They really are white, at least until late spring: Crete's dramatic limestone Lefka Ori (White Mountains) rise 2,453m (8,050ft) and remain snow-covered from mid-December to early May. And sitting aboard the 7am bus from Chania to Vamos, as the sun comes up, I'm transfixed by the glistening white alpine scenery rising incongruously above lush Mediterranean olive groves. This is the other Crete. A world away from the seaside resorts of the north coast, the mountainous hinterland is all about sleepy rural villages and dramatic pine-scented gorges.

Upon arrival in Vamos, I'm met by Giorgos, one of the founders of the Vamos co-operative. It started in 1995, when five local couples clubbed together and began renovating three old stone family cottages for use as guesthouses. Worried by the village's gradual depopulation and economic stagnation, they planned to revive the rural community through sustainable tourism, offering visitors the opportunity to explore the Cretan interior while providing locals with a new livelihood.

Keeping the cottages' stone facades, they modernised the interiors to include central heating and air-conditioning, and filled them with traditional wooden furniture. From this humble beginning, the co-operative now manages 35 holiday homes (some privately owned), including several in nearby villages. While some of the more luxurious villas sleep up to eight people and are set in walled gardens with outdoor pools, all of them are built in a traditional Cretan style using local materials.

I'm staying in one of two cottages that make up the Aggelamos House, dating from 1860. Built of golden sandstone reminiscent of the Cotswolds, inside it is warm and cosy, with a wooden beamed ceiling, whitewashed walls and wooden shuttered windows with stone surrounds. The log fire is ready to light (matches thoughtfully provided) and above the compact kitchen area wooden stairs lead up to a bedroom with a lovely yellow and blue tiled en-suite bathroom and a small terrace affording views down onto the village. There are TVs both upstairs and down, though the open fireplace proves infinitely more entertaining.

Later, over coffee in the nearby To Liakoto Art Café, Giorgos explains how the Vamos co-operative has succeeded in revitalising the village's rural community by helping create other businesses besides the cottage rentals. The Taverna Bloumosifis serves Cretan specialities prepared with fresh local ingredients - arni me anginares (lamb with artichokes) or kouneli stifado (rabbit stew) - while the Mirovolon delicatessen stocks organic olive oil, wine, raki (a potent spirit) , honey, jams, dried herbs, cheeses, pasta and olive-oil based soaps, all of which Vamos produces itself. Then there's the cafe, where a buffet breakfast is served daily and cultural events such as art exhibitions, live music evenings and film nights take place. Out front, a small open-air terrace affords terrific views over the snow-capped mountains.

Spring is the perfect season for hiking in Crete as the days are mild and the meadows speckled with wild flowers. From the village, I set off along a marked trail leading through woodland and olive groves and past two 12th-century frescoed Byzantine chapels. It's possible to join a four-hour guided trek along the length of the green rocky Diktamos Gorge.

Spring also brings Easter, the most important celebration in the Greek Orthodox calendar, with candle-lit midnight processions to parish churches on Good Friday and whole lambs roasted over spits for Easter Sunday lunch. Then in late April, Vamos begins afternoon cooking lessons, held in a renovated oil press for groups of six to 12, concluding with an open-air dinner at a long wooden table.

If you come to Vamos in summer, the sea lies less than four miles away, with sandy beaches complete with water-sports facilities at Kalives and Georgioupoli. Autumn brings farm activities such as the grape harvest and wine-making from August through September, production of raki in October, and the olive harvest from November to late December, all of which guests are welcome to help with. In winter, Vamos is the domain of weekending Greeks, mainly from Crete's capital, Heraklion.

In the afternoon, Klio, who runs the Vamos office, shows me some of the other stone cottages, each one as homely and cosy as my own, with beamed ceilings, traditional wooden furniture and fireplaces. She explains that most visitors book in for a week, though it is possible to stay just one night. Over Christmas and New Year, they're normally chock-a-block with Greeks.

I take some time to explore the rest of the village, which proves to be an incredibly friendly, and real, place with a school, grocer, baker, post office and even a bank. Up by the main square, pastel-coloured buildings recall the centuries Crete spent under Venetian rule. Jasmine and potted geraniums are coming into flower, and local cats lounge in the afternoon sun. I hear some people speaking English - although Vamos's population of 800 is almost entirely Greek, several retired British couples have bought properties in the area.

In the evening, Nikos, a former photographer who runs the cafe, prepares pasta with mussels for dinner. We drink local red wine and discuss future plans for Vamos. Giorgos would like to start an organic market garden within walking distance of the village, growing fruit and vegetables, and he'd also like to make Vamos more accessible to younger visitors, possibly opening a hostel-style hotel with cheaper rooms.

Whatever happens, it's clear that Vamos offers something special. In contrast to the series of brash package resorts along the coast, it gives visitors insight into another side of Crete, where rural life and tourism peacefully co-exist.

• Expect to pay €65-85 per night for two people in April-May. Contact: 00 30 282 502 3251; vamossa.gr

Four more rustic havens in Crete

Milia Mountain Retreat

Vlatos, Kissamos, Chania;

00 30 282 104 6774; milia.gr

Milia (which means apple tree) lies in a high, narrow valley in the isolated mountains of western Crete, 34 miles from Chania. Dating from the 16th century but later abandoned, this tiny settlement of old stone cottages, built higgledy-piggledy into the sides of a rocky dell with chestnut trees and a stream, was reborn in 1982 when two local friends started an organic farm and began restoring the buildings.

Today, there are 14 cottages (sleeping two-four), each with exposed stone walls, restored traditional furniture and a wood-burning stove or open fire. Water is heated by solar power, rooms are lit by candlelight, and bathrooms are basic. Delicious food made from seasonal organic produce is served in the taverna. Milia is approached down a narrow, dirt track over a mile long with sheer cliffs to one side and no guard rail, so it's not for faint-hearted drivers.

• Doubles, €75-85

Enagron

Axos, Rethymnon;

00 30 283 406 1611; enagron.gr

Enagron centres on a working farm set amid organic vineyards, olive groves and orchards, overlooked by 12 purpose-built stone cottages. The 32 flats (sleeping two-six) each have a living room with a fireplace and kitchenette, a slick bathroom, central heating, air conditioning, and a veranda with mountain views. The resident cockerel makes a daily sunrise call.

Activities include botanic walks in spring (wild orchids flower April-May), hiking on Mount Psiloritis (look out for griffin vultures), mountain biking, donkey rides for kids, plus helping on the farm. The restaurant serves tasty food prepared with organic farm products and cookery courses are available. In summer, there's an outdoor pool overlooked by a stone terrace lined with sun beds, and backed by rugged, pine-scented mountains. You'll find it in the foothills of Mount Psiloritis, 26 miles east of Rethymnon.

• Double studio, €78

Sarhos Malevyzi, Heraklion;

00 30 281 071 1332; viglatoras.gr

In the mountainside village of Sarhos, 12 miles south-west of Heraklion, lies Viglatoras. The main draw here is the five cosy bohemian flats (sleeping two-four), each a double-height space with a living room centring on a fireplace down below, while wooden stairs lead up to a mezzanine level which serves as the sleeping area. Guests congregate for herbal tea and nargiles (hookahs) around an open fire in the homely cafe, where the walls are hung with an eclectic array of traditional farm tools, copper pans, straw hats and tapestries. There's also a taverna, where you can help the owner prepare Cretan specialities, and a weaving room with a traditional loom where demonstrations take place.

• Double flat €60-70

Agios Giorgios, Lasithi Plateau;

00 30 284 408 9101; lasinthos.gr

In eastern Crete, the Lasithi Plateau is renowned for the white-sailed metal windmills used to irrigate its lush vineyards and orchards. Up here at an altitude of 2,800ft (850m), 26 miles west of the busy seaside resort of Agios Nikolaos, lies the 200-acre (800 sqkm) Lasinthos Eco Park. Perfect for families with kids, it is home to wild boar and the endemic Cretan kri-kri, or wild goat. Activities include hiking up to the Diktean Cave (birthplace of Zeus), horse riding, mountain biking, and weaving.

Accommodation is in 20 purpose-built flats (sleeping two-four) with whitewashed interiors and tile floors. There's also a restaurant and a shop selling organic produce and handcrafts.

• Double studio €60-75