Crete self catering accommodation, nr Chania

This was a pioneer investment for the village of Maheri and the wider area, presenting a successful example of sustainable tourism. The historical buildings were preserved and converted into an earning small business, without any compromise or damage to the natural and anthropological environment in a very sensitive, traditional village community. Through cooperation with and by encouraging local family businesses, the presence of our guests in the village has restored life to a community which was facing the prospect of a gradually declining population due to the age of the inhabitants. Through the use of environmental principles and our guests' activities we foster a harmonious relationship between our visitors and the local population and a set off Cretan culture.

Roula and Kostas have a passionate commitment to conservation and Roula in particular is a well known local campaigner featuring on Crete television and writing for the press. Both are heavily involved with Cretan environmental groups and are committed to raising local awareness on issues such as the use of chemicals in farming, fly tipping, the benefits of supporting eco-tourism, the negative impact on the environment of unrestricted development and the promotion of traditional crafts and skills.

All the building work has been made with the use of natural materials and carefully designed to be in full harmony with the surroundings and save energy. The thick stone walls and the well-thought openings for air circulation, the double glazing and insulated roofs, same as for the refurbished local chapels and with the approval of the local Archaeological Service, the shaded courtyards and verandas with plants, all ensure of a natural lighting, air, nice temperatures throughout the year, resulting to a fresh feeling of well-being. And of course this means no air-conditioning. Local dressed stone, olive wood and hand wrought metalwork have been used and the colours used in decorating are all natural pigments. The work was done exclusively by Kostas and Roula with a team of local craftsmen.

Curtains, throws and the traditional bed linen have been made by local women. Wall hangings and embroidery from the Women’s Co-operative at Gavalohori feature in some of the houses as well as silk produced by the women of Kallamitsi Amigdali. Kostas and Roula have resisted pressure to install air-conditioning units. The 50cm thick stone walls maintain a naturally cool environment in the hottest summer months and retain valuable heat in the winter – reducing the amount of fossil fuel used throughout the year. In the bigger house, the fireplace drives the central heating system during the winter months. The wood Kostas supplies for fires is gathered locally from tree pruning following the olive harvest each year.

Kostas grows his olives and vegetables organically and Roula uses whatever is in season in the preparation of meals. They use their own olive oil for all cooking in the village. Other ingredients used in food served are all local and organic. Wine is made organically by a neighbour in the next village, honey is from the local bee-keeper. Pulses feature strongly in the Cretan diet (reportedly the most healthy diet in the World) and those Roula uses are from local organic resources.

We use solar panels. All linen are dried our in the sun, with no use of dryers. For heating we use thermodynamic firplaces, and the wood we use comes from our land, gathered when the olive groves are cleaned. We offer candles in every unit as an alternative to electric lighting. We cultivate with biological methods our fruit & vegetables. The majority of food offered is sourced locally, from small producers and organic farms in the area. We only offer fruit and vegetables that are in season.

Though in our area we are blessed with huge amount of natural underground water reservoirs, we do take measures and also strongly encourage clients to save water. We take great care in maintaining our drainage system to ensure there are no leaks. We water trees, vegetable garden and flowers with water drops system, that are computer controlled. We plant trees and protect the cypress trees of our area to avoid the soil corrosion and desolation that threatens Mediterranean landscapes.

Unfortunately in our Municipality there is not an organized recycle program. However we have our own policy to reduce and reuse waste. Organic waste, as was the case always in the villages, are collected and given to the neighbor’s hen. As a trade, we always have great, fresh eggs for our guests! According to the local tradition, glass bottles are always refilled, with wine, olive oil, and raki, our strong spirit drink. What we do not need or is broken, is taken every 2 months to the blown glass workshop in the nearby Kokkino Horio. Paper, plastic and metal we separate and are once weekly taken to the town of Chania, where recycle bins exist. Batteries are collected and given to the students’ team at Chania Technical Universtity, for recharging.

A financial contribution is made per passenger booked to local conservation charities, and we also encourage our customers to offset the carbon emissions of their flights.