We had the most amazing stay at the Villa Metochi, made up in equal measures by the quality of accommodation and Marina being an incredible host. The villa is just like pictures - beautiful, super comfortable, with aircon & wifi, well equipped and with generous amount of kid toys, kids sleeping/feeding/bathroom equipment, great little playground with sandpit, swings, trampoline (we had our 3 year old son with us who loved it all). The pool is super generous size and grounds are brilliantly kept, we were lucky to be allowed to help ourselves to lemons and apricots that were in season. It's a home for home kind of place, plus the poll and weather made it a paradise for us.
Marina was there to welcome us, provided loads of useful tips and was always contactable when more questions cropped up. She also kindly arranged for initial shopping to be ready for us in the fridge and for cooked dinner delivery on the night of our arrival (we paid for both but she also got us some complimentary bits as she just goes over & beyond with everything).
A hire car is a must from out point of view - the villa is slightly outside of Rethymno, so having a car meant we had freedom to go wherever & whenever we pleased. We spent a lot of time around the pool, but ventured out for dinner in Rethymno old town 3 nights (Otonas, Hasika and Otonas restaurant again - amazing food in both but Otonas was also super kid friendly). Old town has a beautiful atmosphere and it's great to just roam the narrow streets and explore. We also visited several beaches Marina recommended, our favourite near Rethymno was Episkopi Beach and Chrysos Asterias taverna, it had a large kid play area, great food and a fantastic sandy beach, also they didn't charge for sun beds if you bought drink/food from them. One day we had high winds that made it uncomfortable to be outside the villa (it was still sunny and warm), and Marina suggested a trip to the southern side of the island which totally made our day - journey was beautiful through a gorge and Souda beach was super calm, not busy, nice 2 tavernas to chose from for food, sunbeds etc. and we just loved the 'escape from the windy side' and finding somewhere new to explore. Another day was a bit drizzly (yet still very warm) up at the villa, but we drove down to our favourite Episkopi beach and clouds were parted there - for us it was another reason to have a car as we could move around easily & find the best weather and new adventures to suit our mood.
Another great trip was Myli Gorge (also recommended by Marina) - my 74 year old mum stayed in the villa, but me + my husband + our 3 year old walked it all the way down - well, my son climbed into the child carrier and I carried him 3/4 of the way but it was doable in that terrain with just some decent trainers and lots of water to drink. Gorge is full of old derelict mills, streams running through, beautiful plants/trees and well worth the visit if you fancy a bit of a hike. We cheated at the bottom, went for a drink/treat in Banana kitchen at the 'end of the road' and got a taxi back up to the top of the gorge where we left our car - as it was getting hot it was EUR17 well invested instead of climbing back up. Also at the top of the gorge was a lovely taverna where we then had some nice pizzas.
Overall, villa is perfect, Marina as a host super kind and responsive and island of Crete has got our hearts with so much more to explore, we're planning to go back next year and stay in the villa again (if Marina will have us).