1900 is a year of great political ferment in Chania! The town serves as the capital of the Semi-independent State of Crete and the so-called «Cretan Matter» is by now international. Political discussions are hot while military men, ambassadors and diplomats of all kinds of nationalities are flooding the streets, mixed with the locals, Cretans, Turkish-Cretans, Turks and many others.

It is a peak point in the history of Chania and this can but include cultural life. There is plethora of artistic activity, evident, to a large extent, of the newly arrived western european influences. Local architecture carries the signs of Neoclassicism and many beautiful new buildings make their appearance in town. «Vilelmine» is one of them.

Vilelmine In 1898 the Fournarakis family started building their house at Betolo street, in the middle of the old town, with the back side of the building overlooking the court-yard of Trimartiri, the Metropolitan church of Chania. The construction was completed a few years later and the family moved into their new home. This stone-made building is characteristic of the architecture of the time. With the exception of some damage due to WWII bombarding, which was fully repaired, it has been preserved until today and has been proclaimed national heritage. The remarkable renovation that took place maintained all the authentic architectural elements of the construction. Thus it looks almost exactly like it did when Vilelmine Fournarakis was a just a little girl! Vilelmine grew up to be a beautiful young woman who lived comfortably, like most women of her age and social background. She was given the appropriate education, she had her circle of friends and she was exploring and enjoying life. One can easily picture what it might have been like back then, by browsing through the little album of questions and answers Vilelmine kept between 1926 and 1928. It was a popular romantic game for young people at the time to have a «Lefkoma» (album) of questions such as «what is love?», «which name do you like?» or «what is beauty?» and to have their friends write answers. Vilelmine's «Lefkoma» has been preserved to this day and it is exhibited to complete the vibe of a past time one gets coming through the door of her home!

Check-in: from 12:00 h
Check-out: until 10:00 h

Vilelmine is a beautiful B' class Hotel of excellent service. It has got 10 rooms: 1 four-bed Suite, 4 three-bed Suites and 5 two-bed Rooms.

Each Suite or Room is fully equipped with:

• Air-Conditioning
• Luxurius Private Bathroom
• Refrigerator
• Satelite Television
• Internet access

The owners have put their heart to it so that «Vilelmine»'s decoration meets really high aesthetic standards. Many large doors and windows make perfect use of the unique Cretan sunlight. Every hour of the day the rooms are filled with light! All objects are carefully chosen so that nothing is too much, allowing the plethoric building to steal the show in itself.

The view from each window and balcony is also amazing. On the north side, the Metropolitan church square gives the eye room to wander around the streets and rooftops of the old town and see all the way to the old light house. The visitor can relax at the balconies of the south side and gaze at the passers by of the quiet Betolo street, which comes to life in the summer by a happy, colourful crowd!

«Vilelmine» is open all year. In this way the visitor can enjoy a pleasant, comfortable stay at any time and, maybe, feel a tiny bit nostalgic of times that have forever passed!

The stay at «Vilelmine» is a unique experience. The hotel is situated right at the heart of the old town and offers all facilities, as well as easy access to all sights, museums, services, means of trasport, shops, restaurants, bars etc, even to the beach, as it is merely 800m away from the Blue Flag beach of Nea Chora!

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