Earth, stone and sea on the horizon Crete for foodies on an agritourism holiday

Dip your finger in olive oil, your lips in wine, your feet in turquoise water; in short, immerse yourself in the Cretan way of life: what a delicious idea that can easily be made into a trip. A road trip, to be exact, but not one that swallows up the miles in one go, but rather one that takes the time to digest the information and appreciate the scenery. It takes the form of a large feast in three stages, during which you can sample all the facets of the island's terroir. We start in the west, in the mountains covered with scrubland, chestnut trees and ancient olive trees - almost every village claims to have the oldest specimen on the island! On the horizon, the sea sparkles under the generous sun, which has contributed to the fertility of the land and the richness of the terroir for centuries. Next, we head north to a sheltered green valley where orchards and vineyards rub shoulders with Minoan palaces and ancient cities. Our last stop is in the south of the island, on the slopes of the Asterousia mountain range, a land of vineyards and olive groves. The entire trip takes you through fields and farms where the basic ingredients of Cretan cuisine are grown, a cuisine renowned for being both one of the best in the world and also one of the simplest. QED (that which was to be demonstrated). You will sit down at the tables of many taverns, both rustic and sophisticated; you will have spontaneous picnics; you will taste oils, dakos (bread), graviera and myzithra (cheeses), khokhlioi snails, skioufichta (pasta) and kaltsounia (small cream cakes); you will sip raki and local wines. You will take full advantage of the islanders’ philoxenia (sense of hospitality). You will fall asleep on the sand and walk in the cool morning air to the nearby monastery. And you will pray to Hermes to preserve all this.

Your accommodation, ambassadors of Cretan agritourism.

More than just hotels, your accommodation will be small hamlets of luminous stone where the owners' love for traditional Cretan architecture and hospitality is evident. They are also projects in their own right, which take their natural environment into account, blend in discreetly and do their utmost to preserve it. Finally, they offer meals as well as accommodation, with the contents of the dishes being treated with the utmost care - and often sourced from the vegetable garden or a neighbouring farm. Everywhere you look, there are lovely spots to curl up for a while - hammocks, terraces, small shaded areas, poolside. Finally, even if you are staying inland, the sea is never far away and you can always decide on a whim to go for a dip.

Your trip

Direct flights, a reliable rental car (suitable for the small roads of the hinterland), a satnav and, above all, the time you need to experience, savour, retrace your steps and take a detour - the recipe is well mastered. To guide you on a daily basis, there is a mobile app full of restaurants to try. In addition to the activities organised by your hosts to bring you into contact with local life, we have added two delightful highlights to your itinerary, for which you will be accompanied by guides: a gourmet walk in Chania and a tour of the green gold of Crete - olive oil - in a village near Rethymno. The rest is up to you. And if any minor setbacks or sudden desires arise along the way, you can count on the assistance of our on-site Concierge.