We had an absolutely magical stay in Crete in Eleni's villa - the location was perfect for us. The villa istelf is in an absolutely tranquil spot - all you hear is the song of the cicadas and the tinkle of goat bells - and you have a great view of the hills around. However it is just a few minutes drive from the town of Kissamos with jolly beach-front tavernas and shops - and a port where you can take a day cruise - we had a great trip to Balos. Eleni came to Kissamos to meet us when we arrived to show us the way to the villa as it would be quite hard to find on your own. But as well as being handy for Kissamos, within a short drive is the fantastic beach of Falasarna, the mountain villiage of Platonas with nice looking tavernas, and the ancient villiage of Pollyrinia with amazing history, incredible panoramic views and the most wonderful taverna. We also visited Hania a couple of times (40 minutes), Elafonisi (1 hour), Limounopolis water park (40 minutes) and Seitan Limania beach - need to be adventurous for this one (1 hour). So we had a busy week and it was wonderful coming back to the peaceful villa after a day out. The villa istelf is a respectfully renovated old building which maintains the charm of the old but with modern luxuries - such as an excellent shower, powerful air con and an espresso machine. Eleni was easy to contact and ask questions. On arrival the fridge was stocked with some essentials and wine - a few days later her husband also left us fresh vegetables that grow at the villa. It was hard to leave!