Olive Garden Bungalow

A Contemporary Coastal Bungalow by the Sea on Crete

Located walking distance from Kamilari village and within four kilometers of the sea, this contemporary, 120sqm bungalow by Miron Houlakis and Simon Dalmeier takes the shape of an H, created from a pair of sleek cubes connected by a corridor.

The Living Cube features an open-plan kitchen/dining area, a living room with a fireplace, and a small sitting area/library. The outdoor kitchen connects to its inside counterpart via an elongated window, and the terraces are also accessible.

The Sleeping Cube was designed for rest and retreat, its two bedrooms featuring ensuite baths and terrace and garden access. One room is a double, and the second is equipped with two convertible single beds.

The abundant use of glass draws all eyes outdoors, the property’s north-facing façades staring directly onto the Ida Mountains. There’s a roof terrace up top and a 10-meter lap pool out front, and outdoor living zones that include an alfresco kitchen/barbecue, a sun-drenched terrace, and a wind-protected patio with a dining area.

Topping it all off, the house has both photovoltaic and solar thermal systems and produces its own CO2-neutral electricity and hot water.

Around

Located along Crete’s southern coast, Kamilari village is some 70 kilometers south of the island's capital of Heraklion, in the shadow of the Ida Mountains and the island’s highest peak, Psiloritis. A rural area of olive groves and orchards, the cultivated plain of Messara surrounds the village, creating an emerald backdrop for the village's traditional homes. Though rural, the village offers a handful of tavernas within walking distance, contemporary coffee shops and cocktail bars as well as bright cafes and fresh street-food stands, even vegan outposts and white tablecloth spots. (The owners offer a local guide to restaurants and boutiques.)

Sunset seekers should hit Komos Beach as the day fades away, after soaking up the rays along its two-kilometer stretch marked by deep dunes. Afrathias Beach is a quiet, bring-your-own beach gear type spot, while Kalamaki Beach offers a livelier scene with sunbeds and umbrella rentals, and a couple of beach bars, although more limited swimming due to its offshore rocks. Other beaches of note include Sivas, Pitsidia, Kokkino Pirgos and Mata Beach, the latter a famed hippie playground in the 1960s, known for its with unique rock outcroppings and Roman burial tombs, plus an annual music festival.

Hikers and mountain bikers will find trails of varying levels in the Ida Mountains, and hikers can also walk for a rewarding hour or so to the Gorge of Agiofarago’s tiny cove beach near the Odigitria Monastery. History buffs should stop in at the old olive factory turned folk museum that celebrates the village’s agricultural heritage, showcasing ancient olive presses and amphoras. This is Crete, so count on ruins and archeological sites, among them the Roman ruins at Gortyna, the famed sites at Phaistos, Agia Triada and Komos, and the lesser-known Minoan site known as the Kamilari Tomb, dating from 1800 BC.

Location

Nearest airport: Heraklion (75km)

Best time to visit

May to October