While it was not as bad as I expected (2 stars on ...

While it was not as bad as I expected (2 stars on Google, let's say my expectations were not high) I see why people have multiple complaints regarding the airport. Yeah, the toilets are very old and don't seem too well maintained. It is extremely crowded, and I cannot imagine what happens when it's the holiday season (I was lucky enough to fly from there in september, so the craze was over). My line for the check-in was quite long but moved with a consistent reasonable pace, waiting time wasn't too bad. Everybody that I interacted with was nice.
The duty free zone seems to be brand new and is a pleasant place to be in - although again - it was very crowded. For now 2.5 stars would be adequate but the option is not available, luckily for you Heraklion :)