Beneath the surface over the pebbles of Sougia

Boutique residence · Sougia, Crete

where time dissolves into the blue

A boutique residence of eleven rooms in Sougia, south-west Crete. Opening planned for 2027.

Best months · April, May, September, October

01 · The spirit0 m · the surface

The mountains behind you and the deep sea ahead.

Olive groves, the Libyan Sea, no crowds. A quiet place at the end of the valley, for people who travel to slow down.

everything here moves a little slowerSougia

Pine, thyme and wild olive on the slopes, the Libyan Sea at the bottom of the valley. Everything here moves a little slower, except the wind.

Follow the wind

follow the whisper of the windSougia

Small on purposeeleven rooms

Far from everything, close to the wild.

We wanted a residence that sits quietly in the landscape: eleven simple, purposeful rooms, where the design steps back and the mountains and the sea take its place.

Stavros & Petra

Best months to comeAprilMay·SeptemberOctoberWalking weather, a warm sea in autumn and a quiet village. See Sougia month by month →

The village and the long beach seen from the hill

02 · The residence−12 m

Eleven quiet rooms, the garden at the window, the mountains above it.

AVYSSOS is a minimalist retreat built for stillness. Wake up to the garden, breathe in wild herbs, hear birdsong and goat bells drifting up from the valley.

Three ways to stay

DoubleFor two, or just for you TripleFor three Loft for fourUp to 4 guests, on two levels

Discover the residence

03 · The rooms0 to −2,992 m

Named after the deep

Each of our eleven rooms carries the name of a creature of the deep water off Crete. Meet the eleven →

D1monachusΜΕΣΟΓΕΙΑΚΗ ΦΩΚΙΑ · Mediterranean monk sealResident D2delphinusΚΟΙΝΟ ΔΕΛΦΙΝΙ · Common dolphinRare wanderer D3tursiopsΡΙΝΟΔΕΛΦΙΝΟ · Bottlenose dolphinResident D4megapteraΜΕΓΑΠΤΕΡΗ ΦΑΛΑΙΝΑ · Humpback whaleRare wanderer D5stenoΣΤΕΝΟΡΥΓΧΟ ΔΕΛΦΙΝΙ · Rough-toothed dolphinRare wanderer D6grampusΣΤΑΧΤΟΔΕΛΦΙΝΟ · Risso’s dolphinResident D7stenellaΖΩΝΟΔΕΛΦΙΝΟ · Striped dolphinResident D8balaenopteraΠΤΕΡΟΦΑΛΑΙΝΑ · Fin whaleRare wanderer D9physeterΦΥΣΗΤΗΡΑΣ · Sperm whaleResident D10hexanchusΕΞΑΒΡΑΓΧΙΟΣ ΚΑΡΧΑΡΙΑΣ · Bluntnose sixgill sharkResident D11ziphiusΖΙΦΙΟΣ · Cuvier’s beaked whaleResident

Hellenic Trench · deepest point −5,109 mPosition shows the water each creature lives in · Read the story of the deep →

04 · Sougia35°15′ N · 23°49′ E

A village where the gorge meets the sea.

A small village where mountain gorges spill into the Libyan Sea, wild trails go on for hours and the pace of life slows down. AVYSSOS sits at its edge.

Explore Sougia

Sunset over the stone walls of the beach

An olive tree on a stone terrace above the sea

The seafront promenade of Sougia at dusk

Oleander above the boats in Sougia harbour

05 · From the Journalwalks and stories

Walks and stories from Sougia.

Walks3 minCan you walk the Samaria gorge from Sougia? Two waysThe most famous gorge in Crete ends in a village with no road. The boat that reaches it stops in Sougia.

Walks3 minLissos: the walk, the theatre, the boat backOver the headland from Sougia to a healing sanctuary that has been waiting by the sea for two thousand years.

Walks3 minAgia Irini: the gorge that walks you to the seaGreener and quieter than Samaria, it once hid rebels from the Ottomans. Today it ends a short walk above our village.

All stories in the Journal

06 · Our storyStavros & Petra

We have been coming to Sougia for as long as we can remember. Stavros as a boy, in his grandparents’ taverna. Petra for almost twenty summers. Now we have decided to stay.