Absolutely recommended!
The house: Our holiday in John and Sarah's traditional stone house was magical and unfortunately went by far too quickly. We enjoyed our time very, very much and were able to totally switch off thanks to the beautiful garden with hammocks, great pool with a view of the mountains and outdoor shower (amazing!!). The house is very clean and spacious with a large open kitchen (very well equipped: even an orange squeezer for freshly squeezed juice in the morning), a balcony adjoining the large bedroom (nice big bed and you wake up to the rising sun with a view of the mountains), two bathrooms (a small guest toilet and a bathroom including a bath) and an extra room with 2 beds. There is also a parking space for the car directly in front of the house.
About the location and possible activities: the house is situated in a small village, in complete nature and tranquillity, surrounded by olive and orange trees. Getting there is a little adventure in itself, but no problem thanks to John's good directions. After about 10 minutes by car you reach the lively village of Platanias (here you find various shopping possibilities, small shops and direct access to the beach). For us, the house was the perfect starting point for all activities in West Crete: the botanical garden is about a 20-minute drive away (highly recommended!), the famous Samaria Gorge is about a 1-hour drive away, the most popular beaches Elafonissi, Balos and Falassarna are each about a 1-hour drive away. The old town of Chania is only 20 minutes away. A great taverna is located directly in the village on a small river and can be reached in about 5-8 minutes by car. We had a special evening at a wine tasting in the mountains on John's recommendation.
About the hospitality: John and Sarah are great hosts! And we immediately took Poppy (their dog) to our hearts. We received a very warm welcome and they were always on hand to answer any questions or queries we had. John also took care of the organisation and booking of activities and trips for us at all times. The communication was great and always went really fast. In addition to great recommendations for unusual tavernas and cafes away from the "normal" tourist restaurants, they looked after us with courgettes, cucumbers and avocados from their own garden. In addition, a bottle of red wine awaited us as a welcome gift, a small raki was ready for us after our hike through the Samaria Gorge and a jar of honey from the village was given as a farewell gift.
We will miss Crete, the house with garden and John, Sarah and Poppy and are happy for everyone who will visit this house in the future and experience the same hospitality and calmness :) We will surely come back!