Holiday home for max. 10 adults + 2 children
Agios Stefanos, Peloponnese, (Laconia), Greece

Beautiful house in Agios Stefanos with pool

Villa Gaia has everything you need for an unforgettable vacation, including a large garden, a private pool and lots of space to enjoy your holidays with friends and family. On top of that Villa Gaia provides a magical view of the Myrtoan sea and the stunning & unique Monemvasia Castle, the Gibraltar of the Mediterranean. Villa Gaia is just minutes away from the best sandy beaches of Monemvasia area. We will be happy to welcome you in our Villa Gaia and offer you an authentic taste of Greece!

The villa boats a large garden area of more than 1000 square meters. Main element of the outdoor area is the swimming pool which can be seen from all the bedrooms facing west as well as from the kitchen/living area. This is important for families with small children. The pool area has many sun beds and sun covers so the whole group can enjoy both garden area & pool in the host summer days. The light around and inside the pool allows the use of the swimming pool throughout the night; moreover, the pool is heated and therefore it can be used even in the autumn/winter season. The outdoor area has many mature olive trees, some of which are more than 100 years old. Local flowers and plants can also be found in the garden area as well as around the pool area.

The ground floor is about 90 m² in size and comprises of the following rooms: A living room & a kitchen area with a fireplace, a flatscreen TV. In the ground floor there are 3 bedrooms, all with air conditions and king/queen size beds. Two of the bedrooms are facing east while the third one is facing at the west. All bedrooms have windows and ample light throughout the year. There is plenty of storage area/wardrobes in all bedrooms in the ground floor. In the first floor there are two bedrooms: one with two single beds and a double sofa and another one with two single beds. The first one is ideal for children since it is more than 35 square meters and with a flat TV screen where they can watch their favourite programmes since they are satellite/cable TVs equipped with NETFLIX. The second bedroom in the first floor is more than 30 square meters with its own private bathroom and autonomous entrance. The villa has WLAN strong coverage in the entire building & garden area, which is ideal for those who wish to work for some time while being at the pool and/or garden area.

Villa Gaia's location is ideal for daily trips in close by places of historic, cultural value as well as places of splendid natural beauty. Below we have a list (non exhaustive list) of these trips that can be done in one day from Villa Gaia. 1) Monemvasia – Castle Monemvasia (Greek: Μονεμβασία) is a town and a municipality in Laconia, Greece. The town is located on a small island off the east coast of the Peloponnese. The island is linked to the mainland by a short causeway 200m in length. Its area consists mostly of a large plateau some 100 metres above sea level, up to 300 m wide and 1 km long, the site of a powerful medieval fortress. The town walls and many Byzantine churches remain from the medieval period. The seat of the municipality is the town Molaoi. The town's name derives from two Greek words, mone and emvasia, meaning "single entrance". Its Italian form, Malvasia, gave its name to Malmsey wine. Monemvasia's nickname is the Gibraltar of the East or The Rock. In more recent history, the town has seen a resurgence in importance with increasing numbers of tourists visiting the site and the region. The medieval buildings have been restored, and many of them converted to hotels. For the past few years, on July 23, an independence day celebration has been held in the main port. Speeches are made and the story of Tzannetakis Grigorakis, and his men, is recounted in both Greek and English. Inhabitants and visitors can gather to watch as a ship, built every year, is filled with pyrotechnics and set on fire. The 1986 horror movie The Wind was filmed here. 2) Kythira Kythira is an island in Greece lying opposite the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is traditionally listed as one of the seven main Ionian Islands, although it is distant from the main group. Administratively, it belongs to the Islands regional unit, which is part of the Attica region (although at large distance from Attica itself). The island is strategically located between the Greek mainland and Crete, and from ancient times until the mid 19th century was a crossroads of merchants, sailors, and conquerors. As such, it has had a long and varied history and has been influenced by many civilisations and cultures. This is reflected in its architecture (a blend of traditional, Aegean and Venetian elements), as well as the traditions and customs, influenced by centuries of coexistence of the Greek, Venetian, and Ottoman cultures. 3) Caves of Diros The Alepotrypa cave is an archaeological site in the Mani region of the Peloponnese peninsula. In addition to being inhabited by early farmers, this site was used for burial and cult purposes. Archaeological evidence has revealed that this is one of the largest Neolithic burial sites ever found in Europe. Two adult human skeletons were found at the site from a burial dating to the 4th millennium BC, as well as remains from at least 170 separate persons. Archaeologists are uncertain about the significance of a Mycenaen ossuary, which has been dated to the 2nd millennium BC and appears to have been reburied at Alepotrypa. While there is no direct evidence, it is possible that the ossuary may link Alepotrypa to Tainaron, which was regarded as the entrance to Hades in classical mythology. 4) Caves of Kastania One of the most impressive caves of Greece can be found near the village of Kastania on the southern tip of the Peloponnese, just minutes away from Neapoli. The route follows the winding mountain road leading to the forest-covered eastern slopes of Mt. Parnon. Rich in density and variety of shapes, colors and figures, Kastania Cave is classified as second of its kind in Europe. Nature needed three million years to create this fantasyscape with its unparalleled décor and numerous impressive formations such as enormous red and white “waterfalls”, the gigantic columns, the “curtains” and the “sheets” that overflow like waxwork from the roof, “octopuses” and “corals” nest, “elephants” and “mushrooms”, “birds” and caricatures, “exotic plants” and monumental creatures… Standing out among the numerous attractions of the cave are geological rarities such as discs, flat stalagmites, eccentrites and elictites. With a little luck, visitors may meet the cave’s noble resident insect, the deaf and blind dolichopoda. 5) Gerakas Geraka sits on a big salt water marsh and lake at the end of a narrow passageway from the sea. Gerakas is probably the most sheltered little harbor in Greece and as such a popular place for yachts and sailboats who can spend the night here and not worry about the changing winds or rough seas. Because of this the port area has several very nice little restaurants, cafes and ouzeries. Being a completely closed harbor it is not the best place for swimming as there does not seem to be any real beach, but people swim off the rocks in the channel. 6) Elafonisos Elafonisos (Greek: Ελαφόνησος) is a small Greek island between the Peloponnese and Kythira. It lies off the coast of Cape Malea and Vatika. Elafonisos is by far the largest inhabited island in the Peloponnese archipelago, and the only one that is a separate municipality. There are also some archaeological discoveries to explore on the island and in the surrounding waters. The main church of the community is Agios Spyridon (Greek: Άγιος Σπυρίδων), which is built on a tiny separate piece of land which is connected by a bridge over shallow waters to the rest of the island. The community's land area also includes 3 km2 (1 sq mi) of the mainland consisting mainly of the famous Punta Beach. On the nearby mainland, approximately 6.5 km (4.0 mi) east is Neapoli (Greek: Νεάπολη) of the municipality of Vatika. About 8.5 km (5.3 mi) south is Cape Frangos (Greek: Φράγκο) on the island of Kythira. 7) Mani The Mani Peninsula (Greek: Μάνη, romanized: Mánē), also long known by its medieval name Maina or Maïna (Μαΐνη), is a geographical and cultural region in southern Greece that is home to the Maniots (Mανιάτες, Maniátes in Greek), who claim descent from the ancient Spartans. The capital cities of Mani are Gytheio and Areopoli. Mani is the central peninsula of the three which extend southwards from the Peloponnese in southern Greece. To the east is the Laconian Gulf, to the west the Messenian Gulf. The Mani peninsula forms a continuation of the Taygetos mountain range, the western spine of the Peloponnese. 8) Mistras Mystras or Mistras (Greek: Μυστρᾶς/Μιστρᾶς),[2] also known as Myzithras (Μυζηθρᾶς) in the Chronicle of the Morea, is a fortified town and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Situated on Mt. Taygetos, near ancient Sparta, it served as the capital of the Byzantine Despotate of the Morea in the 14th and 15th centuries, experiencing a period of prosperity and cultural flowering. The site remained inhabited throughout the Ottoman period, when it was mistaken by Western travellers for ancient Sparta. In the 1830s, it was abandoned and the new town of Sparti was built, approximately eight kilometres to the east. 9) Githio Gytheio (Greek: Γύθειο, [ˈʝiθio]) or Gythio, also the ancient Gythium or Gytheion (Ancient Greek: Γύθειον), is a town on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula, and a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality East Mani, of which it is a municipal unit.[2] The municipal unit has an area of 197.313 km2.[3] It was the seaport of Sparta, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north. Gytheio is the site of ancient Cranae, a tiny island where according to legend Paris of Troy and Helen from Sparta spent their first night together before departing for Troy, thus igniting the Trojan War. Gytheio used to be an important port until it was destroyed in 4th century AD, possibly by an earthquake. Even thereafter its strategic location gave Gytheio a significant role in Maniot history. Today it is the largest and most important town in Mani. It is also the seat of the municipality of East Mani. 10) Pavlopetri The ancient submerged city of Pavlopetri Just 45 minutes drive from Villa Gaia lies the ruins of the city of Pavlopetri, the oldest submerged city in the Mediterranean, beneath the turquoise waters of Elafonisos island, while another fascinating submerged city, Asopos, lies just off the sandy beach of Plytra. 11) Petrified Forest - Neapolis East of the nearby town of Neapolis are the remains of a petrified forest by the sea, where you can still see numerous fossils and sections of ancient palm trees that turned to stone millions of years ago. A spectacular, secluded location, with many coves and beaches, this miracle of nature is listed in the Atlas of Geological Monuments of the Aegean. 12) Geraki On a small hill overlooking the traditional village of Geraki with its many splendid 12th-Century Byzantine churches, you will find a unique Byzantine fortress, hiking to which is a wonderful experience in itself. 13) Talanta Watermill The last remaining water-powered mill of the 11 that used to operate in the area, the newly restored and truly functioning Talanta Mill is an exceptional example of traditional technology. It sits in a splendid natural landscape full walnut, plane and myrtle trees, while the watermill of Vrysika, only 20 minutes from Kinsterna, is also worth exploring. BEACHES CLOSE TO VILLA GAIA Residents of Villa Gaia can enjoy the local sandy beaches of Ambelakia & Xifias, just 500 meters from the villa, ideal for families with children as well as arrange a visit to beaches that belong in the Municipality of Monemvasia, some of which having awarded the ‘Blue Flag’, such as Pori, Plytra, Megali Ammos, to name a few. Ambelakia Ambelakia beach is the closest beach to Villa Gaia, just 500 meters from the Villa. Ambelakia is one of the best, if not the best sandy beach of the whole Monemvasia area. In one part it is organised with a sun beds and a bar serving cold drinks for these hot summer days while in the rest part someone can bring his/her own towels and enjoy the crystal clear waters and the nice mild air breeze. Perfect for families, groups and children alike due to its shallow waters. Perfect! Xifias Xifias beach is also a nice picturesque pebbly beach just 500 meters from Villa Gaia. Xifias beach offers the opportunity for authentic Greek sea food lunch or dinner with fresh fish of the finest quality. Shallow waters make it ideal for families with young children. Highly recommended! Beaches to visit in the Municipality of Monemvasia (not exhaustive list) Pori This clean, sandy beach stretches for nearly two kilometers and has been awarded a “Blue Flag”. Swimming at Pori also provides a perfect view of the castle and old town of Monemvasia. Plytra Plytra beach has also been awarded a coveted “Blue Flag” and is especially popular with families, since it offers umbrellas and sunbeds and boasts shallow, crystal-clear water. The seaside restaurant and café also serve an incredible view of the sea. Kastella Approximately 4 kilometres from Villa Gaia, there is the small settlement of Kastella which boats three secluded beaches. Although not organized with umbrellas or sunbeds, Kastella beaches are ideal for anyone seeking peace, privacy and a swim at crystal clear and really unspoilt waters. In addition to the beaches of Pori and Plytra, the Municipality of Monemvasia also boasts five other beaches which have been awarded the “Blue Flag”, that is, Monemvasia beach, Neapoli, Archangelos, Tigania and Megali Ammos.

Villa Gaia is located in a small picturesque Greek village of Agios Stefanos, just 500 meters from the best sandy beaches of the whole Monemvasia area, at the seaside resort area of Xifias. This area is popular since '50s where the first foreigners purchased houses in order to enjoy the best climate that someone can have; its this climate and the nature that makes the area unique: you are just meters from the sea and there is no humidity due to the slight northern breeze, a real treat for all living in this unique place. Villa Gaia's unique location makes it ideal for all those wishing to have ultimately relaxing holidays in an authentic natral environment, which has not been altered from the hordes of tourists - the ultimately retreat/hideaway place for those valuing authenticity and natural environment - a Greek authentic way of living. Moreover, Villa Gaia’s ideal location makes it the perfect gateway for daily visits to beaches with crystal clear waters, where everyone can enjoy swimming, diving or even sailing & windsurfing in an unspoilt natural environment. Last but not least, Villa Gaia's pool & garden area as well as interior has been designed in such a way that takes into consideration special needs of guests, such as those with disability needs and/or mobility problems. In this respect, the 3 bedrooms of teh ground floor have access to the swimming pool without any stairs and/or obstacles from the interior to the pool area. Moreover, in one of teh bathrooms the toilet as well as all features have been made in such a manner that someone with mobility difficulties can use them.

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