We had a fantastic week staying in heraklion. The guide books were a little dismissive of the city, describing it as dusty and dirty, and it's true it's not as pretty as some Greek towns as it was so badly bombed in WW2, but we loved it. The Archeological Museum is at least as good as it's equivalents in Athens and Ephesus. And it's extremely close to the wonderful ancient site of Knossos. We had superb food and drink throughout our stay (Amalia's Kitchen, Peskesi and Biscotto were particular highlights) and the shops were as good as any medium sized European city. The nearby beaches along the eastern coast are delightful, if a little touristy (but what else would you expect). As for the flat it suited us down to the ground. We wanted somewhere self-catering that was large enough to do yoga. The apartment was really big with a huge balcony that always had some sun and some shade. The views weren't spectacular, but we wanted to be in the city to feel we were getting the real feel for the city, so we didn't care. Everything was spotlessly clean and there were excellent facilities in the kitchen. The decor was simple, in a good way, as it would not offend anyone. There was never any problem with noise. It was a very pleasant 15 minute walk to the centre of the city and it was lovely to be able to get to the centre of town and then come home for a quick nap before going out for the evening. Haris was an excellent, communicative and attentive host and I would highly recommend this apartment if you want to experience the real Heraklion.