Chrysoula’s apartment is the perfect base for exploring the best that Crete has to offer, and all things considered one of the best stays I have ever had on AirBnB.
The house itself is beautiful and very well-equipped, with a modern kitchen that allowed us to cook our own meals with ease [on the few occasions where we weren’t visiting one of the excellent local restaurants that Chrysoula recommended to us]. Between the garden and the balcony there is the perfect mix of light and shade for relaxing and dining outdoors, and the combination of comfortable beds and quiet surroundings meant we slept extremely well every night. The Wifi was very fast and reliable, easily handling video calls and streaming.
The house is perfectly located for exploring the stunning beaches of West Crete — Balos, Falassarna and Elafonissi are all easy and relatively short drives away, so much so that we visited them multiple times — and the bars, restaurants and beaches of Chania are also within easy reach. Even for slightly further destinations like the gorges of Samaria, Imbros and Lissos we found daytrips very straightforward. Add in the nearby village of Topolia with its fantastic restaurants, and the mountain retreat of Milia just a short (and picturesque!) walk away, and I don’t think I’ve ever stayed somewhere that manages to combine accessibility and tranquility quite this well.
To top it all, Chrysoula herself is also the dream host! On day one she personally guided us to the house after we were led astray by Google Maps; she got new keys cut for us when we managed to lock ourselves out (🤦); she suppled us with fresh locally-grown fruit every few days, and one time we returned to the house in the evening to find a delicious home-cooked Greek meal waiting for us in the oven.
All in all, I cannot recommend the place highly enough, and wouldn’t hesitate to come back in future.