The villa exceeded our expectations and was an unforgettable experience. Grigoris and Elektra were warm and welcoming hosts, arranging for a rental car, meeting us late night upon arrival from the ferry to guide us to the right driveway off the road, and even preparing a delicious vegetarian dinner!
The villa is perched on a quiet rural hillside overlooking grassy fields with Piso Livadi and the sea beyond. A monastery sits at the top of the hill. The most noticeable thing was how quiet and peaceful it was - just the sounds of birds and crickets at night. Yet, the small village of Marpissa is a short 5-10 min walk, with supermarkets, bakeries, and a few restaurants. Best of both worlds.
The condo shares a large pool with two other units, though each has its own private patio, outdoor table(s) and BBQ area. A nice feature of the pool is a shallow zero depth area that would be ideal for families with young children. After the first day the other units were empty so we had the whole pool to ourselves.
The kitchen is fully equipped and we enjoyed sipping coffee and eating breakfast on the veranda overlooking the sea each morning. The home has nice decorative touches highlighting the island theme.
There are two bedrooms upstairs that share a bathroom. The third bedroom is in the basement and has a half bath (no shower) - it was a bit musty so we ended up not using it. Each bedroom and the living room had AC units which we only used at night since there was a great breeze every day.
In retrospect the choice to stay here instead of in one of the (more crowded, touristy) main towns was a good one. We really enjoyed the quiet, privacy, and seclusion but also being able to get to just about any spot on the island in 20 mins or less by car. There is only one road to get to any spot on the island so navigation was easy.
We can’t wait to return again should we ever make it back to Paros!