ECOLOGY
MEETS LUXURY
at the Mourtzanakis Residence/Crete
By Inka Piegas-Quischote
I
arrived in Crete in the middle of the
night on a tiny plane from the island
of Kos. I was on a double mission:
island hopping in the Aegean Sea,
alternating between Turkey and
Greece and finding outstanding
accommodation. My tip to go visit
the Mourtzanakis Residence when it
was time for Crete, came from a very
discerning Lebanese friend and I
decided to follow the suggestion.
Despite the late hour and my
booking on rather short notice, the
owner, Marcos, came to collect me in
person. Nice touch. I appreciated the
gesture even more, when we left the
bright lights of Iraklion behind and
turned north, following a rather hair
rising road towards the beach resort
of Aghia Pelaia and after that it got
even more rural. If you are after
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MARCH 2014 •LUXE BEAT MAGAZINE
relaxation, seclusion and tranquility
you have certainly come to the right
place.
Esmeralda, Marco´s French wife
and known as ´Smero´ as well as
the resident cat and dog greeted the
late visitor cheerfully. Not
surprisingly, Smero is responsible
for the kitchen but, as I soon
learned, she left French cuisine
behind, took private classes with
local Crete housewives and has
since become an expert, using local
products and whipping up the most
delicious meals.
The residence consists of four
villas for families and
single/double rooms in the main
building. Emphasis of the whole
enterprise lies on the
conservation of the environment
and the use of Crete products as
far as possible.
The buildings are constructed
from local stone, spice for the
food comes from a sweet
smelling herb garden, Smero´s
pride and joy and even the
cosmetics in the bathrooms
contain local olive oil. Not to
mention the fabulous Crete wines
and cheeses.
If all this might make you think
that you have arrived at a rather
simple and rural hotel, you are
mistaken, because every luxury