An alternative place to stay in Crete

The Ikarus Center for the Arts is a group of traditional rooms and buildings located in the village of Avdou in Eastern Crete. Its impresario, known as Tasos, grew up in the village. At a young age, he was arguably Greece's first competitive skateboarder and then its first well-known surfer. In between, he has sandwiched in a career as a musician for the band Black Ocean. "It all comes together here in Avdou," he says in scarcely-accented English. "All aspects of life." One of the best surfing beaches in Crete is nearby at the base of the mountain, and he has convinced the village elders in Avdou to allow him to establish his arts complex in previously-decaying old stone buildings and to host a free Rock Festival each August at the village festival grounds.