Villa Kerasia is located at the settlement of Vlahiana, 15 km southwest of the town of Heraklion. It lies at the southeast foot of Mount Psiloritis, amphitheatrically located at an altitude of 580 meter, overlooking the villages of Kerasia, Venerato, and Avgeniki at a distance of about 1 km. The area’s breathtaking natural beauty is accentuated by the intense morphological contrast of the terrain and the vineyards that embrace the settlement, along with the intrinsic beauty and sweeping views of the gorges at Ano Asites, Agia Irini and Venerato.
The area around Villa Kerasia Hotel is ideal for walking through the old trails leading to nearby Byzantine churches. The international hiking trail (E4) crossing next to the settlement leads to the organised shelter of the local mountaineering club (Prinos, 1200m altitude). You may also join organised climbing groups to Psiloritis.
Within a short distance of about 2 km from the settlement there is the archaeological site of Ancient Rizinia. The city was discovered during an excavation between 1906-1908 and prospered from the late Minoan period of 600 B.C. until the Hellenistic period of 67 B.C. The location of Rizinia on top of a hill, at about the centre of Crete and midway between the two large Minoan cities of Knossos and Faistos, was of great strategic importance.
