If you are looking for an authentic countryside getaway that will allow you to experience true Cretan hospitality and to become a part of a wonderful community during your stay- this destination is for you!
Vamos Fabrica Farm is located in a charming village in Chania and lies between the sea and the mountains, offering wonderful views and traditional architecture that blends in beautifully with nature.
Fabrica provides guests with a chance to become familiar with local agriculture and the rich traditions and culture that make Crete so unique and famous. Here you will also have the opportunity to take part in rural activities, to taste local products, delicacies and traditional cuisine- as you gain an understanding of everyday life on a local village.
Owned by the friendly Frantzeskakis family, who warmly greet each guest- here you will not only get to know the Cretan way of life- you will also become a part of it.
The family’s aim is to showcase a lesser-known side of Greece that can provide guests with an authentic experience that also allows them to appreciate the slower pace of life. Owner Nikos and his wife Lola introduce guests to the beauty, nature, history, and style of cooking that is synonymous with Cretan village life and create an experience any guest will treasure for a lifetime.
The Farm
Featuring an organic olive grove, with fruit trees and vegetables, birds and farm animals, flowers and herbs- here smells and colours come to life. You will also find a small stone-built theatre, where you may meet a philosopher reciting a poem. On another day, you will bake homemade bread with Nikos or help him cook other dishes in the traditional firewood oven; and assist Lola in collecting eggs or picking some fresh vegetables.
You may also accompany Lola and collect some herbs and wild greens from the garden and make a homemade pie or pick some fresh oranges or other fruits to make marmalades or spoon sweets. Guests are also able to feed the farm animals and enjoy tranquility and peacefulness while relaxing by the Romantic Corner or lying on a hammock.
Fabrica Guesthouses
The guesthouses are separated into “Fabrica Houses” and the “Fabrica Farm Houses.” The houses are made of white stone and the smell of thyme and oregano floats in the air welcoming every guest, who feels a sense of coziness and familiarity inside their room. The Farm Houses are built in the olive grove and are inspired by the rich Cretan Flora, with each guesthouse named after an aromatic plant.
Cooking Classes
A cooking lesson day begins with a visit to the local bakery and grocery store. When you get back you will prepare several mezedes (appetisers) and main dishes. You also have the chance to learn about olive oil varieties and the philosophy behind Cretan food. With the help of local and experienced housewives, participants prepare traditional recipes using fresh and local ingredients. Some of the dishes include cuttlefish with fennel, escargots with crushed wheat, stuffed vegetables, dolmadakia (stuffed vine leaves), kalitsounia (sweet cheese pies), tzatziki, a braised rooster with spaghetti, lamb with stamnagathi (pine chicory), pies, and many more.
While food is the main aspect of most of the cooking classes, guests also have the opportunity to chat, listen to live music, drink local wine- as they learn the secrets of Cretan cuisine. When it’s all done, everyone sits together around a large table and they enjoy a feast as well as dancing and singing- the Cretan way!
Wild Greens Lessons
If you plan your trip around the beginning of spring, you will have the chance to visit different places around the farm, collect wild greens and herbs and learn how to cook them, and taste local and traditional recipes that are based on these fresh ingredients.
Soap Making Workshop
Learn how to make handmade soap with pure ingredients. Based on the olive oil- which is produced by the Frantzeskakis’ family in their biological cultivated olive grove- you will also use a variety of essential oils and herbs, to make soaps that you will love.
Grape Harvesting
The grape harvest is held during the first ten days of September. This is done in small or larger groups of people who are interested in living the experience of harvesting, which takes place in the family vineyard located at Kasteli, an area between Kalyves and Almyrida.
Natural Skincare Workshop
Learn how to prepare creams and other skincare products based on natural and pure beeswax. It begins with a walk around the biologically cultivated olive grove and farm where you will collect aromatic plants and learn about their properties and uses. Then, using essential oils, plants, and vegetable oils, and herbs- you can create your own personalised products.
Botanical Farm Tour
Held all year round, this unique experience brings guests in touch with aromatic and medicinal plants of Greek flora. Stroll around the farm and learn about some of the plants and their properties. Here you have the chance to observe them, smell, touch, and collect some of them, while learning about their properties and uses, their connection to Mythology, their importance in people’s daily life, and their involvement in traditional medicine.
A: Vamos Apokoronou, Crete