Villa Maria is a listed 19th century neo-classical mansion. Built by a local factory owner in 1873 at the height of Ermoupolis’ prosperity, it is a fine example of the architecture of the period. In restoring it we have preserved all the original features —wooden floors and ceilings, marble bathrooms, decorative mouldings— and used antique furniture to give it a comfortable but authentic feel.
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Beautiful accommodation, fantastic view and the most amazing breakfasts!
Wonderful hosts too. Nothing to fault!
Rebecca
07/15/2022 Everything was perfect. Highly recommend booking for your stay in Syros. 
Jp
09/29/2022 - Kostas Stefanou and Elisa Mavropoulou are wonderful people and gracious hosts, and they made our stay at their Villa Maria a sweet, comfortable, intimate, and very warm experience.
Even before... read more we arrived, Kostas’s prompt responses to our email questions revealed how friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive he is. And when we arrived in Syros, his clear directions brought us quickly from the ferry to the main square, where he was waiting with an easy smile and great enthusiasm for our visit.
Ermoupolis spreads out along the port and uphill from it with many pedestrian-only streets and many, many stairs. Kostas guided us along the few streets and up the stone steps to Ydras Street and the bougainvillea-covered entrance to Villa Maria, an old mansion that he and Elisa have beautifully and lovingly restored. After showing us to our room, Kostas sat with us at a table on the second-floor outdoor courtyard and annotated a map of the city and the island, providing what turned out to be fabulous recommendations for places to eat, towns to visit, beaches to swim at, and trails to hike. He is discerning and knows the most special and the best of the best. And Villa Maria is well located, making it very easy to get to any and all of the places of interest in the city, from the opera house to the Vaporia, St. Nicholas to the ferry terminal.
The information and photos on the Villa Maria website accurately describe it and depict the rooms. We loved our stay in Yakinthos (hyacinth). It is one of two rooms—the other is Narkissos (narcissus)—on the second floor that have balconies. The room has high ceilings, and, as the photos reveal, it is very light, spacious, and airy. The bed was comfy and had extra pillows. The balcony offers a commanding, unobstructed 180 degree view out to the port and beyond, where we witnessed dramatic sunrises daily and sat in the early evening with glasses of Assyrtiko to watch the waning colors. On a more mundane note, we were grateful that Yakinthos, unlike many hotel rooms and Airbnbs, had several electrical sockets so we could recharge everything at the same time.
There is a small communal kitchen down the hallway. It has a refrigerator, double burner hot plate, and sink. The kitchen is sufficiently equipped for one to prepare breakfast, lunch, and even a simple dinner. There is cookware, utensils, and in a hall cabinet, glasses, and dishware. It is stocked with bottles of drinking water, coffee, tea, sugar, etc. We shopped for breakfast food on nearby Chiou Street, a charming market street lined with fish, meat, produce, and specialty food markets as well as bakeries, and every morning we had our juice, tea, coffee, and fresh yoghurt outside in the sunny courtyard.
Concerning food, the ground floor of Villa Maria houses a spacious, professional kitchen, where Elisa conducts cooking classes in traditional Greek cuisine. Being foodies who love to cook, we were very interested in what Elisa had to offer. So we met with her at a café to talk about it. She has a winning smile, a bright, energetic, engaging intelligence, a warm personality, and a profound understanding of food in general and traditional dishes from all over Greece. She provided us with a cookbook worth of options for dishes and several sample menus that she could show us how to prepare. Together we put together a menu comprising mezes, salads, sides, a main, and a dessert. We cooked together for most of an afternoon. Not only did she carefully explain what she did and demonstrate how to do it, but also she provided background on ingredients and nutritional value. It was an amazing culinary experience, devoid of food pretension, preciousness, and fussiness; it was surpassed only by the flavors of the various dishes that we had prepared. A truly peak and very personal experience for us. And as a bonus, Elisa provides copies of the recipes.
Ermopoulis is an authentic city. It is not dominated by the tourist industry and has not been scrubbed and polished so as to give every selfie the perfect background. There is impressive architecture and natural beauty, and there is also graffiti, dilapidated buildings, and cats, lots of cats. There is a shipyard and large ships and ferries coming and going and blowing their horns. There is a hustle and bustle of residents going about their daily lives oblivious to tourists. But for us, this is what made the city and Syros a realistic experience, dramatically different from the crowded, “must see” cruise-ship islands. And if one chooses to visit Syros, one could not stay with more generous and welcoming hosts than Kostas and Elisa at their lovely and special Villa Maria. 
Amy
09/23/2019 Love, love, loved this place and it’s owners. It was a pure delight to stay with them. The view was perfect! The bed was very comfortable. ... read more Lots of personal touches each day, like local candy or fresh fruit to sample in the kitchenette. Everything we needed was provided and their hospitality was beyond impressive. We definitely hope to return some day! Kostas met us in town and walked us to our place, they showed us around their villa, and sat with us to share/suggest activities, etc. during our stay. We ordered a delicious breakfast basket homemade by Elisa with home grown ingredients, which we gobbled up the first day. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to arrange a cooking class with her this trip (which she offers)...next time we will absolutely plan ahead and include that in the experience! Wonderful home & hosts to be sure!! 
Heather
07/11/2018 - A very nice old traditional decorated restored villa in a very nice neighbourhood just north of Ermoupolis’ center. Kostas was very friendly and very helpful with tips for places to... read more visit and where to eat.
Water pressure could be a little better and the place a bit cleaner altogether.
Certainly value for money and a great experience.
Thank you Kostas ! 
Christina
07/15/2019 A perfect place to stay in Ermoupoli. The room (pink room) was romantic and beautiful. I stayed alone for a week and loved the space. Corner room with incredible light... read more all day long. Sunrises breathtaking. Great views from the private sunny balcony. Thoughtful decor, fitting of the historic mansion.
The marble bathroom and shower was luxurious and the hot water was great.
The king sized bed was very comfortable and the linens were high quality.
The shared kitchenette was just steps away from the room. I enjoyed making simple meals and it was a very efficient use of space.
A convivial villa with many outdoor spaces with tables and chairs.
The host met me and accompanied me to the villa which was very much appreciated. Great local tips.
I would highly recommend a stay here!!! 
Angela
11/05/2018 - Spectacular experience! Great, great host! The house is very nice, tastefully decorated, the windows are modern with mosquito nets if you want to have them (modern system). The house is... read more prettier than the photos. Kostas, a great host, is dedicated and passionate about what he does, he gave me references to bars, restaurants, events, a complete guide to the city!
Santiago
10/09/2024 Beautiful place! Kostas is a perfect host! 
Tucker
06/21/2019 - This place was perfect! Great location, very clean, and a beautiful home. The hosts are extremely nice and helpful. I would 100% recommend to everyone I know!
Halle
05/31/2022 Amazing! Can't say that enough. One of the best airbnb's we've stayed on. The view was out of this world, location perfect. The stairs not an issue. Kostas was one... read more of the best hosts we've had - answered all questions fast, very sweet and attentive. Gave us good tips about the Island. The room it self super cozy. Worth going to Syros just to stay here 🙂 
Juliapnilsson@Gmail.Com
10/19/2021 - Villa Maria was my first Airbnb experience and I feel it has certainly set the bar high! Kostas was super welcoming as soon as we arrived. He has provided a... read more beautiful environment for guests to stay in and offered lots of useful insight to the surrounding area. Everything about Villa Maria I felt was clean, safe, well organized, charming, perfect place 🙂 I hope to return again! Thank you!
Lauren
09/14/2018 We stayed seven people here for several days and nights. A nice and relaxing place with a home away from home warm feeling. Very friendly and kind hosts. Though, if... read more you have problems to walk on stairs, look for something else. This is in an area where you need to walk many stairs. No possibility to take a car here. However, if you don’t mind, this is very nice with an modern old feeling. 
Mario
07/27/2018
