Stefanos Village Hotel was founded in 1999 by Mr. Vassilis Androulidakis, realizing his vision to offer visitors from all over the world the opportunity to get to know this unique place with its history and customs, to come in contact with the rare beauty and harmony of the natural landscape, to absorb its positive energy and to enjoy here an unrepeatable feeling of peace and mental well-being.
Mr. Vassilis Androulidakis lived the first years of his life in the beautiful traditional settlement of Myrthios with the simple and humane way of life that the people of the village lived 70 years ago. In those years the villagers were busy during the day in the agricultural work in the countryside or in the yard of their house, taking advantage of the wonderful climate and mild weather conditions nine to ten months a year. In the evenings they would gather in the squares for ‘vengera’ (company and social conversation) or have fun under the moonlight drinking traditional raki.
Even sleeping was outdoors then, in the courtyards or on horizontal roofs for seven months of the year, and people enjoyed the sounds of nature and rested in the cool night breeze under the starry sky. The particular layout of the traditional houses, where one roof led to another’s balcony or terrace, turned these spaces into places of socialising and relaxation under the moonlight.
These simple and beautiful experiences and sweet memories were the vision of Mr. Vassilis Androulidakis for the creation of a hospitality area, where he will marry the traditional Cretan hospitality with a modern, simple and humane way of life.