Enagron Ecotourism Village an ideal retreat in Crete

Away from the buzz, situated at the foot of Psiloriti, Crete’s highest mountain (2,456 m), Enagron Ecotourism Village is a loving recreation of a typical Cretan village.

It is located at the village of Axos, the most ancient settlement of this mythical mountain, at an altitude of approximately 500m, in a ranch, which covers an area of more than 50.000 m2, just above the springs of Mylopotamos, the river that gave its name to the region.

Built in 2000, the traditional houses consist of 12 one- and two-storey buildings, split into fully furnished and stylishly decorated apartments, surrounded by beautiful olive groves, vineyards, vegetable gardens and fruit trees, providing an ideal retreat for environmentally friendly travellers all year through.

There are plenty of communal areas, including charming terraces, restaurant – tavern, carefully recreated kafenion (traditional café), lounge, bar, L-shaped infinity pool, and a spa with a small sauna and outdoor treatment room giving guests the possibility to relax and enjoy themselves.

The restaurant serves traditional Cretan cuisine and all guests are welcome to help prepare the food. Cooking classes are also available. Enagron’s farm grows fruit trees, vegetables and herbs without using fertilizers. Traditional farming methods are also used for milk, eggs and meat.

There are truly authentic activities all around the year within or outside the farm, such as the distillation of raki, wine and olive oil tasting, cheese-making, grape-harvest, cooking, bread baking and pastry courses, hiking, mountain biking, botanic walks, visits of natural or historical monuments of the region.

The mountainous, unique and of exceptional beauty landscape as well as the legendary Cretan hospitality will make your stay on Enagron an unforgettable experience. Traditional hospitality in Crete dates back to ancient times, when, according to mythology, Zeus, the king of Gods, was born in the mountains of the island. Two caves contest the honour of being known as the birthplace of the greatest god of ancient Greece: the Ideon Cave on Psiloritis and Psychro Cave on the Lasithi Plateau.

Zeus is sometimes called Zeus Xenios in his role as a protector of strangers. He thus embodied the moral obligation to be hospitable to foreigners and guests. Hospitality in the ancient Greek world was not a courtesy or a convention—it was an absolute necessity. To behave inhospitably was an offense worthy of divine punishment, as hospitality was governed by a well-known code of conduct with duties for both host and guest. Any stranger that “rang the bell” could be a god in disguise, there to test the mortal homeowner’s hospitality. Both the Odyssey and the Iliad are filled with episodes in which “xenia” is either honored or ignored and the subsequent consequences are notable.

“In Crete, the stranger is still the unknown god. Before him all doors and all hearts are opened.”

– Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957), “Report to Greco”

For more info visit https://www.enagron.gr/

Distances: 45 km away from Heraklion International Airport N. Kazantzakis, 48 km away from the town of Rethymno. The property is at the end of a very narrow winding track.