Alcanea Boutique Hotel

Welcome to Alcanea, a boutique Hotel in the Old Town of Chania on the beautiful island of Crete in the southern Aegean! Designed for travellers who wish to experience the authentic spirit of an ancient town in an environment that offers peace and tranquillity, this intimate and exclusive hotel on the waterfront has eight carefully designed rooms ranging from beautifully appointed doubles to a spacious family room with space for five people. Chania has a rich cultural history which echoes throughout the architecture of the town. A stay at the Alcanea will connect you with Chania’s colourful history and draw you into all that the town has to offer. Speak to our concierge about planning your perfect holiday or short break. The building that now forms Alcanea dates from the Venetian period and was the office of the Greek revolutionary and statesman, Eleftherios Venizelos, for 24 years. It was fully restored during the spring of 2011 with great sensitivity to the preservation and conservation of the building’s architectural heritage. The enchanting complex of terraces and patios, the well-preserved hand-carved stone facades, the colourful ceramics, the elaborate woodwork and decorative elements all maintain a perfect balance between tradition and modern comforts. From ancient times, the city of Chania has been subject to numerousconquerors and the influences of many civilizations. All are evident in the city’s architecture and monuments. In 828 AD, a seminal date in Cretan history, Chania and the whole island fell into the hands of Saracens from Cordoba in Spain, who razed the city to the ground. The Saracens are thought to be responsible for the change of the city name from Kydonia to Chania. According to the eminent archaeologist Nikolaos Platon, Chania had a suburb called “Alchania Kome”, after the God Velchanos or ‘Vulcan’. The Saracens applied the name “Al Chanea” to the whole city. After the Arabs left, the Byzantines removed the prefix “Al” and kept the word “Chanea”, from which were derived the Greek Chania and Latin (La) Canea.