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.
The second floor balconies and the roof terrace have panoramic views over the town, the port and across to the neighbouring islands. Behind the villa is a courtyard with plants, built-in seating and a shaded dining area.
The villa is on a pedestrian street right in the middle of town, yet a haven of peace and quiet. It is 2 minutes walk from the main square and market, and 5 minutes walk from the Vaporia. This is the town’s ‘Little Venice’, a lido with cafes and crystal-clear water for swimming.
The villa has 8 rooms and a separate 2-bedroom single storey house that can be rented separately or in any combination.
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We absolutely LOVED this space. Perfect. So much character, amazing views, location ideal, charming as heck and quiet street but super close to the square... can’t recommend it enough. Will... read more stay here again for sure. Kostas was such a sweetheart and helped my friend with her ridiculously heavy suitcase to and from our meeting point and gave us great tips for the town. Can’t wait to return to Syros and this space
08/14/2020 -
Kostas is a great host! He showed us all of the great places in Syros, especially kastri a women's run cafeteria with amazing cheap food! He was so friendly and... read more helpful, even walking us down to the pharmacy when we jumped on sea urchins at the beach :(. If you are trying to decide whether or not to stay here I highly recommend it. It was clean, comfortable, and had an amazing view from the rooftop. Would happily stay there again!
08/09/2017Spent 4 days with 6 friends, amazing hosts. Living in a house like this is an experience on its own. Plus it is located in the most convenient spot possible.... read more Would recommend 11/10. Thank you Elisa & kostas!
06/04/2018 -
Kostas and Elisa’s place was fantastic. The villa is close to town, with a beautiful view of the water. We opted for Elisa’s breakfast basket, which we ate outside on... read more the patio with Greek coffee and homemade breads and jams overlooking the town of Ermopolis. A lovely morning!
The room was bright and clean and very comfortable. And Kostas and Elisa were welcoming, friendly and full of tips on what to do on the island of Syros.
Overall great stay at Villa Maria.
02/20/2018 -
We had a great time! The flat is perfectly located and equipped and the rooftop has a great view! Kostas had great recommendations for us! The check in and out... read more was flexible! Highly recommended!
10/21/2020Kostas truly is a “super” host. We can in by ferry around 9pm and he stayed up and met us in the square to show us the apartment. He then... read more took the time to give us a map and mark it for us with everything we needed: cafes, gyro spots, bars, landmarks, restaurants etc...
The apartment itself is magnificent. It has an incredible view that lives up to the photos. We also really enjoyed the bathroom, something that pleasantly surprised us. The hallway is shared but this was not a problem.
07/08/2018 -
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!
11/02/2019Kostas was a brilliant host. He met me on time when arriving on the island. Gave me a good variety of recommendations which I'm very glad I took on road... read more as may not have found them otherwise.
The room was just like the pictures with great views and comfortable living arrangements.
Highly recommended and good value for money.
Nicholas
08/23/2019 -
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!
07/08/2022Kostas 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.
09/23/2019