|
The
villa
Faros is a small jewel of a house; the vibrations are ancient,
the amenities contemporary. Tranquility and beauty are its essence, romance and
history its flavor. It is located on a quiet narrow street in the 11th century
village of Chora - no cars, just donkeys, cats, mopeds and the occasional trikiklo
delivering your suitcases, and supplies to the nearby tavernas. You can explore
the nearby Monastery of St. John, the beaches, hills and small villages, or you
can take a book to the upper terraces and not move for a week.
The
second story has an outside terrace with a garden in pots, and an
inside/outside
arched dining and living room. Both are protected from the prevailing winds; the
dining room has a barbecue. The large adjacent room is like a Soho loft, with
writing table, sitting area, big raised captain's bed, fireplace and bathroom.
It's sea and coastal views are spectacular, even from your bed. The loft has a
powerful, silent air conditioner.
The
ground floor was built in the 14th century. I've made some improvements (not to
the century). It has a newly equipped kitchen with an ancient marble sink. The
window above the sink looks out to sea. There is a large living room furnished
with Greek antiques and local artists' paintings; the ceiling is olivewood. A
small bedroom has an excellent double bed and yacht style closets and cabinets.
The bathroom floor is made of smooth stones collected from the islands just offshore.
For Greece, the shower power is miraculous. The downstairs rooms, with their whitewashed
stonewalls and granite arches, stay cool all summer.
Faros
sleeps two couples comfortably, or a family of four if the children
share
the big downstairs bed. Alternatively, one child can sleep on the
large sofa
in the living room. Two bathrooms en suite as described. On calm nights you might
like to sleep on the roof terraces, which are illuminated by both lights and stars.
Faros
is equipped: linens, dishes, telephones, an answering machine, a CD/tape/fm stereo.
Note: no television. Plenty of fishing boats and ferries on view from the terraces.
If
you rent a motorbike, you can park outside the door. A rented car can be parked
in a nearby square if you're lucky, or on the road below the village, with a short
uphill walk to Faros. There are plenty of taxis day and night, and a reliable
although not continuous bus service.
The
services
Fotini waters the pots (and your espadrilles!) and cleans
briefly every
morning but one, and once a week does a thorough clean. These services
are included in your rent. She is a good cook and laundress, for
which you pay her the going rate, not expensive. Fotini's English
is probably as good as your Greek, but she's fairly imaginative
about hand signals.
©
2008 FarosOnPatmos. All rights reserved. |
|
|