It was autumn 2021, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, when I flew to Crete for the first time with my two daughters and my four-year-old granddaughter.
We had chosen the island and the hotel by chance – without knowing that this place would steal our hearts.
Our destination wasn’t a big tourist town like Chania or Rethymno, but a small village on the northern coast – Gouves.
We spent eight days there, and since that moment we have always returned to the same hotel, which has now become our second home.
From the very first time, we felt warmly welcomed.
After a long day of travel, we were greeted at the reception by a smiling receptionist named Vasili, who checked us in.
The next day, the friendly bartenders greeted us with smiles.
From the managers to the cleaning staff – everyone has become like a second family to us.
The first person we met in Crete was a kind taxi driver who took us from the airport to the hotel late at night.
On the way, he spoke passionately about the island and thought my daughters and I were sisters.
I laughed and said: “I think I already like this island – and its people.”
Next to our hotel there was a small car rental.
Every time we visited, we rented a car there and discovered the island bit by bit.
On our first trip, we drove all the way to Elafonisi and Matala – two places that couldn’t be more different.
The road to Elafonisi led us along a narrow, winding mountain road, a real serpentine through the Cretan landscape.
And along the way we experienced one of those quiet little moments that stay in your heart forever:
two horses standing right in the middle of the road – beside them a farmer calmly giving them water.
No one honked, no one was impatient.
We just waited until the animals had finished drinking, and I thought:
This is Crete.
This calm, this naturalness – life here runs at a slower, more beautiful pace.
Since then, we have returned twice a year – in spring and autumn.
For us, Crete is no longer just a holiday destination – it has become part of our family.