Rimondi Boutique Hotel

There’s a certain restraint on display at Rimondi Estate. Not that a gorgeous all-suite hotel in an impossibly picturesque Cretan town counts as roughing it, exactly, but indulgence here tends to take the form of light and space, fragrant poolside gardens and Aegean breezes rather than, say, a big-name restaurant or an array of futuristic workout machines. In fact, floor-to-ceiling windows and white-on-white interiors are about as futuristic as it gets — and they’ve been doing white-on-white for a very long time around here, for good reason.

Whitewashed stone, on display inside and out at Rimondi Estate, simply looks good in the bright Aegean light. So do billowing white curtains and cool porcelain-white bathrooms, all serving as foils to the sparkling blue-tiled pool at the center of the hotel. That pool, along with the plant-filled courtyard and dining area that surrounds it, forms something of a social hub, a place for leisurely meals, leisurely drinks, and just plain leisure.

Beyond the hotel’s walls lies the ancient town of Rethymno. Students of Greek mythology will be pleased to know that Zeus himself was born in a cave here, though for most of us it’s enough that the narrow and winding streets lead from one postcard-worthy present-day scene to another. The character of the city is mostly medieval, but the Venetians, Ottomans and Byzantines all left their marks as well. Of course the greatest draw is the coast, and it lives up to its reputation. Here the harbor is full of sailboats, presided over by an old stone lighthouse, and lined with sun-cracked homes and quaint old taverns.

Please note: Rimondi Estate is open seasonally, from March to October.

How to get there:
Flight time from Athens to Heraklion Airport Crete is approximately 50 minutes. Direct flights to Heraklion can also be found from several major cities: Paris (3.5 hours), Berlin (3 hours) and London (3.5 hours)

Rimondi Estate is approximately an hour's drive from Heraklion.