What makes a great lodging experience? For me, about a dozen factors are important:

1) natural setting of the destination
2) historical significance of the destination
3) charm, character, uniqueness, and attractiveness of the destination
4) charm, character, uniqueness, and attractiveness of the lodging property
5) central location of the lodging property
6) property ownership: family-owned versus corporate-owned
7) property ambience: warm and intimate versus soulless and impersonal
8) opportunity to meet and know the property owner
9) owner’s commitment to meeting guest needs
10) opportunities to meet and exchange information with other guests
11) attractiveness, cleanliness, and comfort of the room
12) value: can average people like me afford to stay here?

Two or three favorables may result in a memorable lodging experience. But, what if all twelve factors are favorable? What then? Well, friends, what you have then is a cosmic convergence and a place you hate to reveal in TripAdvisor for fear it will become so popular that you won’t be able to stay there again. But you go ahead and write a rave review anyway because you are so appreciative of the property owners that you wish to repay their graciousness.

In my travels, I have encountered only two twelves: Stella’s Traditional Apartments at Kato Zakros on the Greek island of Crete and Casa Zuniga, a bed-and-breakfast at Guanajuato in central Mexico.

I have stayed at Stella’s twice, with my wife in the summer of 2008 and again in the fall of 2010 with a group of friends. Stella’s Traditional consists of only three apartments, but lovely Stella also manages rentals of several nearby studios for family members. They are nestled in a botanical paradise, which is a pleasant quarter-mile stroll to Zakros bay with its swimming beaches and tavernas. Not a single retail store mars the tranquility of the scene.

Stella and her husband Elias have recently built several striking maisonettes (small houses) constructed of native rock in a very different setting not far away; they are perched on a hillside overlooking the bay and facing the yawning mouth of Dead’s Gorge.

For nature lovers, a circle hike ascends above Kato Zakros affording vistas of two distant whitewashed hill villages before descending into Dead’s Gorge and the return trek to Kato Zakros. For history lovers: the ruins of Zakros Palace lie along the walk between Stella’s and the sea. This was one of the main palace complexes of Minoan Crete, the first civilization of Europe. From here the sophisticated Minoan culture traded with Egypt and the Middle East. As for me, I wouldn’t trade my time at Kato Zakros for riches from anywhere else.

I visited Stella's Traditional Apartments in June of 2010 with a friend and enjoyed it so much I decided to return for Christmas with my husband. This time we did not stay at the apartments but at the new cottages built by Stella and her husband called "Terra Minoika". The cottages give a panoramic view of the Valley of the Dead, the Minoan Palace and the pretty bay of Kato Zakros. I was a little concerned that, visiting over Christmas, we might be cold but I need not have worried. Stella had provided heating and we found that the cottage was very cosy and well insulated. She had even put a little Christmas tree in our room and had baked traditional Christmas biscuits for us. We were made incredibly welcome. Stella and her husband have built the cottages to a very high specification with high quality materials and furnishings. The bed was very comfortable (Dunlopillo mattress and pillows), the kitchen equipped to a level that made it easy to rustle up a decent evening meal. Stella provided all the ingredients for our breakfasts (including her wonderful homemade marmalade).

We love to walk and the big bonus for us were all the great treks and walks that are on the doorstep. Stella and Elias have waymarked some wonderful routes. On Christmas day we walked along the coast to a cave and Minoan quarry. Boxing day was spent climbing MT. Skopelos and the following day we made a circular walk that took in the Gorge. We did not get to explore much further afield - there was so much to do virtually on the doorstep. We enjoyed exploring the spring at Zakros and this is a place we would like to explore further.

Regarding eating out, there was one taverna of sorts open on the beach and there were a couple of other places at Ano Zakros. We loved Napoleon's Taverna and found the family very friendly and welcoming. The taverna on the beach was more like a shed but the food was good in a basic way.

I cannot think of many places that I would rate with excellent across the board. Stella and her family offer something very special and above average in an amazing location. You add the warmth of the welcome we received and it can't be beat - we recommend this place unreservedly.

A stuning location with extremely friendly hosts - perfect base for exploring the surrounding area, walking the coastal path or Dead's Gorge. Really wonderful and a highlight of our visit to Crete.

David & Laura, England

We stayed at Stella's Traditional Apps for a week during the summer of 2009 and it was a most lovely experience!

Stella's is located above the remote village of Kato Zakro, near the more widely know archaeological site of the Kato Zakros Minoan Palace and the Vallay of the Dead hiking area. From Kato Zakros village it takes a 10 minutes walk (or a short car ride on a dirt road) to reach Stella's. Once you enter the area of Stella's, you almost get the impression of having re-discovered Eden! The little cabins build of hand hewn local stone, the apps, are nestled in a cool, shadowy garden with huge old pine trees, giant figs, many flowers and herbs. This garden is a common area and the guests are invited to relax in lounge chairs and hammocks allotted in the garden. The garden overlooks a valley with olive trees and in the distance you can see the beach of Kato Zakros - a most impressive and romantic view especially in the early morning and when the sun sets. The myriads of cicadas which start humming in the evening add to the perfect atmosphere.

The apps are built to create a feeling of traditional Cretan rural live. Natural materials - local stone and wood - have been favoured. The apps are of different size and decoration each, but the rural theme is common to them all. The hosts, Stella and Elias, have built the apps by themselves and they have put a very high amount of love and care into them which is mirrored by the many lovely details and make you instantly feel comfortable and at home. Quite important for us, the bathroom of the app also was in a very good state – albeit a bit small.

Each app has a fully equipped kitchen (pots, cutlery, coffee maker etc.), but they also feature a gas cooker on the terrace so that we were able to do a lot of open-air cooking which was great fun!

There is also an open-air reception where you can meet Stella if you have a problem, a question or need something. At the reception, Stella also offers a choice of basic food and beverage (honey, sheep cheese, milk, pasta olives, honey, oil, coffee) which you are invited to take and pay the amount you think is appropriate - it's a service based on honesty. Stella also provides a washing machine and powder so you can clean you clothes (very practical for hikers!).

We used to drive to the village of Palekastro (about 30 minutes by car) for shopping. There ar many very well equipped local stores which provide everything you need (diary, meat, most delicious local cheese, fruits, bread etc.)

If you like to eat Greek food, you will find some tavernas in Kato Zakros, directly at the beach. One of them serves very delicious vegetarian dishes (made with vegetables from their huge gardens) and offers more variety for those who would like to try something else than pork souflaki and lamb chops.

The whole place of Stella's Traditionals is very tidy and clean; Stella is very concerned with everything being pleasant and nice and will instantly help you if there are any problems. But, since the whole place is so close to nature, you should not get scarred if nature eventually invites itself in! For example, we once had a little gecko as a visitor on our terrace and some ants also liked to tour the app! However, in our eyes this is nothing to complain about and we prefer it very much to a sterile place where every live is instantly extinguished by the excessive use of insect spray and powders!

Every other day, the apps are tidied and cleaned by a maid and fresh towels are provided.

Please note: There is no pool or bar at Stella's. So, what can you do during your holidays at Stella's - other than relaxing in the garden? For one, the beach of Kato Zakros (large pebbles) is very nice, crystal clear water and natural shadow provided by some tamarisks. However, there are no sun beds or umbrellas as the place is not yet touristically developed. If you have a car (which is, in our eyes, strongly recommended), you can drive to Xerokambos in about 25 minutes. There you can find a very nice beach (sand and stones) equipped with sun beds and umbrellas (about 5 Euro per day) and some tavernas near by. This place is a bit more touristically developed.

If you like culture and Cretan history, you can visit the Minoan palace of Kato Zakros - the ruins are very impressive (and a magnet for tourist busses from the large tourist centres).

Probably the best you can do in the area is hiking. Stella and Elias, the hosts, are enthusiastic hikers themselves and have taken immense efforts to discover and mark (with red dots) the different paths. They will be glad to show and explain you the different routes on a map of the area which is available at Stella's. The routes cover the rather famous Valley of the Dead and the Kato Zakros coast and hinterland. We also used two hiking guidebooks ("Wandern auf Kreta – Der Osten" (Dumont Aktiv) and “Wanderungen in Kreta – Ost” (Rother) – both in German) to prepare our stay in the region and also did some trips in the area of Palekastro. Especially during the hot summer days, hiking is rather exhausting for inexperienced hikers. The paths marked by Stella and Elias are relatively easy to find and walk, but some passages are rather steep and you should be sure-footed and have a head for heights. Good hiking shoes are obligatory, too. The landscape is absolutely great and most times we were completely on our own during the hiking trips so we could enjoy nature undisturbed. Only the Valley of the Dead is frequented by tourists more often but not yet overrun.

We would recommend Stella's Traditionals to people who search for quiet and peace, enjoy relaxing and resting in the tree shadows reading a good book or listening to the wind or the cicadas, and who don't need a pool bar or animation program to feel comfortable.

The place might not be ideal for small children. Of course, they could play in the garden, but they might not be comfortable with the pebble stone beach at Kato Zakros. The hiking routes are also not suitable for small children.

In our eyes, the place is very recommendable as a "base camp" for active people. As already said, there are plenty of attractive hiking routes which start directly at Stella's or in the neighbouring villages. Mountain biking is also an option.

We have posted the gps-tracks of our hikings in the Kato Zakros area at the following addresses:
http://www.gps-tour.info/de/touren/detail.39396.html
http://www.gps-tour.info/de/touren/detail.39400.html
http://www.gps-tour.info/de/touren/detail.39401.html
http://www.gps-tour.info/de/touren/detail.39404.html

So, if you would like to spend a great holiday away from any of the typical tourist traps, Stella’s Traditional Apartments at Kato Zakros is the place where you should turn to!