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.

  A stunning apartment which mixes the traditional cycladic style of syros and the modernity of it's capital. The host was wonderful, extremely helpful and generous with his effort. He made... read more us feel at home from the moment we met him. I recommend this property to any potential travelers for Syros. It will make your trip all the better.

  We very much enjoyed staying in beautiful Villa Maria. Kostas has the best recommendations for food and activities on the Island. Efcharisto!

  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.

  The room was fantastic, conform to the pictures and with a splendid view. Kostas has been one of the best host we have met in Greece. Very responsive and attentive... read more to our needs. He gave us great recommendations about restaurants and places to visit.

  I don't think I've ever been so well cared for by a host (of any capacity) in my entire life. Kostas is not only generous and hospitable, but a truly... read more wonderful human being who really cares about the people who stay here. He waited patiently for me at the square when I was 30 minutes late getting off the ferry, and carried my luggage up the many, many stairs to Villa Maria (if you aren't a fan of stairs, this is unfortunately not the place for you!). He took the time that first evening to point out some places he recommended I check out on a map of Syros, and went into even more detail the next day. Kostas went above and beyond, and all of the rooms in this building are absolutely beautiful and well cared for. Syros is a magical island not to be missed, and Kostas & his tending of the Villa Maria made my experience unforgettable.

  A lovely room in Syros. Kostas is a fantastic host who is very dedicated to making sure his guests are well taken care of and accommodated. The villa... read more is located very centrally in Ermoupoli and Kostas gave us wonderful recommendations for where to eat and swim!

  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!

  Beautiful place! Kostas is a perfect host!

  We loved our stay here. Kostas made sure to greet us upon arrival with a map and highlights for us to explore on the island, and made sure we had... read more everything we needed. The room was perfect with beautiful views of the town in nearly every direction. Super central and lovely shared space for breakfast / drinks too. Overall, a very special spot and we hope to be back soon.

  Ηταν ολα πολυ (Website hidden by Airbnb) δωματιο πολυ καθαρο και με απιστευτη θεα οπως φαινεται και στις φωτο και ακομα καλυτερα!Ο ιδιοκτητης κ.Κωστας ηταν προθυμος να μας βοηθησει σε οτι χρειαστηκαμε και εκτιμησαμε οτι με το που βρεθηκαμε αφιερωσε χρονο για να μας υποδειξει αρκετα μερη για να κινηθουμε στο νησι!Το συστηνω ανεπιφυλακτα.

  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.