The House of Kerash Bey was originally built by descendants of Gramvousa pirates during the Turkish occupation of Crete and has recently been renovated to meet the demands of contemporary living, while retaining many of it’s original features. It is situated in the quiet village of Drapanias which is nestled on three sides by olive clad hills and looks out over the Bay of Kastelli. Drapanias is an old village and there is no traffic around the house, except Yourgo on his donkey, as the streets are too narrow, so all one hears above the sounds of locals chatting is the customery rural chorus of nearby chickens, dogs, goats and donkeys. There are local tavernas, a couple of corner shops and a bakery in the village and the nearest general food shopping is 5 kilometers away in Kastelli. Though there are busses on the hour it is probably best to hire a car (this can be done on the internet or through us) as this also alows ease of acess to the many beautiful sandy beaches, the mountains and gorges and local historic sites all within an hours drive of here.The house is near the top of the village with a small walled front garden leading to the front door. Inside, on the ground floor around a spacious tiled entrance hall, there are four large double bedrooms (two with ensuite), two leading onto the garden, and a shower/WC between the other two bedrooms.. Upstairs there is a lounge with two sets of double doors, one set facing east gives onto a large balcony with views up into the hills and the olives groves as well as down to the sea. There is a second through lounge with TV, bookcase and sofas, which leads on to a very large fully equiped kitchen and dinning area. Outside is the north facing, vine covered terrace with many cushioned bamboo chairs and sofas and small tables, with wonderfull views over the church and old village ruins, then on through more olive groves down to the sea. Perfect for al fresco dining! The house is booked in May and September for painting holidays run by ourselves, see www.paintcrete.co.uk for more information and pictures.As you can see from the activities listed there is a lot to do here for the more adventurous, but we are usually cotent with the local beach which is less than 15 mins walk from the house through the olive groves and very quiet except around the feast day of the Virgin (Aug 15th). This 5 kilometer beach (half sand half pebbles) is suitable for famlies with small children, as well as sunworshippers. The sea bottom is all sand and fairly shalolw (shoulder height) for a hundred yards out, the water is crystal clear and usually very calm. There are another two very good tavernas near the beach and one has a good latish bar for evenings spent watching the sun go down with a drink and some cool music. There are also lots of beautiful walks, deserted historic sites and small inland villages to visit nearby, as well as the old Venetian town of Chania, with its cobbled streets, fort and moat enclosing the old city, just 45 mins drive. Chania has plenty of restaurants, bars and clubs around the old harbour, as well as the many historic buildings, churches and squares to visit, not forgetting of course great shopping down ‘leather lane’ in the old Turkish quarter.