Some Air B and B places are cool or hip. Maria's place is a home.
After a long journey from the US, we arrived later than expected to Maria's home. Despite this delayed we were greeted warmly. We were shown around and told to call if any issues came up. Maria lamented the fact that we arrived so late that she could not arrange for dinner at the tavern. Of course we did not expect it but that is the level of hospitality. It was nearly midnight when we had arrived and the next morning we woke up to the gorgeous views from the bedroom. The following day we stopped at the cafe next door to learn that Maria had pre-arranged to cover our coffee and breakfast. She is that sweet. We spent the afternoon talking with the cafe owners and learning more about the area.
We planned about two weeks in Crete. We spent five days at Maria's and it was the perfect location for numerous day trips: Matala, Thrapsano, Festos and Agia Triada, and the city. We stopped for groceries on one trip and the kitchen was perfectly stocked to prepare a complete meal at home. We walked to the tavern one night and on our last night we enjoyed a special evening with the cafe owners and other customers. These are memories that will last a lifetime.
Maria's home has a beautiful terrace where we had our coffee most mornings. When my snoring partner got too hard to sleep next to, he was off to the second bedroom to sleep. The third room upper room, a sort of den, has views of the olive grove below. It was the perfect spot for a glass of rain when it rained. The home is decorated with lots of sweet knick-knacks and draperies.
After a difficult year, which included the loss of a sibling, this was a place of rest and restoration, and an ideal jumping off point for fun exploration. Highly recommended if you would like to settle into a non-touristy village and experience a beautiful community.