The House by the Sea is a charming villa, with an excellent location. The whole family loved how close it was to the safe and gentle beach, and the lovely garden which had hammocks, swings, and toys. The house and garden have a wall around them, so are completely safe. It was also close to a couple of good restaurants.
The off street parking for two cars is a real advantage, as the area is busy with day trippers. The villa has an apartment upstairs, which has a wonderful view over the sea, and a basement apartment, with steps up to the garden. The apartment upstairs has a number of advantages, such as a good kitchen, dishwasher and microwave and it's also light and well decorated. The apartment downstairs is darker and needs lights on during the day. The kitchen facilities are more basic.
There is also a road between the house and the beach, which can be busy during the day. However, the wall of greenery surrounding the house mitigates the sound, and gives the feeling of a sanctuary.
The hosts were terrific - providing gifts including fruit on arrival, and a delicious traditional Cretan barbeque meal one night, with multiple dishes. All this at no additional charge. We enjoyed meeting and talking to them.
Would we go back again? Certainly. We are already missing "The House by the Sea".