Irini Mare Philosophy
Irini Mare Hotel’s greatest principle is the respect and love to the environment it belongs to. That includes not only the natural habitat but also the spirit and soul of it, the people who create Irini Mare Team and its guests.
Thyme, oregano, rosemary and of course olive trees create a beautiful scenery that surrounds Irini Mare Hotel, giving you a great example of the Cretan flora. The hotel has slowly grown from three to thirteen buildings, steadily focusing on more sustainable practices.
Carob trees, palm trees, pines and olive trees, that have been growing in the hotel area for more than 20 years as well as the newly added wattle, create natural shade in the swimming pool area. Inside the hotel area grow more than 30 species of flowers and herbs. They are being taken care of with gardening routines which include only eco-friendly insecticides and no chemical fertilizers that pollute aquifers with nitrates.
Not only our gardening techniques but also the pools sanitizing methods, through an ecologically salt electrolysis system, keep the use of chemicals in Irini Mare Hotel to the minimum.
In order to reduce the energy consumption, Irini Mare Hotel has installed a magnetic card system in all rooms, which ensures that all electrical devices (excepting the refrigerator) are switched off, when the guest leaves the room. In some rooms an additional switch is installed in the balcony doors, in order to disable the air-condition every time someone leaves the balcony door open.
The new junior suites exclusively use renewable energy sources and in specific geothermic and solar energy. These energy mechanisms make them 100% Eco-friendly.
Supporting the local community, Irini Mare Hotel occupies people from the villages nearby. Irini Mare Team consists of both colleagues who first created the hotel’s team, since the opening of Irini Mare Hotel in 1992, as well as young people who choose to join the team every year. Mutual respect and trust guide the spirit of Irini Mare Team in placing the service of the each single guest in the first place.
In this spirit Irini Mare Hotel also supports local producers for the cuisine. Fruits and vegetables from the famous valley of Messara, bread from the bakery of Agia Galini, wine from Cretan wineries, local cheese and thyme honey for the Cretan breakfast arrive daily, to offer you a fresh and tasty culinary experience.
What is more to add is the in house production, of extra virgin superior quality olive oil from Irini Mare Hotel’s olive groves. Olive oil is the basic ingredient of the Greek cuisine, hence it is exclusively used in breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is also an in house production of bio oranges from Irini Mare Hotel’s orange groves in the nearby village Vori.
Irini Mare Hotel is a family run hotel in total harmony with the beautiful natural scenery and the spirit of Cretan hospitality. Irini Mare Hotel is being managed in a very personal and attentive way keeping alive its philosophy “Come as a guest, then come back as a friend”!
