Villa Skinos, Island of Ithaca

Property #236: Description

Skinos is a luxury Villa in a 400 acre private bay with its own beach 30 metres away from the house. A wooden-hulled yacht with Captain & crew, speed boats, water-skiing, full-time cook and maids are all included. Main house sleeps 10, two guest houses sleep up to 7 more. All your needs are seen to by our staff, all you need to do is decide whether to stay and be pampered at home, or to sail off to explore the nearby islands and beaches.

The house has wooden floors, cool stone walls, high ceilings, and french windows all around leading out onto terraces facing the sea or the hills behind. The house is quietly elegant, with crisp linen, antiques and the owners own furnishings and paintings. Comfort and practicality take precedence over showy opulence. Air-conditioning, wooden shutters and the sea breeze ensure coolnights and utter peace.

Ideal for house-parties and family holidays.

Ithaca, the island of the "Odyssey'', is not only an island of unrivalled beauty even in a country of beautiful islands, but also hoasts a long history, with fascinating glimpses of the Homeric and Venetian past hidden in her mountains and valleys.

Skinos is a beach-front estate with its own yacht, speed-boats, jetty and private beach area. It is set in its own outstandingly beautiful bay, with 400 acres of pine-scented hills, cypress, olive and vine-terraces. The pretty and unspoiled port of Vathi is 3 kilometres away. The private boat "Allegro" and a skipper who once crewed for Jacqueline Onassis are available at Skinos. The island of Skorpios, belonging to the Onassis family, is a short hop away.

It is a small and sensationally beautiful Greek island, green, mountainous and unspoilt, with clear, calm sea and myriad coves and beaches, (most reachable only by boat.) Charming little fishing villages and mountain-top churches are dotted around.

Ithaca offers peace, beauty, nature, the sea, good food, walks, spectacular views, and a taste of the real Greece.

The Main House, (sleeps 10), an elegant, colonial-style house surrounded by cypress and jasmine and facing the sea, only 25 meters from the water. The house is still wonderfully furnished with family antiques, paintings and prints. Each bedroom in the main house has polished wooden floors, high ceilings and french doors leading out onto the garden. Nights are cool and comfortable with individually controlled air-conditioning, wooden shutters and insect screens at all windows and crisp linen on the beds.

The spacious and comfortable living room provides books, records, CD a Hi-fi and games. There is a house telephone and fax. A stone terrace overlooking the sea runs the width of the house, giving flexible living-space.

The Wine House and the Piano House, (sleep 7), for teenagers and single guests the Wine-house is a traditional farmers' cottage, offering two rooms, (double and a triple), with a vine-trellised terrace with beautiful views of the bay. A traditional wine press is housed in the cellar. If you are there at harvest time, you can help tread the grapes! Try the Piano House for a little romantic privacy - a seven-minute walk along a little path leads to a stone house with a terrace, piano, a double bed, fabulous views and its own beach.

Dining:
Dining is one of Skinos' great pleasures - those with appetites worked up by the sea air and sport can look forward to beautifully prepared Greek home-cooking, served outside in the flower-filled dining-patio by candlelight. Our cook is a local lady who cooks delicious Greek food. Lunch at the house is served at the time of your choice until 2.00 pm. In the evening a menu of her specialities is provided or let her surprise you. Try a small sweet Turkish coffee afterwards!

Attractions and Activities

The estate boat "Allegro" is a beautiful, wooden-hulled, 12 metre traditional Greek motor-schooner. She sails at 9 knots and has a sunbathing area. The captain has been with her for 40 years and can take you to the most beautiful and secluded bays. He prepares memorable picnics on board, with freshly-caught octopus, sea-urchins and lobsters, if his son is successful fishing, the freshest "kakavia" (fish-soup) you will ever have, (plus the best chips in Greece for the children.) These days really are sheer heaven, especiaily if you are lucky enough to see dolphins playing under the prow of the boat by day, or go out on a calm night to view a magical full moon. You can use the "Allegro" to visit a little fishing village, to enjoy an evening cocktail or to go fishing-- our Captain can arrange anything. The two speed-boats and other little boats are available for water-skiing, expeditions and general transport. There are 2 pedaloes, paddle-boats, canoes, row boats, a small motor-dinghy, a sail-fish, a windsurf and an anchored swimming-raft. Two rental jeeps are provided free of charge.

Ithaca, apart from being famous as the homeland of wily Odysseus of the Trojan horse fame, has a strong claim to be one of Greece's most beautiful islands. Its green hills and myriad little coves and bays of clear turquoise water offer perfect days in the sun. Away from the sea, mountain-top monasteries with glowing icons and spectacular views wait to be discovered. Hidden in the valleys and perched on the hillsides are beautiful mountain paths, charming little villages, Homeric sites, archaeological digs in progress, and venetian ruins waiting to be explored. Away from the shore, the only people you are likely to encounter are the occasional goatherd or shepherd with their tinkling flocks scrambling around the hillside. For the classically minded, there are two archaeological museums displaying finds from the island. The island of Skorpios, belonging to the Onassis family, is a short hop away. Our neighbouring island is Cephalonia, the island of Captain Corelli, which is easily reached and full of interesting things to see. A stay in Ithaca can easily be combined with a tour round the mainland, taking in Athens, Delphi, Epidauros, Corinth and Olympia.

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