We had a fantastic stay at Nikos' place! The house was quaint and came with all the amenities we could possibly ever need, including laundry facilities, cooking spices, coffee, all sorts of bathroom and kitchen ware, etc. In essence, it was as if you came into a fully inhabited house, yet with the privacy of your own place. Nikos' mom left her delicious famous zucchini pie for us at arrival (yum!) and Nikos was always extremely thoughtful. He sent us a detailed map of the island with plenty of top-notch recommendations of beaches, gorge hiking trails and restaurants before the trip, and upon arrival further tailored his recommendations based on our length of stay and preferences (we are vegetarian and were VERY pleased with the restaurant offers). He came to pick us up when we missed the address at the beginning and he further went the extra mile when we requested an iron after he had left and he came back a few hours later to leave one for us. Always easily communicable, be it by email or sms. The only downside from our standpoint was the lack of wifi, but Nikos said they were awaiting a permit for it, and there are multiple internet cafes at reasonable rates in Kolimbari open until 1am.

The location itself was delightful, nested among local houses and only a short stroll down to a pebbled beach and beach-front restaurant, although it's also only 30min to 1 hour away by car from some of Crete's best like Balos, Falasarna and Elafonisi, which are easy and stunning day trips from the place. You most definitely need a car to get there, but that is true of anywhere in Crete if you want to see any worthwhile sites in the island.

Would definitely stay back at Nikos' place if we ever go back to Crete!