Our stay at Archos Villa was a delight from the moment we arrived. It has an amazing vista overlooking the Aegean and due to being in the foothills near Rethymnon, a cool breeze wafts through the villa in the afternoon and evenings.

The air-conditioning in the bedrooms works brilliantly (although not installed and not needed in the basement bedroom, due to it always being cool as it is built into the ground) and the cleverly designed villa interior with all the latest amenities/electrical items such as a jacuzzi bath and Wi-Fi which all worked perfectly. The service was exceptional from both Yannis (hopefully spelt correctly) and Manos, who can arrange extra facilities such as a massage, cook and yoga teachers and the likes if you so want. They were also incredibly helpful when requiring local information and other amenities.

One of the best bits we found about Archos Villa is that it has been cleverly designed so that depending on the hour, you can always find either the sun or the shade in one of the different outdoor areas. The BBQ area was great for the evening’s entertainment/meals as it caught the evening sun and the lovely pool was always clean and clear.

The local town of Rethymnon has both the usual seafront ambiance but also the beautiful Old Town and harbour areas which is 15-20 minutes away from the villa and close enough for evening cocktails and meals at numerous nice restaurants.

If you are after a villa slightly away from the "typical bucket and spade tourist areas" this is the perfect location and still only 10 minutes to the main beaches and 20 minutes to some fantastic secluded beaches such as at Panormos (please just don't go telling everyone).

We all agreed this is the first villa that we would go back to again and will be doing so soon.