Canada
Review submitted on Friday 16th May 2014
5.00 - ”Capture the dream......”
We recently booked a family vacation to catch up with our daughters who had been away at university, and enjoy a well needed break. My husband and I let our 21 year old daughter do the research and pick a home within our budget. We didn't want a busy town, and it had to have a pool, and comfortable space.
Elounda was perfect for us. The Black Pearl couldn't have been nicer, and the view of the bay was breathtaking. We were off season - late April/early May, but the temperature was still good with no rain, and little wind. My animal loving daughter loved the goats, and sheep that wandered freely in the fields surrounding the house, and we all loved the private little rocky shore for rock jumping into the turquoise bay.
Yianni was an amazing host. He had some basics waiting for us after our long trip, and ensured we knew where everything was in the house and how all the equipment worked. The house was well equipped with everything you would need, and the furniture and beds were very comfortable - plenty of space for all of us, and Yianni set up a bed in the lower level for my 13 year old son.
You need a car to get around, but it's easy to do day trips which we did many. Yianni made great suggestions that made our vacation: afternoon lunch in a small cafe in a fishing village named Mochlos, dinner at Kanali restaurant on a historic site, shopping in Yianni's mothers hometown krista, day on a pristine white beach outside St Nicolas, and a private boat tour to see Spinalonga with Yianni showing us spots that the tourists don't see.
Our 2 daughters really had a urge to see Santorini, but the rest of us weren't up for it. Yianni helped them get it booked, and encouraged them to "go for it". They loved it, and likely loved getting time to themselves. We were surprised that they could do such a trip in 1 day. Yianni got them a driver who took them into Heraklion to take a speed ferry.
We found eating out quite expensive for 5. We bought yogurt, fruit, and beautiful local wine....and lots of feta and olives. One night Yianni arranged to have a friend of his, a local chef, come and cook. We had a fabulous fish meal with traditional Greek fixings. Yum!
We'd recommend the black pearl to people looking to have a more authentic Greek vacation. Elounda is well situated, and natural beauty is everywhere. We even went to a hidden water falls for a private swim about 1 hour away. A tough drive for that though - right at the base of a canyon just before Sitka - amazing!
Enjoy if you go!