Christos was a great host we had everything we needed in the apartment. It was clean and air conditioned. The only negative was that it was on the third floor and there was no lift, only stairs, so if you struggle with stairs then you might not like. It was very central, only a 10 minute walk into the centre of Heraklion. The neighborhood was very safe. There was a small kiosk, a convenience store, a cake shop and a good take away all within a 2 minute walk. There was a bus stop 5 minutes walk away that went to the airport (number 1 bus) and only cost 1.70 euro. There was also a number 6 bus that went to the nearest beach (Ammoudara) again that was 1.70 euro.
From Heraklion there was a daily high speed ferry that went to Santorini. It took 2 hrs and cost 119 euro return. It left at 09:30 from Heraklion then left again at 17:30 from Santorini. There was also a major bus station by the port. I got the bus to the town of Rethymno. It took 1 1/2 hrs and cost 8.50 euro each way. It was a lovely touristy town with a better beach than Heraklion, i would recommend visiting there.