Main Theme

‘Love in the Years of Cretan Renaissance’’

Literary heroes and heroines of those years take us to the romantic Cretan Renaissance (1211-1669), giving us inspiration to create a warm, romantic space.

Erophéle, Aretoúsa, Panórea and Dolcétta, heroines of Cretan literature, gracefully offer their names to our apartments, along with allegoric symbols of their love; granting a unique air to our visitors’ stay.

Hotel Information

Cretan Renaissance is hosted in a Venetian manor house, characterized by the Ephorate of Byzantium Antiquities and UNESCO as a historical monument to be preserved. Its construction is estimated somewhere within the period of Venetian domination upon Crete. The architectural approach and settlement of the building follow the stylistic principles of that historical era. History has proven an interaction between the two civilizations (Greek-Byzantine and Western-Roman) at that period of time, a conjunction which gave birth to the “Cretan Renaissance”; a great era for Crete where Literature, the Visual Arts and all kinds of Art came in bloom.

Historically recorded data report that the building was initially a residence for a family of Venetian musicians and later operated as a station of general administration. Just before the end of the Venetian dominion, the building became the residence of a Cretan Court Lord. Some historical reports are found about the kidnapping of the daughter of the Lord by a poor young man, and the chase after the couple which the father unleashed; a story that holds a lot in common with the literary works written in that era about love. Drawing inspiration from all the above, each of the four apartments of the hotel revive a story of Love coming from great literary works of that era, surviving through the passage of eons.  

Cretan Renaissance bears the meaning of quality and intelligence when it comes to luxury, the meaning of style and unique travelling, the meaning of a lively spirit and an attentive approach, and the meaning of being daring and curious for what is less known.

You may find us in Chania, Crete, a beautiful, anti-consumerist town, of no endless waiting hours in queues, of small urban secrets, alternative walking routes and selected masterpieces to enjoy; a town of castles, fortresses and churches as beautiful as jewels. A town of authenticity and pleasant to the senses, which stands untouched by time within beautifully preserved Renaissance walls…