Nearby Divine Villas you will find gorgeous beaches, historic sites, pleasant small towns with cozy taverns and incomparable views of the mountains and the sea. And all of this is just a short ten-minute ride from the airport.
The town of Kounoupidiana, an approx. 7 minute drive from the villas, offers grocery shopping and other stores.
Divine villas are located near the beaches of Tersanas, Stavros, and Kalathas. While parts of the Akrotiri coast are cliffs, there are many beautiful beaches: Stavros, where the movie Zorba was filmed, Kalathas, Tersanas and Marathi. Most of the beaches are well protected by bays and unaffected by the meltemia, or northern summer winds. Well kept and clean, the beaches have been awarded the European Blue Flag annually.
Blue beach (dist. 2.6 km)
Very cosy and private with amazing turquoise water and pink sand. Not many people know about this little bay, where you can enjoy a day at the beach with a cosy restaurant waiting to offer you a snack and a light meal.
Maherida beach (dist. 0.7km)
Rocky bay with wonderful views and a cosy beach just 10 minutes walk from Divine Villas. Great for exploring the sea not having to drive away from the villa.
Tersanas beach (dist. 1.3km)
This small sand beach surrounds the bay - here you will find sun beds for rent along with a small taverna with necessarities for the whole family. It's very sandy and a lovely spot.
Stavros beach (dist. 4km)
A great family beach. Very well organized with a beach bar and restaurant, with coffee, ice-dream, fresh fish and local goodies within reach. Great views.
On the Akrotiri area close to the Divine Villas there are three Monasteries located in areas which offer extraordinary walking routes for visitors who enjoy wild, captivating views.
Gouverneto Monastery
The Gouverneto Monastery is built on a small plateau at 260m. It is one of the oldest monasteries in Crete (15th century).
Katholiko Monastery
The Katholiko Monastery is located 3km from Gouveneto Monastery. It is considered to be the oldest monastery in Crete (6th-10th century) and has hermitages like those of Meteora.
Agia Triada (Holly Trinity) or Tzagarolon Monastery
The Agia Triada (Holly Trinity) or Tzagarolon Monastery was established in the 16th century and named after its founders, Jeremiah and Laurentius Giagarolo, two brothers from a noble Venetian family.
In addition to the beautiful beaches and monasteries, the Akrotiri area has several caves and many fascinating rock formations to explore.
Stavros Cave
In the Lera /Stavros area, there is an ancient mountain cave in use since the Neolithic Period above Stavros' sandy beach on the northern tip of the Akrotiri Peninsula. Evidence shows that the cave was used as a sanctuary from the end of the Bronze Period through the Greek Periods.
Arkalospilio
3km from the Gouvernetou Monastery.
Aherospilio
Aherospilio and Agios Ioannis are near the Katholiko Monastery.
Arkoudospilios Cave
At Arkoudospilios Cave (Cave of the Bear or The Virgin Mary Arkoudiotissa), close to the Gouverneto Monastery in Akrotiri, there is stalagmite resembling a bear, a reservoir with "holy water" and a small church dedicated to the Ypapanti that are certainly worth a visit. A local legend says that the Virgin Mary (there is a chapel dedicated to the Virgin inside the cave) turned the bear to stone after she caught it drinking the monks' water. Archaeologists claim that in antiquity the cave was a shrine to Artemis, who was transformed into the shape of a bear.