Eastern Crete, at walking pace

Mardati sits between the sea and the mountains — close to everything, hurried by nothing. Here is how days tend to unfold.

A village that still moves like a village

Mardati is a handful of houses, a church, and a great deal of green. Tractors pass in the morning; goats argue in the afternoon; by night the only glow is the town lights of Agios Nikolaos in the distance. Yet from here you can be swimming in ten minutes, dining on the harbour in twelve, or standing on a mountain plateau within the hour.

Sunrise over the house, the olive grove and the sea beyond

A hundred and twenty olive trees, then the sea

From above, the house is a small white shape in a green sea of olives — the hills roll east to Mirabello Bay, and every sunrise and sunset happens over water.

The sun setting into the sea behind the olive-covered hills

The house on its hillside, surrounded by a hundred and twenty olive trees

Dusk over the grove, the house lit against a violet sky

Days, well spent

The pool at golden hour, the mountains softening in the haze

Right here

Slow Mornings

Coffee under the pergola, breakfast with our own olive oil, and nowhere you need to be. The grove does its best work before ten.

A turquoise cove on the Mirabello Bay coast of eastern Crete

10–20 minutes

Mirabello Bay Beaches

Voulisma’s turquoise shallows, the quiet coves of Istron, and the long town beach of Agios Nikolaos — pick a different blue every day.

The harbour of Agios Nikolaos, fishing boats below whitewashed houses

10 minutes

Agios Nikolaos Town

Dinner around the bottomless Lake Voulismeni, harbour-front strolls, and small shops selling honey, herbs, and handmade sandals.

A Cretan taverna terrace with blue chairs shaded by vines

5–15 minutes

Cretan Table

Family tavernas in Kritsa and Exo Lakonia where the menu is whatever was picked, fished, or baked that morning. Ask us — we know every kitchen.

The mountains and high plateaus of the Lasithi highlands

30–45 minutes

Mountains & Plateaus

The Katharo plateau, the windmills of Lasithi, and walking trails through herbs and beekeepers’ country — Crete’s quieter altitude.

Aerial view of the Venetian fortress island of Spinalonga

20–60 minutes

Culture & History

The island of Spinalonga, Byzantine frescoes in Kritsa’s churches, and Minoan sites a comfortable day trip away.

“Tell us what you love — sea, mountains, food, silence — and we'll sketch your days for you. Hosting is the part we enjoy most.”

Your hosts at Olive Grove House

Plan Your Stay

Let us plan your Cretan days

Ask us anything — beaches for small children, tavernas worth the drive, the best hour for Spinalonga. Then come and live it.