Chez A.M.

An Artist’s Playful Guest Apartment in Chania

Behind its door marked exuberantly with squiggling blue waves, this urban island getaway offers a playful escape made splashy and sunny by Alexandra Manousakis, whose eponymous brand’s styling is on vivid display throughout along with her artwork. The 75-square-meter two-person studio’s graphic floor is offset by bright, mural-like paintings, full scale versions of the abstract, often satirical forms and symbols that enliven Manousakis’ ceramics and canvases, telling her distinctive Greek-American creative story.

Textural accents in her trademark style adorn walls, and the open-plan apartment’s furnishings give a nod to mid-century modern styling, with bright blocks of color on walls and textiles. A spacious bathroom with a soaking tub gives off all the right tropical island vibes in the heart of this small island city. The apartment has a full kitchen, bathroom, central air, Cocomat Bed, Wifi and on-site parking.

Around

Wake up steps from the Mediterranean Sea in the Koum Kapi area of Chania in Crete. Join the swimmers at the beach across the way, or walk 10 minutes along the coast to the Venetian Harbor. Located on the quieter part of the coast, you are conveniently in downtown Chania, a port city on Crete’s northwest coast. Featuring a collision of Venetian and Turkish architecture mixed with traditional Greek island styling, Chania is known for its 14th-century Venetian harbor, a buzzy waterfront zone alive with cafes, boutiques, gelato shops and local craft studios. Chania’s lighthouse in its current form dates from the Egyptian occupation of Crete in the early 19th century, though the original harbor lighthouse dates back to the Venetian era. The tower stands 21 meters high and can be seen from seven miles away, and the spit it occupies offers beautiful views.

The city’s Municipal Market is filled with traditional shops selling local Cretan products—cheese, produce, olives, honey and local raki. There are several museums in town: the Archeological Museum, the Nautical Museum of Crete/Maritime Museum, and the Folklore Museum of the Chania. Old tanneries found in the Tambakaria area on the rocky eastern side of Chania are unique to the city, stone buildings with tile roofs built very close together and connected by steep, sea-going passages that were once frequented by leather producers who relied on the brackish water to soften their hides. Some processing houses still produce leather goods and Chania is home to a Leather Market. Knives are another Chania original, the knife makers lining Sifaka street once upon a time, and traditional blades still available at the Armenis shop.

Beachgoers will love Falasarna, a long quiet beach, and other impressive sands include Balos and Elafonissi. Wine lovers should grab a tour and tasting at the property owner’s family winery, one of Greece’s leading bio wineries that has been growing organic grapes since 1997. It’s about 15 minutes outside of town in the village of Vatolakkos. Or head out on a day trip to the Samaria Gorge, Europe’s longest at 16 kilometers, passable on foot in about six hours. For a shorter hike, visit the narrow Imbros Gorge, and then cool off with a swim at Fragokastelo Beach.

Location

Nearest airport: Chania (10 miles)

Best time to visit

April to October