From the moment you book, you will receive the best service. Randall is very prompt in contacting you, to help sort things out and if there is anything you are unsure of, he is more than happy to help. Things like hiring a car, booking a taxi, places to visit...anything! He maintains the pool during your stay to make sure it stays nice and clean, but doesn't impede on your privacy in any way. He is very accommodating to any preferences that you may have. All in all, we couldn't have asked for more from Randall....he's the best host you could imagine! He even stocked the fridge and freezer up with drinks for us, and the fruits bowls were overflowing. This was perfect after a long journey with 3 little children.
The property itself is wonderful. The cottage has two nice sized bedrooms with lots of storage and an open plan living/dining space. The kitchen is stocked with all the utensils and pots and pans you'd need if you wanted to stay and cook. The bathroom has both a separate bath and shower but most importantly....a washing machine!! This is so handy and means you definitely do not need to bring as many clothes as you'd normally have to take on holiday. Randall is so great in that he provides things like washing powder and dishwasher tablets and soap, so you can make full use of the utilities that are available. There are also plenty of towels, and even things like hats, books and parasols so you don't need to worry about bringing any. There's also an iron and ironing board.
The house is perfectly clean on arrival, and also very homely.
Outside there is the most amazing space. The bedrooms at the back of the house open out to the slabbed patio area which contains the pool and a beautiful outside dining space. Theres also a shaded comfy seating area, and plenty of sun loungers so you can choose what you want to do with your time outside. Theres a super handy outside shower, which was perfect for when we came back from the beach and we wanted to wash off all the sand before getting into the pool. There are stairs to the roof where there's another comfy seating area, and its perfect for watching the sunset in the evening.
The pool is fantastic!! It's brand new, and so clean. If you have young children, then I would definitely recommend armbands (which the local store sell for €2!). All 5 of us could play in the pool at the same time and there was still ample space. Due to the location of the house, you do actually have quite a lot of privacy as you're not really directly overlooked.
You can leave the back garden and walk through the land at the back (about a 2 minute walk) and then you're at the beach!! This was fantastic for us, so we could have a day where we could have both beach and pool play. The beach is quite pebbly, but there are areas of sand. If you get a good, calm day then you can snorkel. The views are amazing as you can see the coast stretching out.
If you follow the beach road to the left, there are 2 tavernas about a 5 minute walk away. They serve a mixture of local cuisine as well as a more generic western menu....its very delicious and the owners are very welcoming to guests.
About a 15 minute walk away is the local village of Tavronitis which has got pretty much everything you'd need. There's a supermarket, bakery, butcher, a fishmonger, a shop that sells everything from souvenirs, to toys and household goods, a pharmacy and a few restaurants and cafe's. The local people are lovely, most will say good morning/afternoon when you walk by and everyone is super helpful. Most speak English.
Randall helped us to sort out hiring a car, and we took a few trips out to Chania (beautiful old market and harbour area) and Elafonisi beach (go super early in the morning if you want to get a decent spot...its super busy!).
All in all, we were so happy that we found this property and we can't recommend it highly enough. The property is wonderful and the host, Randall, was the best :)