Fantastic from start to finish - Beautiful Villa, Brilliant Location and Amazing Host! I have just got back from my holiday in Crete landed at 3 am this morning, haven't even unpacked my suitcases but I still wanted to write this review to let you know what an amazing time was had by me and my family. Communicating with Manolis was really easy, he always got back to me within a matter of hours , sometimes even immediately about any query that I had. This was really helpful and important, especially when our flight was delayed on arrival, Manolis contacted our taxi firm to let them know that we were running late, then advised me so that I wasn't worried or stressed about it. He also assured me that he would be at the villa (regardless of what time were arrived) to show us around and give us the keys. Upon arrival we were greeted by a warm and smiling host who showed us around the villa so that we had our bearings. In addition he had filled the fridge with food, water and drink so that we could make ourselves something to eat. There was even fresh organic fruit which we thoroughly enjoyed. The villa was beautiful, exactly as shown in the photographs. The photos of the sauna don't actually do it justice - it is actually really big and comfortably fits four people. We even managed to get five of us in it! It was a lovely way to end each day, there was even a cold shower just outside the sauna that you could use to cool off. The A/C was excellent which was needed because the weather was so hot. There wasn't any in the room with two single beds but it wasn't needed as the room was directly off the lounge and the air filtered into there as well. The pool was large and clean (a man came to check the water every day). It was quite deep (8 foot) but there was a shallow seating area as well in which you could sit and relax. There were plenty of loungers by the pool to relax in, in addition there was a seating area (sofa and chairs) that could be covered by an electronic shader - this was a perfect place to sit when it was too hot for the loungers. In addition there was other seating areas dotted around the villa all of which were lovely. The most spectacular, however, was the balcony on the third bedroom which was big enough to seat 5 of us comfortably, it gave amazing uninterrupted views of the sea and was a perfect place to have a drink and watch the sunset. There was an huge BBQ, Manolis had left us coal and lighters so it was just a case of setting it all up - It really was an enjoyable way to spend an evening. The villa in itself is exceptional but I can honestly say that what sets this villa apart from other places is its host. Manolis is the perfect host, you have your privacy which I really value on holidays but you also know that if you need to contact him he will always be available. Manolis made sure that there was lots of personal touches that made my holiday experience go from really good to outstanding. He invited us all to have a complimentary breakfast at his hotel (right next door) which we did and thoroughly enjoyed. When we asked if it was possible for us to check out late from the Villa because we had a really late flight, he asked me what time I would like to leave! This meant that we were able to relax at the Villa until it was time for us to go. His father cooked us a beautiful meal one evening he refused to have anything from us apart from the cost of the meat that he had used which was a mere 40 Euros. He was charming and kind and did this for us despite the fact that he had his own family celebration to attend that evening. I can only say that he was true gentleman and we all felt touched by his kindness. Manolis arranged car hire for us, I always worry about how road worthy the vehicle will be, again we didn't have to worry as we were given a brand new car (only 400 on the clock). He also got his Hotel Receptionist to talk to us about places that we could visit. On a side note If you don't want to drive a car then there really is no need to do so. There is a beach that is only a 5 - 10 minute walk from the villa maximum. The beach is really clean and the water is absolutely clear, we even saw a shoal of fish which was brilliant. Tip: you will need to get there for about 10 am for deck chairs as it does get full pretty quickly because it is a small beach. We paid 14 Euros for two deck chairs and a table. Once your there you really don't to move unless you want to! food and drink is brought straight to your deck chairs by two gentleman that man the beach and keep an eye on swimmers. Prices were slightly less than other beaches that we went to, 2 Euros for soft drinks and the same for beer. The food was cheap we paid about 15 Euros for five gyros. We did use taxis a couple of times to save driving to the town, it was 10 Euros for 5 people, there were lots of restaurants to choose from so worth a trip or two! We ordered the taxi from the hotel reception, on the way back we just went to the taxi rank no difference in price. Immediately next to the villa is a place called the Coffee Lounge good for coffee...