A remote and beautiful location is the strength and weakness of this great Villa. You definitely need a car to stay here, it is the only way to get here and the only way to visit grocery stores etc. There is a little village called Livadia in a short walking distance with a nice although quite modest local tavern which I do recommend. It is not gourmet but honest local basic food with a great value. There are no sandy beaches in the immediate vicinity but one natural pool with stairs is located in the far end of the village. The closest rocky coast line is rugged but reachable from the Keramoti Beach road to the right through fence gates only a hundred meters down the road. The path that is hard to spot first leads you through the grazing herds of goats to a beautiful small church or sanctuary below the cliffs and you can go snorkling or swim here also. But this requires good feet and swimming skills, it is not for the faint of heart. More touristic places to swin are easily reachable by a car so f you are not the adventuring type you should stick to for example White Lake Beach or drive all the way to Elafonissi Pink Beach. It is a beautiful place - with a lot's of tourists and more expensive restaurants etc. There is also a quiet beach (Giomat) with small sandy patches only about 1 km after Livadia on the coastal road. It is easy to reach but not that long white stretch of sand. The beach is mostly rocky and pebbles. The roads are very winding up the hills and not always in the best of condition. The rocks falling from the hill sides spot the roads and you have to be careful driving around. Fortunately other traffic is not that dense on these narrow roads below the main roads but you'll meet farmers with their tractors and pickups driving around frequently and with frequent goat and sheep herds inhabit the roads also. I do not recommend driving on these winding roads a lot after dark. It may become dangerous if you are not very skilled and experienced driver. On the main roads up the hills you will find much more traffic and lot's of tourists driving around with various styles. I preferred the smaller road near the coastline. They are not as winding and they are much quieter.
The property itself. It is superb. It is everything the pictures promise and a bit more. It is a paradise if you prefer privacy and quiet natural surroundings. The surroundings are mostly olive trees and grazing goats, but also natural vegetation and of course the beautiful rugged coastline. The Yard is well built and kept, it offers all we needed. The warmed pool and yard shower (cold!) are a superb thing, but the magnificent view with the endless Mediterranean and sunsets are of course the stars of the yard. There is plenty of space and sunbeds etc. to enjoy your vacation when weather is good but the house is also spacious and will keep you warm or chill however you like it. Every room has it's own AC/heating with remote control. There is a superb (if not a little low) upstairs master bedroom with ensuite and a nice little balcony - with a view of course. The master bedroom is spacious and beautiful and all beds are of high quality. But if you are tall, watch your head in the upstairs.
Downstairs have 2 peaceful bedrooms that are not huge but quite adequate for two persons each. The open kitchen and living room area has a great view because the wall with large glass sliding doors facing the sea and mountain views. The only complaint may be the kitchen if you are preparing meals yourself to a bigger group. There is not that much place to put the pots and kettles but it is manageable. Otherwise the kitchen equipment are plentiful, if not the cutlery a bit limited. Some better sharp knives would have been nice. There was not even a suitable knife for bread but we bought one and left it for the next ones to use. The basic cutlery like forks and spoon was plentiful.
The property is quite well kept, some light bulbs are out of duty etc. but nothing major. The biggest issue was the kitchen which had no operational lighting. So in the evening it is quite dark and using the cooker etc. is a bit tricky. The only light for the kitchen counter is on the cooker hood but it was inoperable and the cooker hood and filters sure would neew a proper clening also. Outside by the gas barbecue the lighting was also absent in practice. Using the barbecue after dawn required a flashlight. A light on the wall near the barbecue would be very nice. The nearest wall lights were not operational or at least we did not find any switch for them. Some of the outside wall lights work, so I presume that the rest just would need new bulbs. Keep an eye all the time when using the barbecue since the cats from the village will track down the scent of barbecue and will help you finish the food immediately if not protected and left unattended.
But these things were minor, as a whole the property was tidy and well kept and there was plenty of nice places to stay on the yard around the house and indoors.
Returning to Crete this property wold have a strong appeal to us again. Maybe we will be back some day. Thank you very much for the superb Villa Maria!