Our hotel is as lovely as the photographs suggested and has charmed us both, remarkably tranquil despite being just a few steps from the bustling main street of the old town.
The building was originally home to one of the oldest public primary schools named Athena for the goddess of wisdom, but has since been transformed over three generations into a hotel.
Our downstairs room is large, cool and decorated in calming neutrals …
… and opens out onto a tree filled courtyard where breakfast is served in the morning. The attention to detail is excellent, with fresh orange juice, chunks of watermelon, Cretian baked treats and a thoughtful egg menu providing plenty of choice.
The staff have all been very welcoming, friendly and helpful and regular entertainment has been provided by the antics of a very feisty kitten who may look cute but most definitely isn’t sweet!
Sunloungers around the pool provide a perfect retreat from the heat which has surprised us with most days reaching 30° at midday.
The pool is perfect, just large enough to swim several strokes before turning and capable to reducing your body temperature in moments!
The town beach is just a short walk …
… with lovely soft sand, warm sea and comfy loungers where the convenience far outweighed our desire for somewhere more picturesque.
The promenade was a good place to get some steps in, and I walked a couple of miles before returning.
It took a couple of days to settle and find our way around the old town, with its maze of streets and alleys filled with tavernas, cafes and shops. Browsing did provide dividends though, as I have a new dress, a couple of bikinis and some stocking fillers for Christmas.
The sun starting to cool was the cue to go in search of our afternoon ice cream. Meli was our first find, with homemade icecream made from local goats milk and amareno, pistachio and bitter chocolate all got the thumbs up. Feeling we should spread the love, we tried Gelato di Nona, where we found out the ice cream was made by her grandfather in a nearby village. He also makes desserts including Portokolopita or Greek Orange Pie, a traditional cake made with dry leftover filo which is crumbled instead of using flour. Orange Pie ice cream had to be the pick of the day – amazing … and a piece of the cake, when we found it, was pretty good too! Cow’s Cream was needless to say screaming for a visit, but the ice cream was much softer and melted too fast, so after that, we went full circle and returned to Meli!
Having chosen our icecream flavour for the day … the next highlight was to choose where to eat in the evening and we have been spoilt for choice. Soon realising that the menu was similar in most of the tavernas, the ones that caught our eye most were often down a backstreet where serving a meal involved the entire family. We tried a different one every night, enjoying how each serves their own twist on local favourites.
We found a great cocktail spot overlooking the harbour called Drink N Roll where we tried several of their Greek inspired cocktails, and favourites were Nostos with raki, passionfruit, gardenia and lime and Aegean Twist with raki, masticha liquer, fig and lemongrass.
This makes it sound like all we did was lie around and eat, but the mornings were spent exploring. As we walked the streets of the town, from the Venetian Harbour to the Fortezza we took snaps, browsed the shops and popped inside the odd church.
The harbour is quite a gem, built in the C14th by the Venetians, the port has been a busy hub for trade and commerce and is still used by local fishermen who bring in their catch, adding to its charm. We walked down to the lighthouse that sits at its entrance and took photos back to the tavernas and cafes round its edge.
There is also a larger marina filled with swanky yachts …
… and a statue of two dolphins which was adopted as the symbol for the town.
The Ottoman Neratze Mosque in the centre of the old town, was originally constructed as a church by the Venetians dedicated to Santa Maria …
… and like the smaller Kara Miss Pasha Mosque is now used for cultural events but both look a little unloved.
Other highlights include the Venetian Loggia which was originally a meeting place for town officials but seems to be going through restoration …
… the Rimondi fountain, named after the Venetian governor providing a must-have snap of the town …
… and Porta Guora, the main entrance through the Venetian city walls that protected the city of Rethymno.
Outside the gate, the new church of the Four Martyrs was built in 1977 to honour four local Christian farmers who were beheaded by the Ottoman Turks in 1824 for not converting to Islam and were later sainted.
Next up, exploring a little further afield …
Off Travelling Together 