Getting There
George and Elli's place is part of a large complex called the Theseus Beach Villas at the top of a hill. It is relatively easy to get to and about a 15-20 minute drive from the old town of Heraklion. From the direction of Chania, the road coming off the highway is more challenging -- lots of hills and tiny streets -- so check directions carefully. Once you get there, the apartment is on the first road after coming through security, and up one flight of steps from the street. There is a parking garage at street level and a spot that is clearly labeled to correspond with the apartment. Like most underground parking lots, there are columns, so big cars might have issues.
Communication
We had some difficulty connecting over the keys due in part to spotty internet before we were able to check in and connect to wifi. (Wifi worked well once we were in.) The security guard was very nice and let us into the complex, but didn't know where the apartment was. Part of the issue may be that we originally booked through Airbnb, but later received correspondence through Smartbnb. It turned out that Elli and our notes to each other weren't received. If we had had WhatsApp it might have been easier. We'd recommend making sure you connect with Elli and George and establish which form of communication you'll be using in advance. Having said that, we were able to figure it all out in the end.
Elli's directions on how to use the various appliances in the apartment were detailed and well thought out, including how to use the blackout shades on all the patio windows, how to make sure the solar-heated hot water is on before you take a shower, and how to work the air-conditioning. Make sure you have them before you check in and read them carefully! Elli was a very good sport about my calling Sunday morning to ask how to turn on the hot water. I hadn't had my coffee yet and misread my directions. Poor Elli! Also, the washer works well, but instructions are in Greek. We used the camera feature on Google Translate which uses your phone camera to translate script into your language, and had no problem using it.
Apartment
It's a very nice, spacious apartment with sliding doors onto the patio, separate bedrooms and comfortable beds (one king and one queen). It was extremely clean. The large living/dining/kitchen area has air conditioning as do each of the bedrooms. It works very well. We didn't use the kitchen, but it was large and open and appeared to be well stocked with dishes, cookware, etc. The one and a half bathrooms were very clean and the shower was excellent. The apartment has a large patio area with a dining table and lots of seating, and a beautiful view of the town of Ammoudi down the hill by the sea.
Pool and Restaurant
To get to the pool you walk up to the crest and down the road to the other side of the hill. You may prefer to drive, it's a very steep hill and maybe a 15 minute walk. We walked it both directions, and were rewarded with lovely stars and a lovely breeze on our way back up. The pool is about 2/3 of the way down to the private beach. The pool is large and clean. The restaurant by the pool is excellent and you can order out. That was great for us as my husband is severely allergic to cats, and as in ALL of Greece, there were lots of feral cats around the complex. My daughter and I had dinner outside at the restaurant and they delivered a meal to my husband, as well as taking him back up the hill to the apartment in their car. SO NICE!!!
Beach
Our stay was short, so we didn't get a chance to hang out at the beach, but it has umbrellas and chairs, and looked very nice, if possibly a little pebbly. So maybe bring water shoes.