Special feature on Condé Nast Traveler’s “Eat. Stay. Love.” a series presented by Edward Jones.

Metohi Kindelis, a hotel on the Greek Isle of Crete, also serves as an organic farm and features a building that dates back to before 1650. Guests can relax on the beautiful Greek beaches while enjoying yoga, detoxes and the original indigenous food of Crete.

TRAVEL + LEISURE - Editors' Choice Awards: Four Must-see Hotels

On the Greek isle of Crete, on the outskirts of Chania, Features Director Flora Stubbs fell in love with Metohi Kindelis, a 17th-century farm turned vacation rental. “Every day we would find our kitchen stocked with fresh, organic produce from the working farm, from bitter marmalade to thick, green extra-virgin olive oil and crumbly sheep-milk cheese,” said Stubbs. Book the Kyriakos apartment if you can — its private pool is at the bottom of a wildflower garden.

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Suitcase Magazine Vol 29 The Taste Issue

Wrenching myself back to the present day, I make my way towards the farmhouse-slash-hotel Metohi Kindelis. The owner, Danai Kindeli, is one of my friends from school, and I remember being part of a gaggle of teenagers who would come here to have fun at the weekends. It was always an oasis just outside the city of Chania for us, but upon returning I’m blown away. The crumbling old buildings have been restored, the gardens are blooming with flowers and fruit and the grounds around the house are teeming with strawberries and the creamiest avocados. I hand-pick a mango off a tree and the aroma stays with me for days. What I love about Danai and her family’s place is that it is a celebration of Cretan culture not only in terms of the buildings and design, but also in its preservation of the island’s traditional food. Both are done with respect and passion.

THE NEW YORK TIMES - In Crete, Henry Miller Found His Muse Amid the Ruins

Looking for some of the tranquillity [Henry Miller] experienced, my wife, daughter and I put up at Metohi Kindelis, a bed-and-breakfast a few miles inland from the walled city of Chania, with vestiges of Venetian rule in its lighthouse and bulwarked harbor.

The main rose-colored limestone structure of Metohi Kindelis, which means something like “the Kindeli farmhouse,” was built toward the end of the Venetian period, in the 17th century […] The farm produced olive oil in Ottoman times […] and our large, ground-floor quarters with their high, arched ceilings once housed the olive presses.

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Olive Magazine UK

This 17th-century Venetian estate, just outside Chania, has three gorgeously converted guesthouses, each with private pools. All come stocked with breakfast goodies, including homemade marmalade, crumbly sheep’s cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and freshly picked organic avocados and strawberries. If you’re inspired to cook, staff can provide further baskets of seasonal ingredients and recipes. If you’re feeling idle, they’ll sort a takeaway from a neighbourhood taverna, or arrange for a local chef to cook your dinner and serve it in the jasmine-scented garden. Travellers who want to delve deeper into the island’s culinary history should book the fascinating bread- and cheese-making class, led by a food historian.

Container Magazine

Esto también ocurre en Metohi Kindelis, otro proyecto familiar que está en Chania, en la isla griega de Creta. La armonía con el entorno aquí es total. El propio edificio cuenta parte de la historia de la isla: fue construido por los venecianos a finales del siglo XVI como casa de campo, luego convertido por los otomanos en granja y comprado por la familia Kindelis a principios del siglo XX. Además, sigue siendo la residencia principal de la familia y una granja activa de cultivo orgánico donde se siembran 25 variedades de fruta. En el futuro cercano se comenzará la producción de una línea de artículos ligados al echos de Metohi realizados por artesanos locales.
Danai Kindeli, la artífice de este concepto que busca conectar con uno mismo y con el entorno, explica a Container que lugares como Metohi Kindelis “tienen la obligación de promover los ideales como el respeto por el planeta y la comunidad local. El diseño bonito y estiloso es muy fácil de encontrar hoy en día, pero una identidad sólida y auténtica con belleza intemporal es algo menos común y desde luego más especial. Cada vez hay más viajeros que turistas, gente que elige su destino de vacaciones basándose en sus valores e ideales”.

CONDE NAST TRAVELER SPAIN

A principios de otoño, cuando los turistas ya han abandonado la isla pero aún apetece bañarse en el mar, es el mejor momento para comprobar los beneficios que unos días en Metohi producen en el alma. El trino de los pájaros y el aroma del romero, las siestas bajo las buganvillas, los paseos hasta las cascadas, meditaciones en el huerto, un gatito ronroneante sobre el regazo…

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Vanity Fair Spain

… Metohi Kindelis, una arquitectura construida durante la ocupación otomana de Creta con tres villas, comida orgánica y experiencias a medida. El hotel Dupond- Smith, en Paris también promueve este particular sentido de la propiedad. Cómo nos gusta vivir la vida de los otros.

Condé Nast Traveler US- Gold List 2015: The Top Hotels in the World

I’ve never been able to resist the gourmet charms of Metohi Kindelis, an oasis just outside the small city of Chania on Crete. Consisting of three spacious apartments within a 17th-century farm built of centuries-old stone, the property is surrounded by lush organic orchards. The fridge is always stocked with stuff you’d have at home (only better), like fresh eggs, homemade marmalade, and just-picked avocados and oranges, while the enthusiastic manager, along with a local food historian and an archaeologist, organizes special history-themed meals under a canopy of jasmine. –G.I.W.

Food and Wine Magazine May 2015: 72 hours on Crete

Hundreds of years ago, Crete was ruled by the Venetians. The gorgeously restored 16th-century guesthouse Metohi Kindelis is one of the remaining buildings from that era. Located in the outskirts of Chaniá, the property is surrounded by organic vegetable gardens and orchards of pomegranate and citrus trees. Danai Kindeli, who recently moved back from Madrid to manage the place, stocks the small kitchens in each room with fresh eggs and local cheeses; occasionally she’ll leave guests an orange juice–and–olive oil cake that tastes of the sun.

Kindeli recently began working with local food historian Mariana Kavroulaki to organize reenactments of ancient Greek meals and recipes. (Re-creating the culinary past is a growing trend worldwide, inspired in part by star chef Heston Blumenthal, who researches recipes at The British Library and serves them at his restaurant Dinner.) Kavroulaki, who has produced banquets for The Archaeological Museum of Delphi, prepared an Ottoman-inspired brunch for me. On a wooden table under a blooming jasmine tree, she set out bowls of a fresh quince, dried apricot and fig compote, based on a recipe from ancient Persia. Alongside, she served kaikanas, a dish of scrambled eggs with walnuts and goat cheese, and wheat bread from a recipe that goes back to the 16th century. “Crete has been a home for many cultures,” said Kavroulaki. “Tasting the island’s gastronomic past helps you understand its history.”

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Conde Nast Traveller UK

“This Venetian estate just outside Chania feels like a Tuscan farmhouse and is a great romantic retreat. Three gorgeous guesthouses, each with its own pool, are set on an organic farm shaded by palms and lilac blossoms. Original arches, stone walls and porthole windows are offset by fine antiques and hand-crafted furniture. Kitchens are stocked daily with local treats and fruit from the farm – the strawberries are famous all over Greece.”

Lonely Planet

“Metohi Kindelis is an idyllic private haven in a superbly restored Venetian manor on an organic farming estate near Hania… Stone arches from the original olive press in the basement are the most dramatic feature of the lower level apartment, which has exposed stone walls, timber beams and a big fireplace. The second-level apartment has large windows with fine vistas of the estate and an impressive Morroccan-style marble bathroom… The owner lives upstairs in the original family home… While they can sleep four, the majority of guests here are couples wanting an exclusive retreat.”

The Bread Exchange

Where I hide away

The scent of fresh herbs and roses met me in the morning as I stepped out on the terrace. The garden is surrounded with pomme granate trees so I would love to go back in September/October when they are red and ready to be picked.

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In the latest issue of the German Harper’s Bazaar they asked me for my favorite hide away. I answered Metohi Kindelis on Crete.

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Wholygoodness

Orange and avocado salad

Needless to say, when we left I felt homesick. I still do. The magic of this special place is lingering in my bones and I dream of the day I can return.

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SMART TRAVELLING

Hinter der bewachsenen Mauer von Metohi Kindelis versteckt sich eine Märchenfarm aus venezianischen Zeiten. Die Hausherren sind Danai und ihr Onkel Manolis. Zwei Pioniere des organischen Ernährungsstils. Dementsprechend paradiesisch geht es auf der Farm auch zu – Granatapfelbäume, Gemüsebeete, ein eigener Botanischer Garten und unzählige Kräuter. Jeden Morgen füllt Danai die Kühlschränke der drei Apartments mit Honig vom Imker aus den Bergen, Käse vom Nachbarn und ihrer selbstgemachten Marmelade. Die Apartments sind großzügig und sprühen nur so vor schickem Landhauscharme – samt Leinenbettwäsche und und und. Daneben verfügt jedes Apartment über einen eigenen Garten mit Pool. So kann man schon für den Frühstückstee eine der fünf Sorten Pfefferminze selbst pflücken. Ein kleines Paradies und das nur wenige Minuten von Chanias Altstadt entfernt.

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Harpers Bazaar Germany

Issue No1 September 2013 – In the latest issue of the German Harper’s Bazaar they asked me for my favorite hide away. I answered Metohi Kindelis on Crete.