Lefkada (Lefkas) Vacation Rental villa

We arrived at Villa Iris for a two week stay in the second half of September. We were exhausted and desperately in need of a get-away-from-it-all holiday. We could not not have have chosen a more perfect place . The property is one of four beautiful villas that are perched on a mountainside overlooking the sapphire-blue bay of Vassiliki. Each room in the house is designed to take full advantage of the mesmerising view and we could even see the sun rising over the ocean while lying in bed. Just amazing. Inside, the villa itself is extremely stylish with limestone and wooden floors, heavenly beds, a brilliantly equipped kitchen and a high-spec bathroom for each of the three bedrooms (one has a jacuzzi, another has a Teuco multi headed, walk in shower.) Not only were the villas very tasteful they were also in keeping with the surroundings - almost as though they had arisen naturally from the mountain itself. . Whites and blues - the colours of the Greek landscape abound. Although, on this occasion, it was just my husband and myself staying at the villa, there is ample room for six guests in search of a truly 'chill out' holiday. We loved just relaxing by the extremely well kept pool and eating al fresco, when the weather permitted, although, at this time of year the weather could be quite chilly in the evenings and we did have some rain on a few days! Despite this, we had lots of wonderful days on the beach and the villa benefits too, from it's proximity to the gorgeous, blue flagged, Porto Katsiki- our favourite beach of many on the island. Eating out too was a pleasure. Nothing Michelin-starred, but great, fresh, well cooked food both at the local Oasis restaurant and in Vassiliki. We loved Sivota too, where there are many good fish restaurants right on the harbour. Although the villas are quite a trek up the mountainside (and we changed our hire car for a jeep after a few days) it was worth this slight difficulty to enjoy the unbelievable peace and quiet and the sense of splendid isolation at the villa itself. Normally, whenever we returned to the house we would find it beautifully serviced by Ourania's friendly staff, Marianna and Yannis, who were very discreet and yet made us feel as though we were staying in a top hotel. It seemed to us that Ourania really had thought of everything that the exhausted traveller dreams of finding on holiday. We are torn between telling everyone about it and keeping the place a secret! We can't wait to come back.

Any worries we had having found the property on internet were soon dissipated - the description was absolutely accurate and we immediately fell in love with the villa. It was impeccably clean and very comfortable and it was obvious that the owner had done everything to make this little group of villas as welcoming as possible. We live in France, have travelled a lot and seen other beautiful places but this area really is outstanding. Apart from the amazing views from the villas themselves the surrounding countryside is also lovely. Vassiliki has a lot of charm, not too full of noisy tourists (August 2008) and with lots of friendly tavernas. The Oasis taverna closest to the villa (5 or so minutes by car) provides very good food and the owners are really friendly. In Vassiliki we especially liked the Miramar. Everyone is very welcoming and you really feel they are pleased to have you visit their island. High spots are Meganissi (by ferry from Nidri) especially the memorable taverna O Pasas in Porto Vathi and the pretty village of Spartachori, Lefkas town, the olive groves in the centre of the island. The only slight downside is that the track down to Vassiliki is a little on the stony side and a jeep is recommended though not vital. We have already recommended these villas to friends and shall definitely go back again.

We wanted SUNSHINE, peace, seclusion, a beautiful villa and fabulous views, and this is what we got at Villa Geofos, as well as being off the beaten track which we LOVE. The nature here is spectacular, butterflies everywhere (June). The Villa Geofos is a short drive from the 4 Ourania Villas which we also visited. So much thought and attention to detail has gone into these properties, and during a heatwave with temperatures top 30's the bedrooms here were cool! Everything is beautifully maintained by Ourania and her team including the friendly Ivelyn and Dimitri, the House Managers. Nothing was too much trouble. The villas are all reached by an unmade road, Porto Katsiki to Vassiliki, not on the map, and for me this added to the exclusivity. The area is undeveloped, another plus, and Theo at the Oasis Taverna could not have made us more welcome, lovely home cooked food and what a view down to the Egremni beach! The slippers are a lovely touch, even my husband wore his. We cannot wait to go back! We may even ask Ourania's Chefs to cook for us next time, this is a great idea, and for parties with young children, they can be catered for first, and while Mum and Dad are putting them to bed, their meal is being prepared. We can't wait to go back!