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Drawn to the Sea
Stefanos Agorastakis, Konstantina Smponia, Katerina Agorastaki, & Manolis Agorastakis

Tanneries KV

Words Allison Reiber DiLiegroImages Maximilian Mair

For a family of engineers and architects—all fascinated by the spaces we build on land—theres something that keeps them going back to the sea. 

Manolis Agorastakis was born in 1953 in a mountain village 20 miles from Chania, a city in the northwest of Crete. “Most of the villagers rarely had the chance to see the sea and did not know how to swim. But every summer since I was eight months old, my family would come to Chania for several months and stay in a guest house a few meters from the sea.” Now, alongside his children, Manolis runs The Tanneries Hotel & Spa, a hotel set in four historic tanneries that overlook that same sea.

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The Tanneries Hotel & Spa is housed in four former tanneries that overlook the Aegean

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The hotel is set in Chania, a city in the northwest of Crete

Manolis studied mechanical and electrical engineering at the Technical University in Patras and married a merchant’s daughter in Chania. He slowly took over the family business and shifted the focus toward equipment for the hospitality space—using his engineering expertise to select the most high-quality and ecological brands. His son, Stefanos, is also an engineer and now runs that business, outfitting high-end kitchens. Stefanos’ wife, Konstantina, is another engineer with a talent for design. And Stefanos’ sister, Katerina, is an architect and pharmacist who brings her wellness expertise to the hotel spa.

We sat down with the family to discuss how they came to own the tanneries, how they blend their talents, and the special island they call home. 

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Manolis Agorastakis runs the hotel with his daughter, Katerina Agorastaki; his daughter-in-law, Konstantina Smponia; and his son, Stefanos Agorastakis

What was it like to grow up in Chania?

Katerina Agorastaki: Our childhood was spent in a three-apartment country house just outside the city center. These were very happy years, with three families together: me, Stefanos, and our parents; my uncle, aunt, and cousin; and my grandparents. I like to remember all of us in the big garden with the dogs running around.

Manolis, what inspired you to buy the first tannery 30 years ago? Was the plan always to open a hotel?

Manolis Agorastakis: A hotel was definitely not the initial plan for the project. In the early 1990s, my wife and I were looking for a seaside cottage near Chania. She had the idea to buy one in the Tabakaria area, where most of the buildings were already dilapidated and very few tanneries were in operation. The strong smell of leather had stayed in the area, so it wasn’t popular. I had a tanner friend who pointed me towards the specific property. The idea was to keep the boat on the ground floor and have a home on the upper level.

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The locals feel strongly about Tabakaria, the neighborhood where the hotel is set, and want to protect its historic and cultural heritage

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How did you acquire the second?

MA: A friend of mine from Loutro, a seaside village in Sfakia, asked me to find one for him to buy as well. I negotiated for the tannery next door, but after I had agreed to it his wife didn't like it, so I ended up buying it myself. After the second acquisition, the property was too big for a house, but too small for a hotel. Once we bought both buildings next door, the idea for the hotel was born.

Katerina, you also studied the former tanneries during your architecture program. Can you tell us about that?

KA: Yes, I dealt with the buildings of Tabakaria in my thesis. I was curious about how to preserve the shells of these tanneries and what their potential could be beyond hospitality.

The big decision I made was to follow my mother’s profession and study pharmacy at the age of 28. During my studies, I also had the time to do design work on the buildings. This is when my father, after much patience and perseverance, succeeded in getting all the building permits to make his vision a reality.

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What do you enjoy about working with family?

Stefanos Agorastakis: To be honest, we are all so alike and at the same time so different. I really enjoy the beauty of complementing each other.

Konstantina Smponia: What intrigues me is how our approaches are initially different, then they begin to complement each other. By the end, our ideas fill in the others’ gaps.

Are there any challenges?

SA: A group of people is always capable of producing the best product and at the same time the worst. The challenge is to continuously cooperate to try to come up with the best result.

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Periplous Seaside Restaurant is run by an acclaimed Cretan chef and serves only local seafood

What did you set out to achieve with the hotel?

SA: Locals feel strongly about Tabakaria. People worked for decades in these buildings—they have many memories and want to protect the historic and cultural heritage. Our goal was to respect the history while providing a luxurious experience for guests.

KS: To put it simply: Luxury, minimalism, chic, natural materials, and harmony with the region are the words that compose the interior design.

Konstantina, you were very involved in the design. Do you have a favorite design detail in the hotel?

KS: The design was shaped by the foundational influences of my early studies and my hands-on experiences with natural materials. The marble in the hotel has been placed in numerical order as the blocks came out of the quarry. All the lines in the marble have been matched, which creates a sense of peace and tranquility.

Another is the leather artwork in reception. We had to reinforce the wall to take the weight of the leather. While the hotel also has works by well-known artists, the result of this project captures all eyes because of the dynamic connection between the leather and the history of the building.

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Is there one special place on Crete that you always recommend?

KS: My family has already referred to it. Loutro has our hearts.

What is the family’s connection to Loutro?

MA: Since about 1980, I have owned a boat. Every weekend we made trips to all the nearby places in Chania. After touring all the coastal villages of the general Chania area, we ended up in Loutro where we are still visiting today.

The amazing thing about this place is that it is not affected by the summer north winds, It has a very nice little village center without cars and busy roads. Stefanos and Katerina were both raised there every summer. Stefanos learned how to drive my boat from a young age. Later on, he got a small one of his own and he could drive by himself in the closed bay of Loutro. There, he also learned water skiing, underwater fishing, etc. Over the years we became friends with all the locals, and the village feels like my second home.

SA: Most of the memories that we share as a family happen to be set in Loutro. Sitting at a table and sharing homemade food, is something that has connected us as a family from the past till the present.

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“The city hasn’t changed so much since I was a child, except for the places where people prefer to have fun and enjoy themselves these days.”

Manolis Agorastakis

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Who is the best cook in the family?

SA: For sure, the best chefs in the family are my two grandmothers. One comes from a village in mainland Crete and the other from a refugee family from Asia Minor. (In 1922, refugees from Asia Minor came to Crete.) This totally different cuisine now belongs to the Cretan tradition.

What is one special dish or ingredient guests must try while in Chania?

SA: Raw materials from the sea that surrounds us and various cheese, meat, and greens from the mountains. Personally, I think I’ll single out the sea urchins. Please, you should find a restaurant that has them and enjoy them.

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The family often gathers in Loutro, a seaside village in Sfakia that is only accessible by boat

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Manolis, what is one lesson you hope your children learn from you?

MA: Aside from the basics of honesty, humility, etc., I would like them to understand that in mind, no problem is unsolvable. No one should give up on their goals.

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Image George Anastasakis

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