Our experience was outstanding - would give 6 stars if I could! We are a family of four, our children are aged 8 and 4. The villa is absolutely beautiful, clearly designed and built to incredibly high standards. Despina and her husband, Nikos, made us feel at home from the start. Our flight was significantly delayed, but Nikos had stayed at the airport to welcome us, make sure everything was OK with our car rental and guide us to the villa at around 1 am. There was a lovely welcome basket of local produce for us on the table and a carafe of Raki to cheer us up after the delay.
The pool was perfect for our children who are both good swimmers, but with the way it is designed (depth and width) would also be great for younger children or those who don't swim so well. The kitchen is a great size and incredibly well stocked, with everything we could possibly need, in a well-organized fashion. The bedrooms/bathrooms are a good size and could easily accommodate a larger family. The cleaners were excellent and the villa was spotless throughout our stay, despite the chaos our children can introduce to any environment! The villa is also very quiet and private. Despite there being another 2 villas in the complex, you would not know there is anyone else around.
One of the highlights is the Cretan breakfast each morning. Effie, the chef who prepares the breakfast, is wonderful and the outdoor kitchen/dining area set in the orange grove is stunning. She was incredibly welcoming to the children and prepared what we are reliably informed is the best chocolate milk ever. The food was delicious and she gave us some great tips on where to explore during our week.
Despina was a great help in planning our week too. She was immediately available in person or by text to answer any questions and provide help in planning trips and reserving restaurants for us. Her recommendations were brilliant (we had great meals at Captain Fidias, Thalassino Ageri, and Arismari restaurants).
In terms of places to visit, the beautiful town of Chania is very easy to drive to (takes about 20 minutes), local beaches and restaurants about 10 minutes away and Elafonissi beach is just over an hour away. For those wanting to experience a bit of history, Knossos is a 2-hour drive away ( well worth the trip), and closer by are the ruins of Ancient Aptera (about 30 minutes away).
This was a fantastic holiday, in a beautiful villa run by wonderful owners and great staff.