Chill out on one of the most amazing terraces on Samos - a summer afternoon in 2016:
Views from the terrace:
2014: a new pergola providing shade
The main house has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living area. These are photos from the kitchen.
The kitchen
You reach the first floor by the wooden staircase inside the house. It measures 10m2 and is being used as a bedroom. Furniture includes a traditional closet, a double bed, a canvas clothes closet and a small built-in bookcase. The walls have been plastered in traditional rough style, and parts of the wall have been left open, so you see the original stonework. During this job, we found one of the original niches. There is a lovely view to the hillside village of Ano-Vathy.
The cosy bedroomThere's a second bedroom (double bed) situated at the other end of the house. This very cosy room also boasts a great view over the bay of Vathy.
The house also offers a living area with a fireplace and in-built bookcases. A bathroom and storing room complete this little tour!
The garden house measures around 12m2 and was newly renovated in 2012. Inside, there is a bedroom (2 single beds, which can serve as one bunk bed) and a separate bathroom (toilet, shower, sink ànd a washing machine).
The garden house, behind the deck
The bedroom and bathroom in the garden house
Samos - Around the house
My house and its surroundings (google earth)
The village of Ano-Vathy, seen from my terrace
What makes the surroundings of my house particularly interesting is the variety: the main town of the island lies at your feet, with all its charms and modern (in)conveniences. Then again, the hillside village of Ano-Vathy, in which my house is situated, has the atmosphere of a traditional mountain village. Not far from the house you will find a bunch of small grocery shops, a bakery and a handful of colourful cafés where you can get a drink or a basic meal for incredibly low prices still (2012: 2€ for a lemonade glass of white wine plus a small plate of food!).
A marble amphitheatre is located practically next to my house. In June and July, Greek dance performances and concerts are given here. A summer tavern opens in June, from where you have the most amazing views over Vathy bay.
At 100 meter from the house you enter the Samos hillside landscape, with its pine trees, cypress trees and its many many flowers. A great starting point for long hikes or nearby picknicks.
Also, it is an easy walk downhill to reach Samos Town. But think twice before you walk back up again, especially in summer! A taxi will bring you back to Ano-Vathy for around 5 euros.
If you want to get to the famous archaeological sites or the best beaches and mountain areas in a quick and easy way, you will need to rent a motorbike or a car. Samos is big and beautiful enough to keep you driving for days. My caretaker on Samos, who lives near by, can help you arranging for a car. Of course you can also rent a car online, for instance through Yes Samos, who go the extra mile to assist you. And you can pick up the car upon arrival at the airport.
In some parts, Samos is a touristic island, but in most places it is still a quiet green oasis. There is a great mix of archaeological sites, pebble beaches and above all a very lush mountainous landscape. Samos is one of the greenest Greek islands, big enough to keep exploring, small enough to reach every destination in max. 2 hours.
A couple of good Samos links:
***A very complete Samos site***
***This site gives good tourist information.***
***Some excellent movie clips of Samos which show the variety of landscapes and activities on the island.***
View towards Kerveli, East Samos, about 8km from the house
Some impressions of nearby beaches...
Kerveli bay, including the beach. Good snorkling and a fine tavern!
Psili Ammos beach. Fine sand, child-friendly. At about 12km from the house
Mykali, a white pebble beach of about 8km long. Turquoise waters, some taverns, peace and quiet. About 8km from the house
Possidonio, 12km from Ano-Vathy. Small beach, some taverns and a great view to the Turkish mountainsHow to reach Samos
It is best to look for charter planes from where you live - they leave from most European countries directly to Samos from May until October. Another way to get to Samos is via Athens or Thessaloniki. Olympic Air maintains daily flights between Athens and Samos all year round and Astra Airlines flies between Thessaloniki and Samos a few times per week. Thessaloniki is the cheaper option, especially now that Easyjet and Ryanair connect it to many European cities.
A taxi from the airport to the house is currently about 25 euro.
Nightboats from Athens to Samos (port of Vathy) generally take at least 12 hours, except for some faster ones in Summer. The boats are an interesting option if you have time, if you like a bit of adventure and if you haven't found a cheap flight to Athens. But the days when the boats were dead cheap are over: a one-way economy class ticket from Athens to Samos is about 40€ - and that's the slow boat.
And last but not least, I am involved in the organisation of an annual film festival in Samos Town, the Summer Island Movie Festival (SIMF), which usually takes place in the second half of July. Check out the soon to be published 2013 programme!
Contact
If you are interested to hear more about the house, please write to me at ruard.wallisdevries@gmail.com. I'll be happy to provide you with all sorts of information.
Look here for my other houses in Greece.
Efcharistó polý :)
Ruard
