Tella Thera
Kissamos, Greece
★ Verified by our editors · September 2026
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The verdict
Twenty suites and one villa on the hillside above Kissamos, in the far west of Crete, opened on 14 July 2025 and built to stay cool without machines: a garden grows on the roof of every suite. Interiors are arches, lime plaster and furniture by Cretan craftsmen, the pools look over the Gulf of Kissamos to the Gramvousa peninsula, and Anemoia cooks the island's vegetables with no waste. It is in the MICHELIN Guide, without a Key so far.
Couples who want the wild west of Crete — Balos, Falassarna — and a quiet, beautifully made hotel to return to.
You want a track record: the hotel is barely a year old, and the Guide has not given it a Key yet.
Take the morning boat from Kissamos port to Balos and Gramvousa before the crowds, and keep the evening for Anemoia's tasting menu.
The rooms
Twenty suites and one private villa, all facing the sea, with arched openings, earth-coloured plaster and furniture made on the island. The Deluxe suites have private plunge pools; each suite has a planted roof above it.
The setting
On a hillside at Trachilos, just outside Kissamos, looking across the gulf to the Gramvousa peninsula and the lagoon of Balos. Falassarna's beach is about twenty minutes away by car, and Viglia beach a fifteen-minute walk.
The food
Anemoia, the hotel's restaurant, is chef Markos Marmatakis's plant-forward Cretan cooking, seasonal and zero-waste, with produce from local suppliers. Breakfast is served as a buffet or à la carte.
Getting there
About 50 minutes by car from Chania airport. A car is essential for the west of the island.
Good to know
Families are welcome. The Thaleria spa uses traditional methods — a magnesium bath, massages with handmade botanical oils — and the hotel holds the Green Key eco-label. It is a member of Design Hotels.
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