My husband and I spent 11 nights in this wonderful villa. We had a hire car which enabled us to get around the island easily, and which we'd recommend having at this location.
Our generous hosts were as wonderful as all the previous reviewers have already mentioned; the care they have taken with their villa was second to none. We had everything we needed, and it was super clean and comfortable.
Having an area both front and back of the villa was great as we could almost always find a sunny spot to lounge in.
It was extremely peaceful, a really blissfully quiet place. We heard a few birds and the gentle clink of goats' bells when they wandered nearby on the mountainside - just idyllic. We were lucky enough to experience a dramatic nighttime thunderstorm, which I particularly enjoyed!
The nearby coastal beaches at Agia Pelagia and Lygaria were quick and easy to get to but at this time of year it wasn't really warm enough for us to do more than enjoy a bite in a taverna along the beach front. These beaches are only really one sun lounger deep, and rocky rather than sandy, but this didn't impact us. We can highly recommend taverna Mouragio at Agia Pelagia where the food is made from fresh rather than frozen ingredients (we loved everything we ordered, especially the lamb chops).
We didn't manage to explore much of the south of the island except for Matala - just over an hour's drive, which had a wonderful vibe for sitting in the square, and a decent sized beach which was sandy rather than rocky. In the warmer summer months I could imagine heading here for more beach time. Next time!