Contessina del Mare is a lovely villa in a great location, overlooking the sea (about 100 metres away, maybe less) and within easy walking distance of the centre of Panormos, with its great selection of restaurants as well as shops and beaches.
The villa is spacious, tastefully furnished (including very handy anti-mosquito doors) and spotlessly clean (the hosts ensure it is thoroughly cleaned every three days, which is great service). A balcony looks out onto the sparkling blue sea, wonderful for lazy breakfasts in the sun and evenings over a glass of wine under the stars. A small, secluded beach is just a few metres away and there are others in the area. Inside, the bedroom is lovely and light and nicely decorated, there are two comfortable sofas in the living room area and a small kitchen with various utensils and a fridge-freezer (though there are so many nice restaurants in the village that we ate out almost every evening so didn't do much cooking). There was no toaster, but there is a grill in the oven.
Christina and George gave us a really warm and friendly welcome, even though it was nearly midnight, and Christina had even done an initial shop for us so we had essentials in stock (for which we paid cash on arrival). And of course there was a bottle of raki, Crete's favourite spirit, waiting for us in the fridge :-)
Panormos itself is a 15-minute stroll or two minutes by car (and there is ample parking space in the village). It's a lovely, very pretty old fishing village which today caters for visitors with a great variety of very good restaurants, as well as small supermarkets and shops. There were plenty of visitors in Panormos, but it was never crowded and has retained a lot of its traditional atmosphere (as well as a magnificent collection of stray cats that provide endless amusement!) There are two beaches that were busy but certainly not crowded (we were there in September) and it's safe for swimming. There's plenty to see in the local area, including a honey museum, olive oil factory tour, traditional Cretan villages and a very good winery. Further afield, the cities of Rethynno and Heraklion, and the ancient palace of Knossos, are all within easy travelling distance (I recommend using the great-value bus service from Panormos to avoid traffic and parking issues in the cities, or taking the pirate boat to Rethymno).
All in all, this is a lovely villa in a great location. We loved Panormos and would happily return to both the village and the villa - thank you Christina and George, we had a wonderful holiday in Contessina del Mare! :-)