Anidri Eco-cottages

An eco retreat nestling in olive groves high above Crete’s spectacular south coast, with two 3-bedroom cottages and a seminar/yoga room

From the moment you awake to the tinkling of goatbells and the buzzing of cicadas, you know it’s going to be a good day. Step barefoot onto the sunwarmed terrace in this rock-cocooned valley: a gentle breeze, bright blue skies, endless olive trees, no traffic. Surely this is how Nature intended us to live?

Mario Sommer, the German-born engineer-turned-healer who designed and built this eco-retreat on Crete’s south coast, would agree. Leaving behind Berlin city life, he moved to the laid-back resort of Paleochora in 1991, started a small café and gave tajijua lessons, all the while dreaming of a place where people from different backgrounds could unwind and exchange ideas in simple, natural surroundings. Slowly, the dream became reality. Land was bought in the fertile hills near Anidri, 5km inland, and a pair of eco-friendly three-bedroom guesthouses and a hi-tech seminar room built. Then he opened the doors to friends and guests seeking beauty and inspiration away from Crete’s resorts, but not far from some of her most pristine beaches and dramatic mountains.

Highs

• Tranquillity: there's not a single house in sight, and the road sees maybe a dozen cars per day
• Ecology: natural materials and solar power keep the footprint minimal
• There are superb coastal and gorge hikes nearby, and one of Crete's loveliest beaches at the bottom of the valley
• Paleochora, with its cafe life and coastal ferry, lies just 5km away - a shuttle is available for those without a car
• You can book a room, a house or a seminar
• Unbeatable value for money

Lows

• The interiors are not as stylish as most i-escape places
• The vast, angled solar panels make the cottages look odd from outside, while inside, the ecologically friendly chipboard ceilings look a bit cheap
• Bedlinen, though spotlessly clean, is not ironed
• The kitchen is shared with 2 other rooms (unless you take a whole house), and you should be prepared for an atmosphere of communal living
• Mario runs the place on his own, so don't expect hotel-style service