Karastamati Tower is an enchanting stone house with exposed stone walls, wooden beams, lovely outdoor garden space, lots of pillows, comfortable bed and fine features like the huge wooden framed mirror. We loved every minute of it. And best of all Eirini gave us fresh eggs from her chickens and homemade soap.
We were late arriving to the house at night but Eirini very patiently waited for us. I was embarrassed that we kept her waiting, especially since she had a party to go to, but she told us, “no worries.”
Although some people may complain walking up the steps to her house, it didn't bother us at all, even though we had to carry our bicycles up and down every day. The steps to her house passing the Sariza spring was part of the fun staying here.
Eirini's English is not so good. You need to speak slowly to her. Fortunately I was with two Greek speakers. Her electric stove was hard to operate and the instructions are only in Greek. She came to the house and showed us how to operate it. I suggest that she provide instructions for English speaking guests.
If you don’t like cats or are allergic to cats, be aware that 5-6 cats hang out on the terrace especially when eating and some try to come inside.
The house is very conveniently located to a taverna across the street with delicious home cooked food, but best to make reservations in advance for a table as the taverna is small and seems to be the only one in Apikia. We didn’t see any grocery store in Apikia either – Chora is the place to stock up.
I definitely recommend Eirini's place and i hope to come back soon. She is a generous host.