walkers and there are footpaths to Ligres and Triopetra beaches and also to Agia Fotini and even distant Moni Prevelli.

Agia Paraskevi village Agia Paraskevi village Agia Paraskevi village Agia Paraskevi village

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Delta studios and apartments in Chania West Crete

Manolis Rooms in Paleochora, West Crete

Silde apartments in Chania, West Crete

Ilios apartments in Maleme Chania

Stochos apartments in Agia Galini, Rethimno

Anemos apartments in Rethimno, West Crete

Archontiki Village by Rethimno, Central Crete

Patsideros Village in Iraklion Central Crete

Gerakari Village by Rethimno, Central Crete

Bisariano Village, Heraklion, Central Crete

Aimonas Village, Milopotamos, Rethimno, Central Crete

Monastiraki Village by Amari valley, Rethimno, Central Crete

Mixorouma Village by Rethimno, Central Crete

Kalivos Village by Rethimno, Central Crete

Mountros Village by Rethimno, Central Crete

Mariou Village by Rethimno, Central Crete

Kissos Village by Rethimno, Central Crete

Moni Village in Tylisos

Profitis Elias or Ilias Village in Iraklion Central Crete

Agia Fotini Village, Rethimno, Central Crete

Agia Paraskevi Village, Heraklion, Central Crete

Oxo Latsida Cave in Sitanos Village, East Crete

Arkoudiotissa Cave in Akrotiri, Chania

Rousso Haraki Cave in Pefki - Makrigialos, East Crete

Labyrinth Cave in Messara

Trapeza or Kronio Cave in Lassithi Plateau, East Crete

Hainospilios Cave, Kamaraki Rethimno

The Elephant's Cave by Drepanos

Theriospilios cave in Kavousi, East Crete

Sarchos Cave in Krousonas

Marathospilios Cave, Rethimno

Giouchtas Caves in Archanes, Heraklion

Gerani Cave, Rethimno

Asfendou Cave by Sfakia

Leon Cave - Precipice in Fres, White mountains

Drakoulaki Cave, Sfakia

Livadi plateau in Kroussonas

Asfendou plateau in the White mountains

Katharo plateau in the Lassithi mountains

Nissimos plateau in the Lassithi mountains

Tavri and Niatos plateau in Askifou

Krapi plateau in the White mountains

Omalos - Simi - Viannos plateau in the Lassithi mountains

Vothonas plateau in Chania

Anopolis plateau in Sfakia mountains

Kallikratis plateau in Chania, West Crete

Manika plateau in Fragokastelo

Nida plateau in the Idi mountains

Paranimfi and Mournia Plateaus, Asterousia

Vromonero plateau in Kroussonas

Stroumboulas plateau in Heraklion