We attended a conference at the University of Crete, which was within walking distance of the villa. It was a perfect location to explore the town of Rethymnon as well as explore the island - just over an hour to Chania and Heraklion/Knossos. The villa is new, very spacious and has nice amenities including good WiFi. Stratos and Paul were always available for any questions or needs that we had. We had a welcome basket of fresh fruit and a local red wine which was very nice.
We enjoyed the local cafe (Butler's) and loved the local restaurant (Christo's), where we ate several times. At Christo's, the Mom cooks the meals each morning so the menu changes every day for lunch & dinner - definitely try the moussaka, pastitsio, and the lamb chops...all delicious! Both venues are about a 5-7 minute walk from the villa.