Avli Lounge Apartments, Crete
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Rethymnon was unusually quiet. I say unusually, because, as one of Crete's bigger coastal resorts, the old town is brimming with activity during the summer months. The ancient Venetian port and atmospheric narrow cobbled streets are popular haunts for Cretans and visitors looking for some typical local hospitality in an area famed for its good wine, olive oil and delicious cuisine.
Today though, in early February, it was very sleepy indeed, a far cry from its summer highs, but a perfect opportunity for Avli's energetic owner to contemplate changes.
Katerina is a somewhat unusual hotelier. Her enthusiasm, creativity and boundless energy are the fuels that have made her Avli property one of the most sought after private hotels on Crete, but her background is a far cry from all this. She was once destined to be a leading light in the diplomatic circles of Brussels, using her law degree to good effect in the corridors of European power. However, a childhood yearning to run her own restaurant in her home town of Rethymnon proved too irresistible for her and so she found herself one day holding the keys to a property she had longed to buy.
Thus, nearly two decades ago Avli was born, within the walls of an old tannery in the heart of the old town. It was, without doubt, the product of her imagination and single-minded drive that it became the place to go to, a home for extraordinary Cretan dishes that celebrated the local flavours and memories of her family recipes. Today, Avli's wine cellar is highly rated in Crete and justly boasts some of the finest local wines available.
Katerina though had other ideas. She saw the Avli brand experience expanding into a luxury boutique hotel with a difference; a hotel where every room was a suite and each distinctly different from the other. So, a former Venetian Lord's home and a soap factory later, she had the properties to make it happen and set about making herself another slice of history.
Avli is today a hotel with a distinct personality. Inside those three different buildings, Avli's seven luxury suites reflect the personality and ambition of its hands-on owner. Everything, from the Jacuzzi baths to the free mini bar drinks, from the highly individualised furnishings to the welcoming wine and raki, is tailored towards customer satisfaction and loyalty. It has been designed with personal love and attention to detail and it's all thoroughly original. Even down to the romantic rooftop encounter looking out at Rethymnon's gorgeous old fort lit up at night like a proud vestige of Crete's glorious history.
The Avli Lounge Apartments and it's beautiful restaurant celebrate everything that‘s right about Cretan hospitality and individual entrepreneurism. You can discover Katerina for yourself, ever present and on hand, still making plans. Just make sure you let her know it was all worth it.
The Avli is just one example of Yades Historic Hotels, a collection of 16 unique properties throughout Greece which beautifully combine historical buildings, luxury surroundings and authentic Greek gourmet cuisine. All Yades properties are different, varying from quaint villas to boutique hotels to majestic estates and tick all the boxes if you're looking for art, culture & history with a mix of hiking and cycling, cookery and wine tasting, wellness and spas. And of course, at each Yades Hotel, you'll enjoy authentic Greek hospitality as I've already found out much to the detriment of my waistline!
Xanthoudidou & Radamanthois Str 22, Rethymno 74100, Greece
Contact tel: +30 210 364 0441, e-mail:
Cost suite: £££
Services near beach, hotel restaurant, hotel bar, room service, internet access, wheelchair accessible, air-conditioning
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The Avli Lounge Apartments
Yades Historical Hotels
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