Ink Hotels
Small hotel in the old town of Rethymno, Crete
The Gateway Suites. Seven of them, in the old town.
All seven are at House of Europe, on Nikolaou Plastira, and every one has water outdoors: hot tubs, and a heated plunge pool in Harmony's own courtyard. Phos, a few steps away, has seven rooms of its own. Both are houses of the 1700s, under the Fortezza, minutes from the Venetian harbour. Phos was once a printing shop, and the hotel is named after it.
The hot tubs and the plunge pool, suite by suite
Water at all seven · hot tubs and one heated private plunge pool
EvexiaThe waterfrontTerrace with a hot tub
HarmonyPrivate interior courtyardCourtyard with a heated private plunge pool
AgapiInner courtyard with an old wellPrivate outdoor hot tub, beside the hotel's inner courtyard
PathosExterior courtyardTerrace, and a hot tub in the courtyard beside the suite
ElpidaOver the old townTerrace, and a shared backyard with an outdoor hot tub
ErosPrivate courtyardPatio with a private hot tub
ZoiPrivate backyardBackyard with a private hot tub
Seven suites at House of Europe, seven rooms at Phos, and one whole residence by the harbour — from twelve square metres under the roof to forty with a heated courtyard pool.
All seven suites have water outdoors.
Evexia has a hot tub set into its terrace, with the sea running the full width of the view behind it. Eros and Zoi each have a private one in a courtyard of their own, and Agapi has a private one outdoors. Pathos has a hot tub in the courtyard beside it, and Elpida guests share an outdoor hot tub. Harmony has a heated plunge pool in a secluded interior courtyard, and the water is warm whatever the month. The suite is forty square metres on the ground floor, with a king bed, a lounge and marble underfoot.
Ink is not a colour here. It is what this building did for a living.
This was a printing shop.
The press stood in Phos, the second house, and printed a newspaper — ΑΓΩΝ. It was the printing house of Fotakis, its publisher, a lawyer who later became a member of parliament and a public prosecutor in Athens.
Ink is the name of both houses. The central one, the House of Europe, was the guest house of the University of Crete. Professors and researchers stayed here between lectures. Art exhibitions are still part of the place.
Set, inked and pressed · Rethymno, Crete
Under the shadow of the Fortezza
Ink sits beneath the Fortezza — the fortress the pirate Barbarossa once invaded — and a few steps from the sea and the medieval Venetian port, where merchants traded goods from all over the world.
Walk the streets around Ink and you find the alleys knights once rode through, small luncheonettes doing fresh salads and juices, and a quarter that stays alive well after dark.
In the middle of the medieval town
Ink Hotels — House of Europe & Phos
House of Europe · first building · Nikolaou Plastira 4
Phos · second building · Fotaki 10
Also in the old town · Psaron 2
Also in the old town · Damvergi 26
Rethymno 74100, Crete, Greece
35.3714° N · 24.4754° E
The harbour, at the end of the day
Step out of the front door. You are already in it.
A suite designed so the door is never the problem
Agapi (Αγάπη) means love.
Agapi is named for the care that went into its design, for guests with access needs. It is on the ground floor, with a private entrance from the side street. The bathroom was designed for wheelchair users.
Thirty square metres, with marble floors, a Coco-Mat mattress and an outdoor hot tub of its own. Beside it, the hotel's inner courtyard keeps its old well, the kind of place a Cretan neighbourhood has always sat outside in.
- Step-free private entrance
- Roll-in shower
- Toilet with grab rails
- Ground floor throughout
Casa Vitae
Three villas with private pools in one historic house in the old town.
Stays of 7 nights or more.
The plain facts, before you ask
- Reception
- Open until 23:00. Later arrivals are arranged in advance — tell us your flight and somebody will be there.
- Check-in & check-out
- Check-in from 16:00. Check-out by 11:00, or by 10:00 at Phos.
- Breakfast
- Not included. Buffet breakfast is available for an extra charge at House of Europe, and can be served in your room.
- Noise
- The old town is alive, and that is much of its pleasure. Sea-facing rooms sit closest to the cafés and bars. All rooms have soundproof windows; tell us if you sleep lightly.
- Parking
- Free parking nearby when there is space on the day you arrive; it cannot be reserved. Guests of the Gateway Suites receive a parking card, subject to availability. Paid public parking, charged by the hour, is close by, and at Phos the municipal parking may carry a charge. For the Residence of the Old Port, paid parking is about 150 metres away, at €15 a day.
- Housekeeping
- Housekeeping is arranged according to the length of your stay.
- Pets
- Not accommodated.
- Languages
- We speak English and Greek.
- Sustainability
- Bioclimatic architecture, low energy consumption, and eco-friendly cleaning products throughout.
Come and stay
Or call +30 211 444 5757 (ext. 1) or +30 697 406 9475. We speak English and Greek. WhatsApp
What happens next
- Your dates and the number of guests open in a WhatsApp message to the desk, ready to send.
- We check the dates and confirm them with you, by WhatsApp or phone.