Casa Delfino

The best collection of suites and apartments in Crete’s best preserved Venetian coastal town

No, you haven’t clicked on the wrong country - despite the hotel’s Italian name, this is Greece, or more precisely Crete. Chania, of course, was a major sea-port for the Venetians, who controlled the eastern Mediterranean from here until the 17th-century. Their beautifully-built harbour walls, merchants’ homes, arsenals and warehouses have survived to make the town a delightful base for any trip to western Crete, and a cut above any other Greek city.

The Casa Delfino matches this beauty in its 22 tastefully restored suites and apartments, all housed deep within a 17th-century mansion. Take a few steps off the bustling seafront and you will find yourself in a cobbled court oozing a peacefulness and style rare in Greek (or Italian) hotels. Marble tables and fer forgé chairs line an arched portico, while potted geraniums, tall cactuses and pebble-mosaics add colour. The rooms are no less sumptuous, with vaulted ceilings, marble floors, sitting areas and jacuzzis in the suites. La dolce vita, Greek style…

Highs

• The sense of peace and style, despite its proximity to the bustling waterfront
• The size and layout of the larger suites – sitting areas, spacious bathrooms, upstairs bedrooms, even a private terrace in one
• Decent breakfast and decent plumbing (rarities in Greece)
• Very helpful staff

Lows

• Many rooms are dark - a blessing in hot weather but gloomy (and sometimes damp) in winter
• Only 1 - the penthouse - has those picture-postcard harbour views
• Light sleepers may be troubled by pedestrian street noise in summer – though you can shut the window and switch on the air-con
• You need to book early for the Penthouse and Honeymoon suites