A few kilometers away from Chania, on a slope of Kissamos mountain, hidden among the mountains there is an authentic 17th century mountain settlement which has been transformed into an eco-friendly tourist complex. At Milia there is no electricity and no cars.

This is not because electricity or cars have not reached this settlement but due to its main philosophy of “back to basics”.

Those who decide to spend a few days at this village, choose to do so in order to get in touch with nature, to spend their evenings under the stars and listen to the birds and running water from nearby streams. Milia is a village built according to the standards of ecotourism.

It has recently been built in a traditional way with respect to the environment and the landscape aesthetics. A group of people after long hard efforts managed to restore the medieval settlement building 13 new houses on the ruins of old farmhouses using local stone and wood, old furniture and basic amenities, they planted thousands of trees and cultivate systematically the land.

Each house can accommodate 2 -4 people, some have fireplaces and others wood burning stoves. The hot water for the bathroom comes from boiling cauldron and , there is no electricity, but only some lamps for the night which operate with batteries and solar cells.

The food is made with local organic products, the water comes straight from the source, the wine is locally produced and everyone, regardless of whether they knew each other or not ends up becoming friends.

Lonely Planet ranks Milia among the top 50 secret European travel locations that everyone should discover and visit.

Source: www.iefimerida.gr