This year, my husband and I decided to spend our holidays alone and in solitude - we were very tired of the hustle and bustle lately. I must say right away: they did not lose with the place! This is exactly what you need with such desires: a minimum of people around, unobtrusive but always ready to help hotel staff, peaceful nature around - in a word, the vacation was a success! : ) It would be nice, perhaps, to come there with a large friendly company - there are villas up to 6 bedrooms. At the same time, it is hardly possible to recommend this hotel to families with children - they will be bored there.
Accommodation:
Maria Elena Villas - in fact, not even a hotel, but a complex of 10, it seems, villas, separated enough from each other that in a week you don’t even have time to find out from the total number : ) We lived in one of the smallest, Teano, designed for 2 guests. At the same time, there was a complete feeling of not a room, but, as it were, a separate private house for a vacation with everything you need.
The room consists of 5 parts: an indoor pool with a Jacuzzi immediately at the entrance, separated by a sliding door from a rather spacious living room (the door opens if desired, which allows you to get into the pool directly from the sofa), then - a kitchen conditionally separated by an arched partition with everything you need for cooking , then, a bedroom with a tight door, and at the very end - a combined bathroom. We did not have our own outdoor pool - they are provided only with larger villas. But at the same time, we could use the pool of one of the neighboring villas for free. More about the room: TV in the living room shows all channels available via satellite tuner, kitchen equipment (refrigerator, stove with extractor hood, coffee maker, microwave, full set of utensils, including pots and pans) - serviceable and of good quality, comfortable and spacious furniture, bathroom with normal repairs and plumbing.
The room was also equipped with 2 own air conditioners (in the living room and in the bedroom). There was also a hairdryer.
What I liked most was the complete absence of cheap plastic in the interior - only wood and stone. What does the villas are built in tiers in such a way that the walls of the lower ones are adjacent to the walls of the outdoor pools of the upper ones - this made it cool inside even in the most scorching heat, well, soundproofing also means something : )
In addition to all this, in front of the villa, we had a rather spacious shady terrace (patio), furnished with a table and chairs, where we, in fact, feasted all the time in the fresh air overlooking the sea : )
The only thing to keep in mind is the need for an additional charge for the inclusion of a jacuzzi, and rather big - 50 euros per day. If not, you can use the indoor pool anyway, but it was cool in the evenings without heating, and just right in the middle of the day.
However, the owners honestly warn about this on their website.
Nutrition:
The hotel does not offer any other food options except for breakfast - there is no kitchen here. Breakfast was a set of a large loaf of still warm bread, two packets of juice and one of milk, two vacuum cut meats and two of the same cheese, butter, jam, cake, a pack of coffee, tea and sugar, as well as a bottle of local dry wine . All this we received in full at the entrance to our room. In the future, every morning, even before we woke up, they brought us and hung a fresh, warm and fragrant loaf of bread in a bag on the door handle, and everything else had to be ordered the day before with a list from the manager as stocks were depleted : ) The list could vary, but not in too wide limits.
For example, they themselves offered us eggs and fruits to choose from, and when we asked for yoghurts and muesli, they refused, citing a wide choice in the store and ignorance of our tastes. In return, they arranged for us a free trip to the supermarket (rather far away, about half an hour drive), so that we ourselves could choose what we wanted there. In general, we had no problems with food: there was also enough breakfast for lunch, and we had dinner in a nearby tavern 2 minutes walk away with very good cuisine and friendly hosts (average bill - 40 euros for two with wine). Fruits and vegetables were bought for quite a penny from a local greengrocer who passed by the villa twice a day, in the morning and in the evening.
Staff:
The owners of the villa, Kostas and Maria, are very nice and friendly people, very easy to communicate, unobtrusive, but always ready to help, on the first day they gave us their mobile numbers for any occasion, and on the last day they gave us a souvenir and as a token of friendship (a jar of homemade fig jam). We really really became friends with them this week : ) There are very few staff or they are somehow invisible. The manager Evgeniy dropped in every day to find out the wishes for tomorrow's breakfast and just ask if everything was fine with us, but he did not stay too long. Rooms were cleaned, bed and towels changed by two women, smiling and fast, every other day.
It should only be noted that none of them, and in general, none of the Greeks we saw on this trip understands a word or speaks Russian - I had to brush up on English and actively use sign language : ) At the same time, I emphasize: but there was no chance that we could not explain ourselves in one way or another.
Territory and nature:
The hotel area is quite spacious and shady, olives, pines, many different flowers and cacti grow, cicadas do not stop for a second : ) The description says that the hotel is located right on the seashore - this is not entirely true, you should cross the road to the sea, past the tavern where we had dinner (about 5 minutes waddle). The beach is pebbly, very beautiful because of the multi-colored pebbles, but again, if you expect to come with children, they would not like it: entering the water on pebbles and sand is still a different feeling. But everything was great for us!
A little further along the coast, we later found a sandy beach (about 15 minutes), but we were too lazy to go there and rested in the middle.
In general, nature simply fascinated us there: the sea was simply magnificent, warm and clean, the entire coast was covered with pines, so the air is simply inimitable, in the water flocks of fish circle right around our feet, in general, sheer charm and peace ...
The village itself, where the hotel is located, is very quiet and located away from a busy highway. At the same time, there is a car rental office right in front of the hotel, so if you wish, you can take a car and wave wherever your eyes look. Even more convenient is to come with your own transport, then there are no problems at all either in shopping or with leisure, but this option is not suitable for everyone.
We found 2 shops in the area: one in the large Athena Palace hotel, 10 minutes walk, the other at the Mitari campsite (40 minutes).
The assortment is standard for a mini-market in a tourist place, i. e. you can find everything you need, but without a lot of choice. But after all, we went to Greece not for shopping, but for relaxation - and we got it 100%!
Outcome:
If you are tired of the bustle and need peace and solitude, care without intrusiveness, comfort and beauty - you are here! I sincerely recommend and are ready to answer all the additional questions of future guests of this beautiful villa.