We spent a lovely few days staying at Orgon Farm. There was fresh bread at our door each morning, fresh figs to pick as we liked, green beans from the garden, homemade ketchup on a shared plate of fried potatoes, and viewing the rings of Saturn--glass of wine in hand--through Manolis' telescope.

Our kids (4 and 8) loved the space to run around and feeding scraps to the chickens, while we loved the quiet town, the great (and cheap) taverna down the hill, and sharing wine, night air, and spirited conversation with our hosts and neighbors on the terrace. We found Nopi and Manolis to be warm and genuine, considerate hosts, passionate about life and art, and full of insight and suggestions about things to do, events, and places to eat (listen and take notes).

We visited Knossos (get there at opening time during tourist season) and Heraklion (Natural History Museum a winner for the kids), both within a 30-minute drive. We never hit the beach (having stayed at the beach for the 9 previous days), but it was also within a 25-minute drive. The music festival in the (beautiful) nearby town of Houdetsi (a host suggestion) was also great. Sadly, the local festival for the town was the evening of our departure day. Perhaps we'll be back for that one...