Culinary collaborations
Creative Consultant Chef Athinagoras Kostakos creates crave-worthy classics alongside a steady rotation of sustainable seasonal offerings throughout Cretan Malia Park’s culinary experiences.
At Almyra, Chef Kostakos introduces a new take on authentic Italian flavors for lunch and dinner, with a focus on local fresh fish, summery salads, pasta and risotti and authentic, oven-baked pizza. At The Beach Shack, an easy and light-hearted approach in the kitchen is embraced, with a wide variety of raw-food and vegan options. For lunch, guests can enjoy healthy bowls that do not skimp on flavor, and for dinner an intimate menu paired with delicious cocktails, all served at the bar or sunbed.
Chef Kostakos is collaborating with Cretan Executive Chef, Lefteris Iliadis, to reintroducing authentic Greek and Mediterranean recipes, with a focus on fresh ingredients from locally sourced produce and highlighting new vegan dishes.
The bar offerings are also revamped as a new, imaginative collaboration shakes things up. Creative, hand-crafted cocktails by award-winning mixologist Aristotelis Papadopoulos, are built around local, seasonal, quality ingredients and updated versions of classic drinks complement relaxing evenings at the Lobby Bar and The Beach Shack.
New accommodations
Three new room options debut in time for the height of the summer season. The brand-new Signature Room & Signature Bungalow Garden will marvel guests with spacious, bright and comfortable sleeping and lounging areas, high design elements and never-ending views of Cretan Malia’s most iconic settings. An enviable assortment of Signature Amenities ensures outstanding style and service including a healthy-stocked mini bar, a selection of micro-brewery beers, Nespresso coffee, a personal pantry of Cretan welcome snacks and branded summer accessories. Breakfast is served in an intimate setting at Mouries Cretan Restaurant, which features a medley of Cretan dishes invoking the spirit and culture of the island.
The new Two Bedroom Suite is designed for friends and families to recline and unwind at their own pace, providing the perfect base for a stay in Crete. With homey comforts and room to spare, everyone can easily enjoy each other’s company or seek out a moment of solitude.
Retail collaborations
Cretan Malia Park is excited to announce its new partnership with Maison Flaneur and Anthologist.
For the new nomad that seeks authentic interior pieces reflecting the soul of destination, Cretan Malia presents a highly anticipated collaboration with Maison Flaneur offering a curated, limited-edition collection of the resort’s art and design items, decorative furniture and lighting pieces and a unique catalogue of homeware.
An architect of stories - as its founder Greek-American Andria Mitsakos explains—Anthologist includes evocative curios that celebrate global cultural conservation. The brand-new Anthologist shop, located in the resort’s lobby, features the line’s jewelry, fashion accessory and home decor pieces, antiques collected in sourcing expeditions, vintage, Cretan textiles, as well as limited-edition items.
Sustainability
This season's highlights include the Phaea Farmers Program, designed to support resort staff who work as farmers in low season. Through collaborations with agronomists, the farmers are trained in organic farming methods and sustainable land use. Ultimately the program is creating more value and quality production and the resort can source the highest quality local produce for use in the kitchens.
The program benefits not only the seasonal farming staff, but the local community’s health, environment, and economy, as well. The farmers are able to increase their annual income and contribute to region’s wider economy and training in sustainable land use benefits the soil and discourages the use of dangerous pesticides and chemicals. These efforts ultimately offer our guests fresh products that are authentically local, nutritious and environmentally friendly. Guests can feel confident about sitting down to a meal knowing where the food is from and its positive impact on the land, destination, and culture.
A variety of products are produced including aloe, grapes, wine, herbs, honey, fruits (apples, pears, strawberries, bananas, citrus (orange, lemons, mandarins), olives, olive oil, seasonal vegetables (tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplants, potatoes), dairy products, and raki, a traditional, Cretan grape-based spirit.
This year, our guests will have the opportunity to also taste our very own Phaea Olive-Oil, sourced to our kitchens and restaurants.
Programming
Family Spirit - With its bohemian charm and strong family spirit, Cretan Malia is an ideal home-base for a family holiday. The dedicated family accommodation offers a welcoming ambiance and well-appointed spaces, with flexible options catering to everyone.
At The Little Explorers Kids' Club, highly qualified staff oversees the kids’ and teens programs with enthusiasm and kindness. The Kids Club features a test kitchen, performance space, play area, playground, and a hut for quiet reading. There is also an organic garden where kids can participate in the property’s green program and activities to learn about bees. Top notch babysitting services are also available.
For teenagers, there is The Place, located next to the tennis and basketball half court. There is a large water tub and hammocks for playtime and downtime. Teens can enjoy table tennis, billiards and darts, and a curated program of teen-friendly activities by day, and outdoor film screenings by night.
Resort Happenings – Exceptionally-chosen, regularly scheduled events encourage guests to learn about local culture and take advantage of all the resort has to offer and include Cretan Soul, a hands-on cooking demonstration and classes with the Executive Chef, wines tastings, olive oil tastings and explorations into local customs like Cretan Lyra evenings, grape stomping and Raki spirit distillation. Fitness and sports day programs include beach volley, tennis and basketball tournaments and water sports, and revamped evening entertainment programs highlight live music sessions and DJ nights, as well as movie nights at the open-air cinema.
Wellness Retreats - Embrace personal wellness in a setting of healing natural beauty. The combination of fitness activities, calisthenics workouts, yoga, meditation and Pilates sessions - or even book readings by the garden – offer a laid-back holiday vibe providing an opportunity to really press pause, recharge, and re-energize.
- 8-12 May 2021, YorYoga with Kremena Yordanova - Blend nourishing practices and reflective time for oneself. In each morning class, expect asana, pranayama, and meditation. In each afternoon class, expect a nourishing, more quiet practice, including inquiries from Practice You, and time to reflect and write down thoughts in a journal.
- 13-18 May 2021, Find your Fire with Wesley Kalkhoven & Anna Wiedemann - Throughout this powerful six day journey, guests will find themselves held and supported by a group of strangers, that quickly become friends and family. The ``Inner Fire`` retreat will guide participants inward through an activating combination of Calisthenics movement, breathwork, meditation and much more.
- 11-16 October 2021, Soul Odyssey Yoga Retreat with Kelly Brandon & Katrina Bilanchone - This week-long odyssey will enhance postural and energetic awareness, help unlock physical and mental challenges, as well as build strength and balance to cultivate new joy in yoga practice. Kelly and Katrina will guide guests on an illuminating and nourishing journey of the body, mind and spirit, while submerged in the surreal beauty and living history on Greece’s largest island of Crete.
