*FREE* watersports at Horizon beach club! Enjoy 5 hours of equipment hire throughout your stay - includes stand-up-paddle boards, kayaks, windsurfers, dinghies.
This traditionally built stone villa is situated on the outskirts of the hillside village of Paleokatouna, only 3km from the main resort of Nidri. Main features include panoramic sea views of the satellite islands of Lefkas, a large kitchen, five bedrooms, four ensuite bathrooms, one extra toilet, swimming pool, ping pong table and Wi-Fi!
Upon entering you are welcomed into a spacious entrance hall. The large fitted kitchen on the right comes complete with two ovens, an island, microwave, double sink, dishwasher, induction hob and all the necessary dinnerware and utensils. The cosy sitting room has two sofas, an open fireplace and smart TV. One double bedroom is located on the ground floor and has an ensuite bathroom with shower.
Up the sweeping marble staircase to the first floor there are a further four bedrooms, the master bedroom to the front (from which the stunning sundeck can be accessed) has a large bathroom with his and her basins, walk-in shower and toilet. Three more bedrooms are located here, two of which have a shared bathroom and the third, overlooking the pool, is en-suite. *NEW* for 2018 - brand new super comfortable mattresses in all bedrooms. All windows and doors in the villa have mosquito screens.
The outside comprises of two shaded sitting areas - with new outdoor lounge furniture purchased in 2017 and a beautiful dining table made with lava from Mount Etna was new for 2018. The swimming pool, BBQ and table tennis provide more entertainment. There is also a raised sun deck with panoramic sea views which is accessed from the master bedroom.
The villa is perfect for one or two families and groups of friends, the communal chill out area and dining area outside make it the perfect place for evening BBQs and social gatherings, overlooking the Ionian islands.
The villa meets the standards of the Greek Tourism Board and has been awarded an EOT license for short-term rental.
THE HISTORY OF LEFKADA - written by Nick Edwards
Lefkada largely shares the history of the rest of the Ionian archipelago. There is some evidence of Neolithic settlements and in Homeric times the island is supposed to have been given by Laertes to Arcadius, when their children Odysseus and Penelope got married. This myth and the discovery of some Mycenean remains near Vassiliki led respected nineteenth-century German archaeologist Wilhelm Dorpfeld to claim Lefkada was the real site of Odysseus' home, rather than Ithaki.
The island was an important power base for the Corinthians during the Classical period and played a key role in the Peloponnesian War. It became a quiet backwater during Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine times and it was later under Venetian control for less time than the other Ionians, only around a century from 1684 to 1797. Its proximity to the mainland also made it more susceptible to Turkish raids and although it was never held by the Ottoman rulers of mainland Greece for long, it did undergo short spells of Tourkokratia.
Lefkada also shares the Ionian penchant for music and the arts, boasting its own form of kantades and having been home to some prominent members of the Ionian School of Painting, most notably Panagiotis Doxaras (1662-1729) and his son Nikolaos (1705-75). The most famous man of letters to hail from Lefkada was poet Aristotelis Valaoritis (1824-79) but half Irish/half Greek writer Lefcadio Hearn was also born here and named after the island, although he subsequently wrote more about Japan and New Orleans. The artistic tradition continues into the present day in the shape of the annual Festival of Music, Arts, Literature and Dance, which extends throughout the summer and attracts performers from all over the globe.