Andreas was fantastic. Our flight into Heraklion was delayed such that we arrived in Sfakaki at 3am, yet Andreas was super responsive via text message and came out to meet us and escort us into the Alkionis Beach by car. He helped us with luggage, and he arranged for a late breakfast for us the next morning.

The place is amazingly quiet and the views are breathtaking. You can spend a lot more and get a lot less when it comes to the quiet, space, and views that Alkionis Beach offers. There are perhaps 20 apartments with one shared pool, which was almost always free. It has a shallow end, and whilst there is no dedicated kids pool our 3yo and 8yo both had a great time pool-side or in the sea, which is literally a few feet away. The bar was quiet and has some nice options for lunch and an evening meal, and some of the best wine i had whilst out there!

There were a handful of tavernas nearby.. one or two being pretty good, albeit a bit touristy, but you're a short drive from Rethymno which has a tonne of selection for food and drink. I'd definitely recommend hiring a car if you stay here. The nearest supermarket is a couple of kilometers away, and for decent selection and prices you want to head for the Lidl, which is about 7km away.

It's ideally located in Crete though, as you're only an hour from Chania, Heraklion, and a bunch of points of interest.. the historic locations and items in the museums blew me away.

If I close my eyes i can vividly remember falling asleep with nothing but the sound of the ocean lapping on the shore as we lay in bed with the windows open.. a wonderful place, and if we ever return to Crete for another vacation, we'd be very likely to return here.