Tella Thera
Crete · Greece
Reviews
Character and identity
Tucked into the Kissamos countryside about forty minutes from Chania, Tella Thera cascades down two hillsides above the Bay of Kissamos, its sandy-toned concrete curves, arches and sweeping staircases reading like an amphitheatre carved from the earth. Pieris.Architects' bioclimatic design centres on an oval pool, with twenty suites stacked in a ziggurat formation where each terrace forms the ceiling below. Cretan idiom runs through the micro-cement interiors, oak furniture and locally made ceramics. Restaurant Anemoia delivers a root-to-tip, 95% Cretan menu under chef Markos Marmatakis; the petite Thaleria Spa works in Stoic-inspired therapies. Service is warm, local and genuinely embedded in the community.
Who's it for
Best for:
Eco-minded travellers who prefer offbeat Crete to the Heraklion crowd: design literates drawn to bioclimatic architecture, couples craving a go-slow nature retreat, creatives looking to be inspired by the landscape, and bohemian families happy to swap a kids' club for cooking classes at neighbouring farmhouses and swims at Falassarna.
Should look elsewhere:
Beachfront purists (the sea is a twenty-minute drive), guests wanting a full resort spa with drop-in thermal facilities (the wellness area is small and packaged with treatments at a steep €90 per person, per hour), travellers with mobility needs (steep paths, limited adaptations), and anyone wanting structured children's programming.
Bottom line
The pull here is the integrity of the whole: architecture, food sourcing and hospitality all rooted in the same Cretan soil, with founders who actually live in Trachilos and know every supplier by name. Book a suite with a plunge pool (seventeen of twenty have them), come for at least three nights, and lean into the farmhouse visits and Anemoia tasting menu rather than expecting a beach resort.
Location
What this place offers
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi in public areas
- Public internet workstation
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Table service
- Room service
- Breakfast
- Breakfast buffet
- Smoke-free property
