Monastery Estate Retreat

Surrounded by the White Mountains in the tiny village of Moni above Sougia, Monastery Estate Retreat is an intimate collection of suites and apartments created for experiencing the wilder, less travelled landscapes of southwest Crete.

This is a dramatically different Crete from the island’s larger resorts. Mountains dominate the horizon, deep gorges cut through the landscape towards the Libyan Sea and small villages sit among olive groves and rugged countryside, giving the retreat a wonderful sense of isolation without feeling disconnected from the region around it.

The architecture draws directly from that landscape. Stone, timber, concrete and earthy textures are combined with crisp contemporary lines and restrained interiors, creating spaces that feel sophisticated while retaining something of the raw character of southwest Crete. Terraces and private courtyards pull life outdoors, with the White Mountains forming an ever present backdrop.

Rooms & Suites

The accommodation is particularly strong, with private outdoor space playing a central role in almost every category. Apartments pair mountain views with outdoor hot tubs, while Deluxe Apartments and Suites add private yards that feel wonderfully secluded among the stone walls and surrounding countryside.

The Retreat categories introduce private pools, with the Junior and Premium Retreats facing the mountains and the Senior Retreat looking towards the olive farm. Suites with plunge pools and hot tubs offer different interpretations of the same idea, allowing couples to choose between a proper swim or a long soak beneath the open sky.

The Honeymoon Suite brings everything together with a private pool, hot tub and mountain view. It is an indulgent space, but the real luxury is the privacy and the sheer amount of landscape around you, particularly first thing in the morning when the mountains catch the changing light.

Dining

Breakfast suits the intimacy of the retreat, with continental, vegetarian and gluten free choices and the option of eating in the privacy of your accommodation. Coffee on the terrace with the White Mountains ahead is a wonderfully simple way to begin the day.

Moni and the surrounding villages provide an introduction to the food of southwest Crete, while heading down towards Sougia brings traditional tavernas and the relaxed atmosphere of the coast. This is excellent country for eating simply and locally, with Cretan produce, mountain herbs, olive oil and village cooking very much part of travelling through the region.

Experience

The great reason to stay here is southwest Crete itself. This is walking country on a magnificent scale, with famous gorges, mountain paths and remote beaches shaping days that can feel genuinely adventurous. Samaria may be the best known, but the wider region rewards anyone prepared to put on walking shoes and venture beyond the obvious routes.

Sougia provides the change of pace afterwards, with its beach and wonderfully relaxed village atmosphere beside the Libyan Sea. Back at Monastery Estate Retreat, the outdoor pool and garden offer an altogether quieter afternoon, although guests with their own pool may find surprisingly little reason to leave their terrace.

Wellness

The retreat’s sauna and hammam are particularly welcome in a place where days are so easily spent outdoors. They provide a warm, restorative finish after walking in the mountains or exploring one of the gorges, and fit naturally into the intimate scale of the property.

Private pools and hot tubs add another dimension to that slower side of the stay. An evening soak beneath the mountains after a day on the trails feels less like an added luxury here and more like the natural conclusion to a day in this extraordinary landscape.

Where

Moni gives Monastery Estate Retreat a superb base for discovering the south west of Crete, with Sougia and the Libyan coast below and the White Mountains rising inland. It is a part of the island made for journeys through villages, gorges and wild countryside, returning each evening to the peace of the mountains and your own private corner of the retreat.

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