When it comes to preserving, reviving and showcasing traditions of previous centuries, Kapsaliana definitely gets the gold metal. This very special village hotel in the heart of Crete is where architect Miron Toupoyiannis fulfilled his lifelong vision of bringing an entire village back to life.

Thanks to the endless olive groves and the high quality olive oil produced in the area, the settlement of Kapsaliana used to flourish in the 18th century. Everything operated under the direction of the Monastery of Arkadi, a prominent Cretan monastery of the area, a must-visit.

Today, a village hotel stands on where the village used to be and everything revolves around showing how the locals used to live: the old olive press has been turned into a museum, the surrounding nature is untouched.

During my stay, I took the olive oil tasting session, where I learned not only about the olive oil itself, but also about how the people of Kapsaliana and Arkadi perceived it and what it meant to them. It’s definitely one of the most complete olive oil tasting sessions you will ever have.

Also, I strongly recommend you try their cuisine. Elaia, a fine dining restaurant with a menu based on the seasonality of the Cretan earth. Much of what you will taste is homegrown in their gardens. Some of the dishes are: the taramosalata dip, homemade hummus paste, the eggplant salad with garlic, the “hortopita” wild greens pie with the crunchiest phyllo you can imagine, as well as the “dolmadakia” with homemade yogurt and herbs.