Cozy Seacoast Villa on Estate in Crete’s Western Olive Region. Avail. Yr. Round

It’s hard to find a place on the planet whose beauty has not been monetized and instagrammed into plastic, and whose culture has remained authentic to its roots. This is a place where banks close during olive harvest because even the vice-president has a familial set of trees to which he/she must attend; where everyone has cultural permission to stop his/her car for 2.5 minutes and chat with a neighbor before the car behind toots a horn, and where every grandmother, in every village, has permission to reprimand any kid who’s misbehaving. The result is a place where people ignore income levels, professions ages & genders, judge others instead within traditional qualities of fairness, honesty, and responsibility to one’s family and neighbors.

And within a larger world that seems to spend more and more time posing for personal superficialities while condemning others who might lack the same, this place seems not only a haven, but heaven too.

We designed, built & equipped Villa Koukouvayia’s Guest House as a simple, efficient home for friends or small families to share time during short holidays or longer stays on Crete.

On-site, spaces abound for either sun or shade, shared connections or individual reflection, expansive views or the cool shadows beneath an ancient olive tree. And those choices continue when exploring the island just beyond the farm’s gates. Set in a private sea of olives, the Guest House nonetheless remains convenient to air & ferry hubs, walkable to the island’s extensive public transport network, a short ride to the larger town of Kissamos and the bay’s stunning (and thankfully lesser-known!) beaches. And within short drives from her gates lie the most iconic & beautiful places on Crete & in Greece: Balos Lagoon, Phalasarna & Elafonisi Beaches, Samaria Gorge, the villages of Elos, Mylia, Polyrrinia, Paleoxora—and historic Xania with her Venetian lighthouse, museums, & Old Town full of shops, tavernas & character.

And unlike more purely touristed destinations, Villa Koukouvayia’s a joy to visit 12 months a year, not only when roads run with rental cars, beaches stretch with umbrellas, and sun-burnt souls from darker latitudes tour the sights; but when the autumn harvest pulses with tractors & labor, when Christmas lights brighten Xania’s shops, when wildflowers explode across the olive groves in a progression of pastels, or when bonfires light Christ’s funeral procession, reenacted though the narrow streets of almost every village during Easter’s somber & festive weekend. Kissamos not only thrives during her quieter months, but her mountains and shores share the crisp weather beneath a more forgiving sun, great hiking temperatures, cultural festivals that are truly local, and all the while boasting the best tavernas—open to serve a community who values their culinary & social traditions year-round.