At an altitude of 395m on the east side of the island, within a protected (“NATURA 2000”) royal oak forest, a 100+ year old renovated traditional stone cycladic farmhouse is available for renting.
A 130sqm farmhouse (“kathikiá”) is overlooking the Aegean and the east cycladic islands.
This unique blend of traditional architecture and overwhelming landscape hopefully delivers to our guests a more than satisfying experience…
This old Cycladic traditional farmhouse offers the best of two worlds: architectural tradition and relaxation in the farm.
Feel cozy and inspired as soon as you enter the house: interior walls are corbelled inwards and are topped by a series of slabs which form the ceilings; the cement mortar floor, the joint stone walls, the wooden furniture, doors & windows reveal the beauty of craftmanship, simplicity and practicality.
What do you prefer most? Drinking a nice glass of Greek wine under the wattle, listening to the sounds of a cicada or watching the sea shimmering in the sunlight?
You can easily have it all…
Croft
The farmhouse is surrounded by two acres of land that overlook the Eastern Cyclades, such as Andros, Tinos, Mykonos & Kythnos. The eastern orientation allows you to enjoy many hours of sunshine and the moon rise during the night as the starry sky is all yours to dream on.
The old threshing floor is in the highest spot of the plot overseeing the closer inner island mountain ranges. A rainfed vegetable garden is cultivated so that when growth is achieved traditional varieties of Greek fruits and vegetables can be tasted, occasionally by obtrusive 4 legged trespassers. The olive trees, maple, almond and wild pear trees, a wild fig tree, a lemon verbena, greek herbs (oregano, thyme, marjoram), shrubbery and thistle are your silent green neighbours in need of human alliance:
The area is often visited by wily goats, gluttonous sheep and jumpy rabbits. Luckily for them we are pro-wool and the occasional sheep bell rings nicely to our ears.
Depending on the season various birds fly upon us: falcons, bee-eaters, goldfinches, woodpeckers, robins and if you are lucky enough 2 pairs of eagles. All in all, what you see and hear is entirely welcomed, not much can be done other than birdwatching if things get edgy…It is their territory and a good chance to make feathery friends.
Where
In order to reach Lavrio port you need approx 40 min from Eleftherios Venizelos Airport. The ferry boat trip from Lavrio to Kea's port, Korissia, is a pleasant one hour as you pass by the unpopulated island of Makronissos and its old lighthouse on the east and the Temple of Poseidon at cape Sounion on the west.
Having arrived at the small and welcoming port of Kea you can find anything you need: super markets that accept credit cards, fish & meat tavernas, bank & ATM, pharmacy, travel agency, bakery, etc.
Travelling towards the capital of the island, Ioulis or Chora you will need 10min to reach it. After Chora, at 1,2km you will reach a junction that directs you towards Ellinika & Kato Meria or Koundouros. You opt for the first (Ellinia & Kato Meria) and you travel for another 10km (approx 10min) where you head towards the hamlet of Ellinika. Before the entrance to Ellinika, on the external side of the apex stands a house and a stable which are "guarding" a dirt road. You carefully cross the road and join the dirt road. After approx 1km you meet another junction. You take the direction to the right and at the end of the road with the most beautiful view (approx 1km) you reach the end of the road.
Welcome!!!
-Useful information:
Flights to Athens with Aegean or British Airways (Two or three ferries a day between Lavrio and Kea, €12); The easiest way is to prebook a car from the airport. Alternatively, you can reach Lavrio port from the airport by a taxi which you can also prebook from the airport (about €50 for an airport taxi).
-How far away from essentials?
10min from Kato Meria hamlet (mini market/no credit cards, a good local tavern) and 10 min from Ioulis, island’s main city (super market, taverns & restaurants, butcher, bakery, bar, ATM, Health Center, pharmacy, etc).
10min/3 km to the closest beach (Tylegraphos), 4X4 car definitely required.
Approx 25min for most beaches around the island.
Kea
Kea, modern Tzia, is a northern island of the Cyclades in the Aegean archipelago and it is the closest to Attica. From Eleftherios Venizelos airport to Lavrio port it takes about 40 minutes by car and one hour by ferry to Korissia port, Kea.
After suffering depopulation for many decades, Kea has been recently rediscovered by Athenians for yachting trips and as a convenient destination for holidays. The fact that it is largely ignored by island travellers because it has no connection with Piraeus port makes life more relaxed…
Its capital, Ioulis (Chora) is inland at a high altitude (like most ancient cycladic settlements, for fear of pirates) and is picturesque.
The island’s topography can be better understood through its ancient walking routes; its physical and cultural personality, such as the distinctive cycladic architecture which is the work of human hands and toil, is unfolded as you explore the inland.
Monasteries and old country churches, significant archaelogical sights and museum, fountain houses, water mills and wind mills indulge us to feel, understand and link the past with the present. Daily life passes by as stables, farmhouses, agricultural households, beekepers and owners of small livestock work and make goods.
Despite the fact there is comparatively little water, the land is quite rich. Green high valleys, almond and olive groves, vineyards, barley crops and the ancient self-sown oak forest constitute the scenery. In the subsoil of Kea the deposits of iron, lead and hematite enhance the antithesis between the color of the land and the sky.
The option is difficult but in both cases blue; stay at home under the deep blue sky or go to the beaches and swim in the crystal blue Aegean sea…
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