Athena's house is private, peaceful, well-equipped, light and airy (and the aircon works great when needed). Both bedrooms are spacious and fresh and modern and the sleeper couch downstairs is comfortable (small double). The couch and mattresses throughout were very comfortable. It is also next to a quite majestic church, and singing can be heard on the occasional weekend. It's set in its own lovely garden. There are places to sit outside in the front and rear of the house, and you can pick lemons off the lemon tree.
Athena was wonderful - she was there to meet us on the road when our taxi dropped us off, explained the solar system, and gave us tips on where to eat, what to explore in and around the village and also provided the number for a taxi service. Communication was clear, prompt and very helpful.
We loved the village of Gavalochori, which felt magical and a step back in time. It's literally a 2 min walk to the charming central square and you will feel like you've stepped into a movie. Incredible, quaint (and very affordable) restaurants can be found as well as small local convenience stores. It really is picture perfect.
We were specifically looking for somewhere to escape to away from the crowds of the coast (although none of the beaches were never over-crowded - we were there from mid-June to mid-July) and to settle into our own little home away from home. We had booked for a full month as we both work remotely and felt a change of scenery would be super for an extended stay.
Athena's place is in a special little village up in the hills approximately 4km from the closest beach of Almyrida - we did not have a car, and our reason for stay was more to work somewhere peaceful as opposed to exploring the island of Crete. A few times we walked down, but on a very hot day we wouldn't recommend this unless relatively fit. Most of the time we took a taxi to and from Almyrida (9 euros one-way). If you are looking to travel to different areas e.g. Chania, there are buses from Almyrida to those places and they are cool and very comfortable.
We would stay again for certain to work again and Athena will certainly see us again.