It is my great pleasure to provide a review for the "pool villa in Crete". We (8 adults acting like kids, and one toddler) recently spent a magic week at the villa, which we booked several months in advance.

During all this time, Evelyn communicated with us in perfect English, answering all my questions very promptly. She was the most gracious host possible, welcoming us to the villa, and helping us get oriented.

As others have observed, the villa is more spacious and convenient than the pictures might indicate. Despite being 8, we never felt crowded (well, maybe once or twice, when all of us were in the richly equipped kitchen preparing dinner together :-)). I loved the 1925-era bread-toaster... The accommodations were adequate; my son slept on the sofa, not a problem at all. Our toddler was overwhelmed with the many toys, books and balls to play with, and we, the adults, were just as happy.

Breakfasts and other meals are outside, right by the pool.

The villa is a perfect starting point for day-trips - we went every day to different towns and beaches, each one nice than the other. A pleasure to dip into the pool, at the end of a long day.

The house belongs to Evelyn's family; it is as warm and welcoming as our host was. I unconditionally recommend it as an unforgettable experience.

To make this review most useful to future guests, let me list some other details:

There is a taverna with a diverse menu just a few steps up the road. Prices are fair, but food was so-so. A (24x7? it seemed so...) mini-market is 150 meters away, and we preferred to do our own cooking, for which the kitchen is richly endowed.

The villa is only reachable by stairs, lots of them.

There are fruit-trees on the grounds, and huge fig-trees next door. while we were there, the noise of the Cicadas was deafening, and you may see a few wasps around. We got used to it after a few minutes, and nobody was ever harmed.

As mentioned, the house is much more spacious than the pictures indicate. Airy, clean, open (with insect-screens on all doors and windows), it makes you want to never leave, despite the many other attractions of Crete.

You do need a car to get there. The drive to the coast (airport, Heraklion, beaches, and the "national road") takes about 20 minutes.

I am rating our experience as "fantastic". I wish that Airbnb has a rating for "super-fantastic" - I would have picked that rating without hesitation.

Thank you, Evelyn, and your family for the loan of your house.