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Featured place: Milia Traditional Settlement, Crete

Submitted by richard on 30 June, 2007 - 09:17.

With temperatures soaring over 40C across south-east Europe this week, the mountains are a great place to cool down. Milia was an abandoned village above the Topolia gorge in the western foothills of Crete's White Mountains, restored as a hikers' hostel and organic farm...

The stone houses have simple bedrooms, bathrooms and a dining room. Spring water has been piped in, there are wood burning stoves, iron beds and solar panels for (some) electricity. Everything is bought locally in Chania or grown on site, without pesticides or fertiliser, and served fresh, so expect seasonal vegetables and local pork and lamb.

A waymarked trail from the settlement leads to the cave-chapel of Ayia Sophia and it's a 45-minute drive to the sandy Elafonisos beach. You can also hire bikes at Milia and there's sometimes a small spring-fed pool to dip into when you return from the mountains.

· Room from €65 a night. Bike hire €10 a day. Book through i-escape.com, 01179 428476.
For more information, see also the Milia website: www.milia.gr.

This article, by Richard Hammond, was first published in the Guardian.

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