This wooden house is located in the periphery of southern Crete between several mountains and some sheep farms. After the tiny village of Paranimfi you follow a dirt track deeper into the hills of the Asterousia range that finally leads to the wooden gate of a huge property full of trees - apple, olive, peach - and remains of ancient housing once located at this very spot. A steep track leads up to wooden house which slowly emerges through the greenery while you ascend.
At first glance this hut and its direct surrounding form strong contrast to the wildernis around: Stone tiles mark the path through smooth gravel and a variety of potted plants, passing a carefully crafted pool, reaching the entrance door and its lion headed doorknob while a little sundeck beneath an olive tree flanks the house.
The inside is small but cozy, the interior design spartan, even though not lacking details and yet some kitsch here and there.
We didn't even plan to visit Crete this summer when we started to look for appartments in the mediterrean region where we could spent ten days this ill-fated summer. Due to the corona pandemic our criteria where rather specific and after some searching here on airbnb we stumbled upon this accomodation. Pictures were promising, the solitude very welcome and Greece was a rather good place to visit at that time due to low corona incidences.
It proved to be great desicion. The communication with the host was great, Stelios helped us find a fair car rental and provided us with all the information we asked for. We got to know him at the entrance of Paranimfi where he collected us, explained the different routes starting there and showed us the path to the wooden house. Further than that Stelios appeared to be a lively and helpful guy eager for us to have a good time here. He regulary brought home grown fruits, vegetables, olive oil or pastries to the cabin and offered new sheets and towels. He told us about possible activities and the history of this project: the wooden house and all the time and effort he put in to create this very special place.
A pipe provides the house with water from the mountains, electricity comes from solar collectors on the roof. The latter means that its a limited ressource, huge consumers like hair dryers etc. cannot be used at the hut. It also means there is no real fridge, just a small cooling box which you should check out before the first time shopping for food. For us this was not an issue at all but maybe for some it might be. For me this was a rather important aspect: the whole accommodation is ecologicaly reasonable. The pool water is not chlorinated but used to water the trees down the hillside and has to be refilled regulary. This place is completely self-suffiecient which makes for some huge sympathy points towards Stelios who is (you might have guessed by now) a smart, skillful craftsman with a clear idea on this project.
The kitchen is well equipped - there's a small gas cooker (two plates) and all basic	cooking utensils as well as spices, oil and so on. The shower is outdoors inside an old wine barrel and works as expected - in the daytime the water is pretty hot as well. Just the pressure is a little low but that is ot an issue at all. The toilet is only accessible outside the hut as well but you're on Crete so this too is no issue at all.
The internet connection in the house (god knows how Stelios made that work) is good enough to stream the final of the european championship so does not leave much to be desired.
There are several hiking destinations around the house, all of them providing great views over the cost lines or the inland mountain ranges. The trails can also be climbed by car but they are pretty rough. We had a fiat panda, a small car and it made it up the mountain after a 45 minutes drive - but I'm pretty sure the gears suffered a lot. All in all a small car is fine, we reached all destinations (even though sometimes at walking speed) but it's easy to see why everybody in this part of Crete owns a pick up truck.
The nearby beaches are fantastic - first of all: Tris Ekklisies. The little town is far from touristic. It lies in the cliff coast and makes for some great pictures but most importantly its a good place to go swimming - especially when you walk down the beach until you reach the secluded part where we usually were the only visitors. Second - you can have freshly caught fish at the tavernas which I highly recommand.
At the very same coast there are two more beaches and particulary the one to the east (a small dirt road short before Tris Ekklisies) is worth the rough approach: Rusted metal stairs lead down to a small lagune with two grottos and crystal clear water. You can jump down the cliffs or snorkle, just make sure not to leave your trash behind.
My last recommandation is: visit the tiny village of Paranimfi. It seems very small when you pass through on your way to the house and maybe not that inviting as nothing is on he streets but visiting the taverna was one of the highlights of our stay. Not only was the owner super friendly, he also provided us with cheese, olives and the best dakos we had on Crete - and lots of it. We got to know Stelios' grandmother who spontaneously gave us bags full of vegetables.
All in all this place is one of the most unique places we visited. A self-sufficient home in Cretean periphery where you can enjoy solitude, the wonderful, at times breathtaking nature of the Asterousia mountains, beautiful, secluded beaches as