10/10 Excellent
Jon T.
24 October 2024
Liked: Cleanliness
For Bucolic Greece, This is Your Place
Well, we picked this one right. Two October weeks at a quiet Cycladic village villa, close to town and beaches but set sufficiently apart to clearly be the real deal.
Such was the village of Eggares and this lovely villa, set on a hillside overlooking this largely tourist-free bucolic hamlet (save for a few cars at an olive oil museum), with no neighbors other than a small herd of sheep residing just below us whom we watched daily from our private swimming pool. And, of course, our beck-and-call landlords, Anna and Max, as cheery and helpful as one could hope, yet who graciously left us alone unless needs be (for example: although living on the same property, I’ll confess to never having actually seen their own house).
The villa’s furnishings are pretty basic, which is de rigueur for Cyclades’ villas. It is also immaculate, relaxing and utterly comfortable, with all manner of outdoor space to enjoy the pastoral view. And such a view. Eggares has an elegant orthodox church (quite large for a village its size); the customary hillside of white Cycladic homes; a local tavern (“Stella’s”) where the menu is a narrated inspection of the six pots that Stella has stewing that evening; and another restaurant (“O Charis”) that you’ll find on not-a-few “Best of Naxos” lists.
But above all, it has wondrous silence. Hey, if you’re party people, this ain’t your place. But if you are looking for a gracious sanctuary after a day about on the island, push the "book" button.
Jon T.
Stayed 14 nights in Oct 2024