Meronas Eco House — Hotel in Municipality of Amari

This is a really wonderful place to stay. Manolis, the owner restored this home by hand over a ten year period. It has multiple levels, many places to congregate inside and out. There are many beautiful details, salvaged elegant marble and stone hiding in plain view. The warmth and geneoristy of Manolis and his near-door parents is what makes this place especially welcoming. His mother brought us homemade dishes almost daily and Manolis made extra efforts to help us enjoy Meronas and this part of Crete. This is a small traditional village. It has several underground streams breaking through and severing as public fountains, complete with a drinking ladle. There is a lovely family run Taverna in town and two Kafineos too. The house sits in the stunning "paradise" of the Amari valley. Renting a car is the best idea probably but we managed quite a lot of travel by the excellent bus system. That said- this is a place to slow down and enjoy the unspoiled Cretan village life experience. The house has many steps and might be challenging for very young children or people with mobility issues- yet, two of us in our 60's, managed it all fine. There is a beautiful Byzantine chapel in town that has been sensitively restored. This is a wonderful traditional house, not a modern villa, yet it has everything and more for those who have the desire to experience Crete at...

This is a very unique house, extremely interesting, with a real feeling of history and lots of nooks and crannies to explore. The views of the mountains from the top terrace were spectacular! We were absolutely delighted by Mama's wonderful fresh cheese & spinach pies, etc that she shared with us daily! We really appreciated the generously stocked kitchen, lots of fresh fruits, eggs, olive oil, honey, wine, etc. The town of Meronas is small and charming and we met very friendly people while we were there.

I would caution that this house is not for anyone with mobility issues, small children or elderly folks. We also unfortunately found that in many ways it was not very functional, and much of the space was not really useable. The beds in the sitting room were VERY hard, this is something that I saw in previous reviews, and I would urge the owner to listen to this feedback and consider adding mattress toppers. We were only two people and luckily only needed the bed upstairs which is better, but we ended up not even sitting in there because it was so uncomfortable. There is also so much stuff in the house, and while interesting, there is almost nowhere for travelers to put their own things. I would suggest clearing a bit of space and adding some hooks...

My wife and I and 2 friends rented Eco House in Meronas for about 2 weeks in July. Though my wife already gave a review I feel I have to add my very favorable comments. The house is wonderful, even nicer than the site photos indicate. I am an architect and I loved looking at all the detail that the owner put into it. The owner, Manolis, and his mother were very very friendly and most generous, bringing us "treats" all the time. The town, thug small, has a lot to offer. The one Taverna offers excellent food. One of the 2 kafenions also has delicious souvlaki at night.

The whole experience was great - I want to go back.

Bill Dring...