The Arolithos Traditional Village Hotel occupies a cluster of buildings on the mountains outside Heraklion. Built in the late 1980s, it has been purposely designed to reproduce an authentic Cretan village and much care has been taken to recreate the atmosphere of times gone by.

In the bedrooms, modern amenities are cleverly blended with traditional . The local taverna organises Cretan nights with mouthwatering Greek food and folk dances. A number of social events are organised during summer in the open air restaurant.

The area boasts dazzling white houses with pretty turquoise windows that host several old-fashioned shops, including a blacksmith.

Hotel Rooms: 36

AROLITHOS is the unique traditional private Cretan village. It lies just 11 kilometers away from Heraklion, along the old national road connecting Heraklion with Rethymnon. Built on the slope of a mountain, in the wild Cretan landscape, the village is a feast for the eyes, evoking memories from the past of older generations as for their way of living while revealing the simplicity and beauty of old times to younger generations.

AROLITHOS is a family - run business. It was implemented with great passion and love for Cretan tradition. Its goal is to bring Cretan tradition, the customs and habits of the region, the architecture and the values of Cretan people into relief, through a project that will stay alive for a long time to come.

AROLITHOS complex could be characterized as a reconstruction of a typical Cretan village including various Cretan Art workshops, two traditional houses, an ‘‘A’’ class hotel, a restaurant and a tavern, a café and a "cafenion", as well as a small church for weddings and christenings.
While wandering around the narrow alleys, the visitor of AROLITHOS will have the chance to come to contact with genuine traditional textiles woven on looms as well as hand-crafted embroidery.
The traditional blacksmith’s is one of the workshops that present a great deal of interest. The old blacksmith’s proudly presents to the visitors of AROLITHOS in which way the hot iron is cast to become a pickaxe, a fire shovel, a horseshoe, a spade or any other tool for the cultivation of the earth.