Elounda

Just over a century ago the English archaeologist Arthur Evans unearthed the remains of a palace at Knossos - the site, centre of what he called the Minoan civilisation, is now a 'must see' place. Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Byzantines, even Venetians have ruled Crete; in the early 1800s the population joined the struggle for independence from the Turks and united with Greece for the First World War.

German occupation in World War II was followed by civil strife but after the fall of the military dictatorship prosperity has followed and tourism boomed. The present-day capital, Heraklion, is quite cosmopolitan, less pretty than Chania or Rethymnon to the west or Aghios Nicolaos in the east, but its archaeological museum houses spectacular Minoan finds. The Samaria Gorge in the White Mountains is Europe's longest ravine, 18 km long and at one point only 3 metres wide; it attracts thousands of walkers, who should never underestimate the heat and lack of water.

To mention a few more figures, Crete is almost 300 km in length, only 60 km at its widest, and its highest point, Mount Psiloritis or Ida rises to 2456 metres. The Lassithi Plateau, a fertile area below the towering peaks of the Dikti Mountains and once the granary of Venice, is sometimes nicknamed the Greek Switzerland and people there are said not to need any doctors, so healthy is the climate.

Traditional life is under threat but some farsighted people have, fortunately, realised the wider implications of unchecked development and there are some very individual hotels built and managed with respect for the environment. It is those we are pleased to have in our portfolio.