Vilelmine Hotel

Vilelmine's neo-classical facade and location set it apart from the crowd of boutique hotels that have been carved out of Venetian and Ottoman-era buildings in Chania's old town. Built by a wealthy Chaniot merchant, it retains original features (including a rather steep wooden staircase) and keepsakes such as the album kept by a daughter of the family, Vilelmine, in the 1920s. Rooms are brightly lit by tall windows, with dark wood floors and walls of pale limestone or creamy stucco, with neutral-coloured soft furnishings and gauzy white drapes to filter bright morning sunlight. All feature private balconies, and include a four-bed attic suite and three three-bed suites, plus a mix of doubles and twins. En suite showers and WC are modern, unfussy but kept spotless. Breakfast is served indoors in a cool ground-floor lobby or outdoors under parasols in the hotel's café-terrace on sunny, car-free Cathedral Square. Owner-manager and staff are present throughout the day and are commendably friendly and helpful. Chania's shopping district is on the doorstep and the bustling harbour front is a block away. Location, value for money and unassuming charm make Vilelmine good value for a short stay.