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.

  Ο Κώστας και η Ελίσα είναι υπέροχοι οικοδεσπότες έχουν ένα ονειρεμένο σπιτι, για τους φίλους μας ήταν εμπειρία να μείνουμε στο σπιτι τους . Όπως και να ακούγεται το σπιτι ειναι (Website hidden by Airbnb) σημείο δεν θα μπορούσε να είναι καλύτερο κεντρικα και ήσυχα ,όλες οι πληροφορίες που μας έδωσε ο Κώστας για φαγητό αξιοθέατα έκαναν την διαμονή μας αξέχαστη . Ευχαριστούμε θα έρθουμε πάλι Loukia&Matthias

  Look no further, this place is amazing! A neoclassical building that is perfectly renovated. Elisa and Kostas were incredible hosts, super helpful with everything- we especially loved Kostas’ suggestions. He... read more took the time to give all his favorite places around the island. The courtyard is so beautiful and the rooms are very clean. %100 recommended!

  What a beautiful place with amazing views and authentic Syros charm, everything was so clean and neat and the towels and linen were of the best quality. What really ... read more and his wife are the most incredible hosts

  A beautiful flat in the middle of Ermoupolis, just a short walk away from Ano Syros, the old town, and Asteria Beach. We loved the room and the view from... read more the balcony. Kostas was very helpful and met us when we got there, and gave us a lot of tips on good restaurants to visit and places to see. Would totally recommend staying here!

  It’s an absolutely beautiful view of the town! From your room you can literally see everything from the Port to downtown. The location is close to city hall we’re most... read more restaurants and stores are so it’s very convenient. The only problem is that there’s a lot of stairs you have to walk up and down so be prepared! But it’s a beautiful home with a very convenient location!

  Love it so much. We really loved our room at Kostas/Elisa’s place. They are amazing hosts. When we arrived, Kostas met us at the port. He was... read more super kind, and helped us with our luggages . Words are not enough to describe his kindness. He recommended great restaurants with beautiful ambiance and great food. The place is sea front, and we loved our balcony and the view. This place is near to the main town. The place is super clean. We will definitely be back. Thank you again for the great hospitality.

  Phenomenal place to stay! The quality of the home is fantastic - it was even nicer than we expected from the pictures! Kostas and Elisa were great hosts, and were... read more very flexible and generous in terms of our check-in and check-out time. The location is terrific. The kitchen is incredible. We were wowed by this beautiful home on this wonderful island. Would highly recommend!

  Kostas was extremely kind and generous. When we arrived he sat downstairs with us and gave us a thorough overview of local restaurants, bars, and beaches both in Ermoupoli and... read more around the island. He also let us know about the international film festival happening at the time which we had a great time at.

The house was beautiful and clean with two lovely balconies overlooking the city. There was also a shared courtyard which was beautiful. The courtyard also came with a sweet kitty which we loved spending time with.

Overall, a great experience. We would definitely return!

  Wonderful spot!

  An absolutely beautiful home. A pleasure to stay there. Kostas gave many great local recommendations. I’ll be back!

  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!