Rena is bubbly, lively and passionate and will ensure that everyone gets a warm welcome. The best thing about staying with Rena is that you can really avoid the hoardes of tourists during the season and have a far more authentic experience than you would in a hotel.

1. Eating: There are several local tavernas in the hills above the house. We ate in these every night and did not see any other travellers, just locals. Food was excellent and of course great value.

2. Beach: This part of the island is not blessed with the most georgeous sands, but Rena can tell you of a secret beach that is 5 mins drive from the house. It is small, but with great service, and a simple snack restuarant that do fantasticly fresh Souvlaki. Costas and Stavros run it with a team and again, we were surrounded by locals. Fantastic!

3. Rena lives above Villa Vollard and she will pop down with treats during your stay.

We went to relax and did not drive around too much, but we would highly recommend a day trip (or a one night stay) in Chania at the far west of the island. It takes about 2 hours and has a great buzz (much more than Heraklion). If you just want to totally relax and read, eat good food and stay in a beautiful place with a stunning view, then you don't have to move an inch.

Thank you Rena & Nico.

Ala & Mario