A magical Cretan village without an electricity trail

People here don’t watch television, aren’t hooked on social media, and cook only what they gather from nature. No, I didn’t take this story from a tale by Hans Christian Andersen! This village is a reality. Well, almost…

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I heard of this place called Milia, and I was curious to discover it for myself- to see how it came about to discover who lived there. And I couldn’t wait to visit- to see with my own eyes what it looks like.

Months before my departure to Crete, I read about it.

It was an abandoned village for about four decades when in the early 80s, James Tsourounakis had this dream to see Milia come to life again! He wanted to salvage what was left of the ruins of the houses of his ancestors and to come closer to nature, cultivating the land, reforesting, and producing organic products next to a small farm.

A little bit later came the idea of turning the old houses into hotels, offering other people the opportunity to be fully integrated into nature. In 1990, they managed to become financed by the European Interreg Program and started restoration work that lasted more than three years. The village hotel first opened in 1993 and has since operated all year round.

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The time to see Milia with my own eyes had finally arrived. I was driving along a dirt road in the mountains and thought Ι was going nowhere when suddenly Ι arrived at this little parking spot and found a path to… happiness.

Guests come here to come in contact with nature. They all seem calm on a hammock beside the creek or on the terrace overlooking the landscape.

When night falls, the scenery becomes even more idyllic since the lighting is created with oil lamps, and you can hear the water coming from the nearby source.