We have happily used THS now for more than two years, negotiating the rapids of the covid era.
We have a modern house in Western Crete with lovely views across Souda Bay and up to the well named White Mountains. We have (so far) had little difficulty finding excellent sitters at almost any time of the year.
I have to say – generally – it has worked really well. We have met some super travellers and pet lovers who have fitted in to our Cretan home brilliantly. Sharing a meal on the first evening, before leaving (usually for a return to the UK) has been highly enjoyable. In the summer the complexities of our house (garden, plus vulnerable chickens, plus 4 cats … sometimes 5 … has meant we needed a good day to do the handover properly). Our garden is large, with 25 olive trees, a small lawn, a vegetable area and temperamental water storage. Our hens are vulnerable to weasels and so need careful marshalling. Our cats are … well, cats.
Only one sitter (out of about ten) has proved a bit wobbly. In their case they were meant to be a couple but one ‘half’ came and went, and the other did not cope very well. We learned a lesson from this - about being very clear if a couple commit, then a couple stays for the duration.
We have found a Zoom call at the time of choosing the sitter works well both ways.
I have also taken to making short videos about aspects of the house, feeding, watering etc as this certainly helps.
THS generally works very well - although the app presents differently on phone, iPad and computer which takes a bit of getting used to.
If I have one gripe it is that they do not respond swiftly to important email requests. The automatic stuff works really well, and finding a good sit or sitter is a smooth process.
So welcome to those of you here who are new to the THS experience. You are definitely in the right place and finding a good sitter is pretty straight forward.
Looking forward to meeting others on this forum
All the best to my fellow Pet Lovers!
Muzza
Hi @Muzza - Welcome to the group! Your place sounds lovely.
My husband is Greek so we visit Greece every year however we have not yet managed to visit Crete. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next time you add dates to your listing
Colin
Welcome @Muzza to this wonderful community of pet lovers around the world. We will be traveling overseas beginning in April, for an extended period of time. A large portion of the summer, we will be cruising through the Mediterranean and we are so pleased to have Greece as part of our itinerary. We are looking forward to discovering your part of the world, and have one day planned in Crete. Enjoy all the extensive information here on the THS forums!
Hi @Muzza and welcome! I was lucky enough to visit Crete many years ago — it was a wonderful experience! I’m sure you’ll find excellent sitters on the platform. Enjoy your future travels.
A warm welcome @Muzza I’m Tamara from Italy and a HS in this community since 2019. I loved your detailed introduction. Recording small videos it seems a great idea specially if you have a huge property with different kinds of pets and instructions for the sitter. Hope other HO would take it in consideration.
And thank you. I have successfully used THS for two years. I have a problem leaving a review for a sitter whom I could never get the system to acknowledge. She is a sitter with many reviews. But
even though I wrote to THS, her sit was never resolved. I have written again now - but to no avail yet. so I joined the community.
I would welcome help as she was very good and I wish to acknowledge that.
I’m flagging @Therese and @Angela_L. Perhaps one of them can help you resolve this or at least send it to someone who can. It’s wonderful that you’re trying so hard to get a great sitter the well-deserved credit. That’s a credit to you!
Hi @Muzza I’m sorry you have not had this resolved yet and as @Snowbird & @Edith have already tagged Therese, I won’t do so as she will acknowledge the calls for help …
Thank you also for your lovely introduction, your place in the sun sounds idyllic and a wonderful experience for sitters …
Enjoy being on the forum and connecting with members from around the world.
What a great introduction from you @Muzza. You are seasoned home owners and go out of your way to make the experience wonderful for your sitters. I can well imagine how popular your sit on Crete would be as it is a beautiful island.
I loved my time there in 1981, especially the historical sites that brought what I had learnt at school to life. I have a very vivid memory of the time I ordered an omelette with chips and the chips were actually cooked into the omelette! I had a good laugh! Enjoy participating in the forum.
Hi @Muzza I am so sorry that your email has not had an answer yet. I have seen it and will email you directly from membership services. Kind regards Therese
I’m Tamara from Italy and a HS in this community since 2019. I loved your detailed introduction. Recording small videos it seems a great idea 
specially if you have a huge property with different kinds of pets and instructions for the sitter. Hope other HO would take it in consideration. 
Greetings from Barcelona