THE TIMES UK - The 20 best villas with big pools - Caroline Hendrie -

Want to do some real swimming? We find the best pools in the Mediterrean where size really does seem to matter..

1 - Villa Neptune, Crete

The ultimate pool with a view is L-shaped and has an infinity edge that lets you swim and see the rocky coastline in one direction, beaches in another. Step through the patio doors and you have only to take a stride before you get into your stroke, with 19m to plough up and down. The modern villa, which has three bedrooms and sleeps seven (the master bedroom has fabulous sea views), is painted in earthy colours to blend into the rugged landscape.......


Villa Neptune - Keramoti bay - west Crete: The villa is located in the seaside village of Livadia, Keramoti bay, Innahorion, in the southwestern part of Crete, at a distance of 72 km from Chania and 31 km from Kissamos. The villa can be accessed through a 4 km long road that is connected to the regional provincial road. The village is located in the middle of the European hiking path E4– a seaside route of exceptional natural beauty- that starts at the village of Kambos and continues through the villages of Keramoti, Livadia, Chryssoskalitissa and Elafonisi. The route is typical of the rugged beauty of Crete with amazing changes of the scenery between olive and locust trees and sea-beaten rocks of black and red volcanic lava.

Villa Neptune - Elafonisi - West Crete: One of the most exotic gifts of nature to Crete…Lacy beaches, a forest of age-old cedars, thin white sand made of sea shells, long shallow stretches of sea with turquoise waters where you can wade to, an islet with dunes and lilies and around it a handful of rocks in shallow waters with emerald- coloured sand. Few images of Crete can be compared to the view just before the last turning of the road to Elafonisi ... In the village of Livadia, buying food is still done in the traditional way – you may buy fish from the fishermen in the small harbour, vegetables, dairy products and meat from the farmers, but you will also find three small taverns. There is a mini-market in the village of Kefali and larger supermarkets in the villages of Platanos and Kissamos. A gas station is located about 11 km away in the village of Elos.

Note:: The family who cleans the villa, speaks English and can cook for the tenants of the villa a great variety of traditional Cretan dishes. The tenants may buy fresh fish from Vasilis, the young man who cleans the pool but also has a fishing boat and goes fishing regularly. If you wish, you may ask him to take you fishing with him or you may charter his boat for a boating trip to Elafonisi, Paleohora or Falasarna. The sea is only 60 m away from the villa but there are also many secluded beaches about 100 m away as well as the exquisite beach of Elafonisi at a distance of about 15-20 min by car. A basketball and a volleyball field are available at a distance of about 2500 m from the villa. All rooms are air-conditioned (hot or cold, depending on the season).

Please be aware that a 10€ per night Climate Resilience Tax is applied to all reservations from 1st of March to 30th of October.