We had a lovely stay at this villa is Archanes. Maria is a wonderful host and the villa was perfect. It has been fitted out by Maria and local craftsmen to an extremely high specification and it was lovely to have a courtyard garden to sit outside in for meals. Archanes was a great location for visiting Knossos and the Heraklion museums as well as walking in the hills - we recommend the Knosson Gorge and Mt Juktas walks in particular. We also really enjoyed the palace at Phaistos, just over an hour away by car, the ruins of which are in many ways more dramatic and even more interesting than Knossos. Archanes has a very good mix of taverns, restaurants (Maria can recommend the best) and a lively local scene. Everybody was very welcoming. Highly recommended.