As a family of five we felt we had worked extremely hard over the year and needed to just relax, so Villa Aspa seemed perfect - and it was. If you want the hustle and bustle of community life, then this is not for you, but if you want the most idyllic setting, coupled with peace and quiet and a quiet life, then it most certainly is. That's not to say that you won't get woken early on an occasional morning when the local sheep flock is being moved and turns up outside your bedroom window, or the occasional local bibs their horn and waves on their way past.

But for the most part your only companions will be the occasional bird of prey keening high above, or as they swoop through the valley below, the ever-present cicadas and the cheeky swallows (or are they swifts?) that swoop across the pool for a drink on the wing at different times of the day. We wanted, for a change, a holiday where we did virtually nothing, and we certainly achieved that in this wonderful place.

Once you get used to the Cretan driving it is simplicity itself to pop around to Margarites to pick up some essential or to have a drink in a local Taverna - the one we habitually used had a lovely terrace overlooking the valley and down to the coast. For larger grocery shopping trips we carried on further down the hill for a couple of kilometers to Perama, which has a Carrefour as well as several other sizable supermarkets. Otherwise, lunch by the beach can be had at Panormos or slightly further along the coast at the beautiful Bali - try the Panorama Taverna!

If some of your number need a retail fix, then Rethymnon has an adequate supply of boutiques and other shops, where the prices are (as long as you are careful) generally very good. Restaurant/Taverna food is exceptional value for money, with a bill of around 50 euros quite common to cover the 5 of us.

But most of our time was spent at the villa, dipping in and out of the lovely pool and taking in the breathtaking views, down the valley to the coast and across the valley to the mountains, or just over the way to Margarites, where there always seemed to be something going on - even if it was only a flock of sheep, or goats, being moved!

Although we have had some wonderful holidays in the past, the whole family said that this was the best holiday they have ever had. Not bad when your family includes three internet-dependent teenagers!