My boyfriend and I stayed in room 3 at Efi's beautiful home for 4 nights at the end of August 2017. The property was tucked away in the hills just outside of Agios Nikolaos and the scenery was spectacular - the view from the pool and our balcony spanning across the bay with views of the mountains.
Efi and her family were very friendly, making us feel very welcome and looked after. Efi gifted us wine on arrival and drew us a map of some of the best beaches in the area. Also, as there was a little building work going on in the room next door, brought us some delicious home baked pastries.
Although the villa was quite large, and there were a few other guests, it was a wonderfully calm and relaxing atmosphere.
The room was beautiful and we enjoyed waking up to the view of the sea from our bed. It was a perfect size for our short trip however may have little storage for those with more belongings. The kitchenette was great and we cooked dinner twice and enjoyed eating out on our balcony.
The busy city centre of Agios Nikolaos is super convenient, less than 10mins away. We would however recommend that you would need a car/moped as the hills in the area are quite steep and would be tough in 30C+ heat. Alternatively a taxi cost us €8 each way to/from the city. We also recommend eating dinner by the lake and going to the rooftop cocktail bar which has great views of the lake and harbour at night.
Our favourite beach was Voulisma, around a 15min drive, which was extremely picturesque and quiet.
We loved the little arty touches dotted around and throughout our room, and enjoyed the calm cats and kitten who came to visit us around the property.
Overall we would highly recommend the beatiful Bella vista apartments as somewhere to stay whilst visiting Western Crete. Thank you to Efi and her Family!