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Milia Traditional Settlement
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Welcome to Milia Traditional Settlement
Milia is located in a semi-mountainous region in the province of Kissamos at about 500 m altitude, the closest village being Vlatos, about 4.5 km away. It is built on a mountain slope which forms one side of a valley and is situated in an area unique for its expansive variety of plants and trees. The 120 hectares surrounding the settlement provide extraordinary peace and a harmonious setting.
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A stream crossing the property during the wintertime serves as a natural boundary between the two slopes, each of which enjoys a different kind of soil and vegetation. It is this which provides Milia with such a great variety of flora.
One of the slopes consists of a schist-like rock, and is graced by chestnut trees, plane trees, acorn trees and cone-bearing trees, while the other slope of limestone hosts aromatic herbs, various flower-bearing bushes, olive trees, pear and wild pear, and carob trees, in addition to impressive rocky masses. You may be fortunate enough to catch sight of the rare vulture Gypaetus Barbatus, the bone-eating vulture or “kokkalas”, as we say on Crete, while strolling around on the rocky masses punctured with mammoth hollows.
Milia offers 13 guest-houses/rooms. Each “room” is uniquely and originally furnished, and offers a distinct atmosphere from what one is normally accustomed to. The guest-houses have been built from the foundations of the old village houses with local materials – chestnut wood and stone, keeping to the architecture characteristic of the area, and are furnished with old restored furniture collected from the surrounding villages. Huge rocks comprise the walls of some of the houses, which the villagers had used as parts of the buildings when they were initially built. The houses blend so harmoniously with the environment that one can actually imagine them just sprouting up from the earth.
The comforts at Milia are basic. Rooms either have double or single beds, their own WC with shower and hot water, either fireplaces or woodstoves for heat during the winter, and most rooms have some sort of sitting space. They all have balcony, small terrace or garden from which one can admire the view, take a deep breath and ask themselves for what strange reason people cram themselves into cities. And as the light of the day recedes from Milia, we light candles. Solar energy provides electric power at Milia.
If you have a fear of the dark, it’s time to get over it now. Surely the overhead stars will help allay your fears, but don’t worry: the invisible entities of the area prefer not to associate much with people anyway. And because we know that not everyone is satiated by mere romantic settings, our dining room offers year-round home-made gastronomic delicacies made from produce cultivated organically on our farm. Many consider our dining room to be one of the warmest, most hospitable and tastefully-designed spaces on the island.
And don’t expect a huge menu and waiters in bow ties, as we choose to focus on essentials, which mean quality to us! Rabbit with mizithra cheese baked in the oven (mizithra is a soft cheese of western Crete made of goat or sheep’s milk, or goats’ and sheep’s milk combined); potato, chestnut and onion stew; pork with orange cooked in the woodstove; boureki (zucchini and potato with mizithra cheese) and kalitsounia (small cheese pies) are some of the dishes which await tasting.
If you are an avid hiker or simply love to take walks, you’ve another good reason to come here. Milia has six footpaths ranging from five to 18 km in length, all of which bring you in direct contact with the nature of Crete. There are also some mountain bikes available for your use.
Lessons in traditional Cretan cooking and wine-tasting sessions take place periodically, as well as seminars on the interesting local flora. You can also spend time playing board games, reading a book or listening to music in our recreation room, which alternatively serves as a conference space or meeting place for up to 80 people. There is also an outdoor amphitheatre seating 60 people which is available for cultural events and small conferences.
If you desire further interaction with Milia, there are always a number of chores to be done around the settlement’s farm in which you can freely participate.
Milia is located in the heart of Western Crete, ideally situated for short excursions to interesting places like Elafonissi, Palaiochora and Sougia for their superb beaches, or to Kandanos, with its Byzantine churches, or Ballos and Gramvoussa, Falassarna, Polyrrhinia and Ancient Diktynna.
If you just crave a restful environment, however, you are at the right place. Here, time rolls by slowly, and all of your senses understand this. Additionally, we are always eager to share some of Milia’s secrets with you.
You should have a flashlight with you as electricity is not constant at Milia. We also recommend that you have a pair of comfortable shoes with you, and comfortable clothes, some of which should be warm, even in summer. Please do not bring bottles of water on the premises; Milia’s water comes from an excellent source. Milia is open year round.
Satelite wireless internet available!
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