When you plan a trip via Airbnb you have a lot of options and probably you look in the comments if the apartment really meets your expectations. This is what we did.
Here some background:
We (me and my girlfriend) had one week and we looked at about ten options in Crete. The Green Sight Apartment was top of the list. But we were kind of missing the proximity to the beach (we didn't know beforehand that it doesn't really matter in Crete and that the apartment was the perfect match). Also keep in mind that we are Germans and Germans tend to be critical and rather leave a complaint than a compliment.
That being said, I will comment on three mai points: the location, the apartment and George and his family.
The location: As I already mentioned, after thoroughly assessing all the options we finally decided for The Green Sight Apartment (we could have saved a lot of time, because that was our first choice anyway; but as I already said: German). After arriving at Heraklion/Iraklion Airport it took us 8 Minutes by rental-car to the apartment (would have been faster, if we were used to Greek/Cretan driving habits). Arriving there George already waited for us (more to that later on). The supermarket (Lidl) is just 3-5 minutes by car away if you prefer cooking yourself. There are even options in a walking distance (small local supermarket and Taverna). If you want to explore Heraklion it is really only 15 minutes (always by car) to the center. If you want to hit the highway (that's when you want to go anywhere on Crete: Matala or Knossos in the south, Rethymnon and Chania in the West or Agios Nikolaos in the East) the next access is also only 5 minutes away.
The apartment: Usually pictures on the internet can't be 100% trusted but in this case, the picture of the apartment did meet our expectations or even exceeded them. You have the whole apartment and the backyard to yourself. Sure George and his family live in the main-house but you won't hear or see them (if you don't want to). You will get it when you get there. Starting with the backyard you have so many options. I will just highlight, how we "used" it. So we always travel with support bands so we can get some sporty activity while on vacation. The backyard was just perfect for it. We used the Pergola to hang them for some exercises and you could easily play badminton on the green. We usually had breakfast in the sun (we were there mid-October) left during the day and came back in the evening to chill in the hollywood swing and hammock and watch the the stars and planes come and go in the distance (you can see the Ocean and the airport but you won't hear any noice). If you cook by yourself, you won't miss a thing. Really this apartment is better equipped than our own apartment. If you want to end the night watching a movie, we can recommend the home theater (via Chromecast) or even if you want to listen to your own music. We thought it is a nice gimmick, but we used it more than we expected. We actually don't care about a style of an apartment. But in this case it all made sense and we saw that it was decorated with a lot of love. By the way, the Hamam was the cherry on top. Try it, you will love it. We didn't think we need it, but what's a vacation without one?
So last but not least the host (& family): George couldn't been nicer. Probably because we live in a big city we are not used to such amazing hospitality. Before our trip, he gave me directions (although not really needed, he made me feel welcome before I even got there) With our arrival, George already waited in front of the apartment and showed us around. The same evening he wrote me about 10-15 recommendations (supermarkets, beaches, restaurants and so on). After telling him, that most of the restaurant are seafood and BBQ and we are vegan/vegetarian, he want the so called extra mile of hospitality: He and his wife picked up some vegan desserts from Heraklions finest vegan pastry and surprised us. (Thanks again George)
I could go on and on. To all researching for an apartment in Crete: Pick this apartment. You won't regret it, you even would be fool not to go there.
To all Germans: Ein Lidl in der Nähe, eine super sauber Wohnung mit allem drum und dran, eine perfekte Lage um schnell die Insel zu erkunden und dann auch noch so ultra nette Gastgeber. Alles zu dem Preis: Ich würde es jederzeit wieder so tun (diesmal ohne so lange zu überlegen). Ach ja falls die gleiche Überlegung bezüglich fußläufiger Strand aufkommt: auf Kreta braucht man keinen fußläufigen Strandzugang. Das klingt romantischer als es ist. Fahrt lieber tagsüber zu einem Strand und genießt die Ruhe auf einem Hügel.
Danke/Thank you/ Efcharisto poli George and Family