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Set in the forested slopes of Crete’s “wild west”, Milia offers 13 rooms in village houses rebuilt between 1982 and 1993 in local stone and wood. The rooms are heated by wood-burning stoves, while water comes from mountain springs.

A chance to live like Cretan villagers, helping with wine-making, olive picking, herding goats, basket weaving and baking. A co-operative venture, Parthenagogio was restored by villagers in the mid-1990s and now has its own taverna, serving Cretan dishes and wines from its own vineyards.

A settlement of 10 adobe-style cottages for lovers of the simple life, with water from the well and paraffin lamps for lighting (though bathroom lights and fridges in each house use solar energy). The lack of 21st-century gadgets is truly relaxing.

This group of shepherds’ cottages with stone floors, low wooden ceilings and corner fireplace nooks stands in groves of pine, olive and carob trees. The sandy beach at Makrygialos is less than 2 km (1 mile) away, and there is a tiny swimming pool on site.

Pretty pension in a quiet, leafy lane just off Sougia’s somnolent main street. Clean, affordable rooms with blue-painted balconies, marble-topped tables and lots of flowers.

A complex of stone houses with an array of traditional crafts, from pottery and icon painting to basket weaving and embroidery. Traditional music and dance performed nightly.

Amiable guest house, with balconies overlooking the bay and the slopes of the White Mountains. Particularly handy as an overnight stop on the way to or from Agia Roumeli and the Samaria Gorge.

Coastal Spinalonga Village is a group of traditionalstyle stone houses beside the Gulf of Mirabello, with views across to Spinalonga, and shops and places to eat nearby at Plaka village (a fiveminute walk).

Hillside holiday village above the Libyan Sea, with a choice of restored stone cottages, with modern kitchens and bathrooms, or fully up-todate studios. All have verandahs or tiny gardens, and there is a pool, snack bar and taverna next door.

A tiny guesthouse in Psychro village that makes a good base for a visit to the Diktian Cave or for exploring the Lasithi Plateau, high in the mountains of eastern Crete.