TravelToCrete.gr :

"Metohi Vai" is a small traditional settlement in Eastern Crete, beside the palm forest Vai and belongs to the Monastery Toplou. For many years the sheep keepers of the monastery lived there and the rooms were specially shaped for their needs as there were also used as places to make the cheese. In collaboration with the local government, the monastery and the Organism of Development of Sitia (O.A.S) exploiting European programs we shaped the spaces of the settlement in 7 comfortable traditional apartments, each one with different arrangement. All the apartments dispose of a refrigerator, an oven microwaves, an electric cooking place, a satellite television, air-conditioning and a bathroom. (The apartments 2-5-6-7 are also equipped of a fireplace). If you are interesting in discovering the secrets of Mediterranean diet and Cretan cooking, the traditional tavern of the settlement is probably the best "school" for you. At the wood stove you can daily help to the cooking of bread, pastries and enjoy unique aromas and flavours. You can have a pleasant time at the company of the settlement's gardener, and learn about organic farming and gardening, cut fruits and vegetables, and you can also take care of the small animals of the settlement. In the place where you are accommodated, the agriculture of olives and vine has been connected for thousands of years with the culture, the history, the religion and with the prosperity of the local people. The olive oil, the grapes, the wine, the raki are characterized by their excellent quality and their big alimentary value. A quality internationally recognized through continuous rewards. If you like to, you can learn about the farming methods of these products, and it is going to be a unique experience, which will help you to appreciate them even more. The collect of the olive-crop, the vintage in the vineyards, the step of grapes, the distillation of raki, are a feast, a nature's remuneration to the persons of the farms. All the farming and gardening are made with organic methods. "Metohi Vai" belongs to a region that, because of its particular ecological importance, has been included in the European network of protected areas NATURA 2000. It might be a very special experience for you to discover and to learn about the rich flora and fauna of the region, the caves and the gorges, but also the unique beaches of Itanos Municipality.