The old village of Zarakes was abandoned in the 1950’s partly through migration to escape the post-war depression and partly as a result of the main road that had been built along the spine of the island during the war – an effective alternative to the cart and donkey tracks that meandered, from village to village, through the island. Piped water, electricity, telephone and transport followed and encouraged the families to leave the old village in the valley and build modern dwellings along the road. The abandoned houses – all traditional style with stone walls and stone tiled roofs – were left to crumble and provide shelter to sheep and goats.

Now many of the ruins with their small plots of land have been bought and restored to provide holiday homes. They have been rebuilt, more or less, in the old style so the valley retains a charming traditional setting and gentle pace of life that resonates with the tinkling of sheep bells and the distant pulsing of wind generators. The Centre rents some of these delightful, rustic dwellings for course participant accommodation. They are also available for hire as self-catering holiday accommodation at other times. (More modern accommodation is also available at the Hall itself and in the new village nearby)

The typical layout of the traditional houses consists of a large sitting room with integral or adjacent kitchen. Immediate access to veranda or patio facilitates indoor or outdoor eating arrangements. Traditionally, a stair from the living room leads down to a hallway opening onto two bedrooms and a bathroom. Bedrooms have either a double bed or two single beds which can be converted to a double, and most houses have addition sleeping facilities if required for one or two people in the living room; this means houses can typically sleep between three and six persons. Single occupancy rooms are usually available, or a group of guests on a course can opt to rent a house exclusively for their own use (supplementary fees may be payable). All properties are fully equipped with bedding, towels (not beach towels), crockery and cooking equipment, cleaning equipment if required, etc.

Each property has its own unique characteristics and is described in greater detail on the left.