We were warmly welcomed by Yannis on our arrival - he came to collect us after I rang him as we were unable to find the exact location of the villa - be aware that the listing here is in English script but in Greek script on a sign off the road there!
The appartment is a beautiful wood furnished stone maisonette in a terrace of three overlooking the pool and an amazing vista over the local village and out to the coast. We enjoyed meeting the other guests staying there for the week with us, and this was important for us, so we felt lucky. We were able to get some good trip ideas from the other guests who'd been there longer than us, like a local restaurant and beach which weren't mentioned by the owners or Valia, and also what to avoid. We also discovered the local town was mainly cafes with locals hanging out, and not touristy at all: a supermarket, a few shops and one taverna owned by a very friendly woman and very good value, very simple and delicious food just a short walk down at the near end of town. Panormo was the nearest tourist place - and beautiful. We used our Lonely Planet and sat nav to get around, it's not great for anxious drivers! So you definitely need a car and you need to want peace and quiet rather than tourist/party areas. Rethymno seemed a mix of party town and upmarket harbour area. Valia was very available and the hosts were a phone call away so we felt taken care of. We would definitely go back to this place, maybe with friends/family to share the place, though we also enjoyed meeting new people.