Where to start ? This stay was definitely one of the best. Maarten was extremely kind, helpful and easily reachable whenever we had any questions or inqueries. He even organized a taxi to come pick us up at the port (at 1 am). Maarten made sure we were always ok and made sure we had an good time. The house is beautiful, spacious, very well equipped, and the view is breathtaking with amazing sunsets and sunrises and surrounded by the dry and desertic mountains of Ios. The house and surroundings is definitely nicer than in the pictures, it over achieved our expectations! You can hike around the area, or just chill out at the beach which is only a 10 min walk from the house. Mylopotas is the main beach where all the pre party happens but you can't hear anything from the house. At mylopotas there are many good restaurants and little shops (although it's better to go grocery shopping in Chora). The bus station was only 10 min from the house. You can also find a car rental place in this area if you would rather drive around (highly recommended if you want to go visit some of the Byzantine ruins, and other historical places (such as Homer's Thumb and monasteries) or chill out at other beaches (such as Psathi and Manganari). It would be an understatement to say that we definitely fell in love with the house and the island. It's much more than just a "party" island, and staying at Maartens' place made it all much more enjoyable. We will be coming back!