Athena and Nefeli Villas

Villa Athena & Villa Nefeli ... with multiple capacities for hosting a significant number of persons…

Elia suites and Elia villa are designed in simple, austere lines and subtle luxury in harmony with the natural landscape and the olive groves surrounding the village.

The interior layout of the living spaces ensures full isolation of each space so that guests can enjoy their holidays in true relaxation and regeneration, whilst at the same time they feel like home.

Εlia suites Εlia suites comprise the following six separate suites located at the same building: Elia, Athena, Poseidon, Dimitra, Persephone and Pluto.

According to mythology...

As the myth dictates, Αthena, the goddess of wisdom, was born out of the all-powerful Zeus’s head.

According to yet another version, she was born in Crete from a cloud that Zeus struck with a lightning.

Goddess Athena and Poseidon, god of the seas, contested as to who would become ruler of Attica and Gods were to decide on the outcome based on the offers those two would make to the city.

Poseidon pierced the rock with his trident and saltwater started running, while goddess Athena pierced the soil with her spear and out came the evergreen olive tree offering its blessed fruit to mankind.

After her victory, the goddess gave her name to the city of Athens.

Dimitra (Demeter), one of the oldest goddesses of the Ancient Greek pantheon, daughter of Cronus and Rea, was the goddess of fertility and vegetation, goddess-patron of the earth; along with her daughter, Persephone, they held a key role to Eleusinian Mysteries.

According to mythology, when Pluto, god of the earth’s riches and king of the underworld, led on a golden chariot Persephone to his underworld kingdom, Dimitra left the mountain of Olympus and started wondering amidst people looking for her daughter, Persephone, until Zeus sent Hermes with a message to Pluto ordering him to set her daughter free.

Thanks to Dimitra’s return, the plants sprang from the earth’s soil, the crops grew and the slopes turned green with vegetation.

In Crete, one of the most beautiful islands of Greece and the entire Mediterranean Sea, where the east meets west, the legend says that Zeus was born, God of the skies and thunder, father of all gods and men.

According to mythology, after Zeus seized Europa from Phoenicia, he crossed the seas and, accompanied by Tritons and Sea nymphs, carried her to Crete. In the Dictaio Andro cave of Psiloreitis mountain, Zeus brought to Crete, along with Europa, the early roots of civilization…

Crete, an island amidst different seas, filled with sunlight and authentic beauty, is a journey by itself leading to the Cretan hospitality in the village of Loutra, Rethymno Prefecture, which at the time of the Venetian rule was a fief owned by Matthaios Kallergis.

The narrow picturesque alleys, the patios, the arches and the monumental fountain with its inscription in Arabic travel visitors back in time.

Eliá (the Greek word for olive tree) is a symbol of peace, prosperity, fertility and well-being as well as a symbol of victory for Olympic winners, whereas from its fruit comes the blessed olive oil… It is a tree associated with ancestral tales and legends, felt by all people to be a true blessing…

The village of Loutra is situated in the midst of olive groves with an endless view to the sea, full of Greek colors, narrow cobbled streets and never-ending bougainvillea plants, Venetian buildings and the blazons of the Kallergoi family – evidence of a monumental era.

In the best part of the village, Villa Athena & Villa Nefeli await holidaymakers, offering a combination of the traditional Cretan hospitality with modern luxury and comfort.

Both Elia suites and Elia villa are located next to the village’s square where there is a spacious parking area.

They are found at a distance of 8 km (5 miles) from Rethymnon, 2 km (1 1/4 miles) from the sea and 8 km (5 miles) from the historical monastery of Arkadi.