Casa Delfino, Chania, Crete - Explore & Book

"No, you haven’t clicked on the wrong country - despite the hotel’s Italian name, this is Greece, or more precisely Crete. Chania, of course, was a major sea-port for the Venetians, who controlled the eastern Mediterranean from here until the 17th-century. Their beautifully-built harbour walls, merchants’ homes, arsenals and warehouses have survived to make the town a delightful base for any trip to western Crete, and a cut above any other Greek city.The Casa Delfino matches this beauty in its 22 tastefully restored suites and apartments, all housed deep within a 17th-century mansion. Take a few steps off the bustling seafront and you will find yourself in a cobbled court oozing a peacefulness and style rare in Greek (or Italian) hotels. Marble tables and fer forgé chairs line an arched portico, while potted geraniums, tall cactuses and pebble-mosaics add colour. The bedrooms are no less sumptuous, with vaulted ceilings, marble floors, sitting areas and Jacuzzis in the suites. La dolce vita, Greek style… Highs There's a wonderful sense of seclusion, despite its proximity to the bustling waterfrontThe larger suites are seriously impressive, with sitting areas, Jacuzzi tubs, mezzanine bedrooms, and private roof patios in someExcellent, largely organic breakfast There's a decent spa tooVery helpful staff, brilliantly led by Margarita (the owner's daughter) Lows Many rooms are dark - a blessing in hot weather but a bit gloomy in winterNot all the suites have balconies; the addition of these would make them near on perfectLight sleepers may be troubled by pedestrian street noise in summer - though you can shut the window and switch on the air-conYou need to book early for the Penthouse and Honeymoon SuitesIt's expensive by Greek standards (but worth it!)" - Michael Cullen