Squirrel's Home, Milies

Welcome to our family holiday home in Milies, a village in Pelion, perfect for a serene, safe and stylish holiday. Nestled amongst the lush green scenery, just 100m walk to the picturesque village square, this has been a scenic and convenient house for our family and friends (and our resident squirrel) for many years. Our house has wonderful outside space, sea views and a lush garden, and was refurbished in 2017 to welcome a wider circle of friends & guests. The space We've recently refurbished the house, with the intention of sharing the pleasures and maybe earning its keep. We vist every summar and enjoy the spectacular contrasts of Pelion, between the beautiful lush mountainside villages, with their unique architecture and deep historical substance, and the sparkling, vivid beaches of the Aegean. The house is nicely kitted out for staying put, reading a book in the shade, pottering around the village to shop local ingredients and slow-cooking a dinner to savour on the outdoor terrace. For the more adventurous, apart from the magnificently varied Aegean beaches (wild, sandy, rocky, splashy, calm) Pelio has a tantalising web of trekking paths (marked out by Kyriakos and fellow enthusiasts of the Pelion Trekking Club, details on request) rich religious and scholarly heritage, a nearby ski resort in Chania (operating January-March, depending on snowfall), a summer art & dance festival in a nearby village and distinctly rustic regional food (Aigli, a short stroll to the village square, and even better at Panorama, a few steps above that). Waterside adventures can include scuba diving (search for Zoumbosub Afissos) and powerboat rentals inside the Pagasetic gulf. Up to six people can sleep here very comfortably. All beds and both sofas have new high-end mattresses. To refresh you from adventure, the house has a vine-shaded outdoor shower, room ceiling fans (for the perfect siesta), cool local slate stone floors and a lovely tree-shaded terrace to lay out family dinners and take in the sea views to the south. For the intrepid travellers of crisper autumn and spring months or snowy winters, each room has electric heaters that our recent guests over Christmas found very toasty, and there is new rapid immersion electric heater to supply hot water. The house has a wide, enclosed garden, and can easily host any well-mannered pets that are happy to live outside, in a little sheltered nook under the terrace stairs. A bit of back story, if you're interested: My grandmother built this house in 1980, following her brother, the painter and academic Giorgos Mavroidis, who had also established a home in the village; we spent long hot family summers, and a couple of snowy winters, and I hopped along to the village school up the hill for my first year of school. My aunt, a professor of art history in Athens, lived here on-off through the 90ies, but in recent years we've been living afar, excited visitors ourselves once more. Guest access Our guests will have use of the entire detached house and garden, with all the pomegranates, figs, almonds and walnuts you can eat, when in season. There is a fully equipped kitchen with all-new appliances (oven, fridge-freezer, dishwasher, utensils etc), and a bathroom with a shower and new washing machine. A fresh set of sheets and towels is provided to all guests, and our host Hara will meet you for check-in & orientation, and check-out. Other things to note In terms of accessibility, please note - there is a flight of charming, but uneven and fairly steep, cobbled stone steps connecting up to the main road, about 15m or so; there is a handrail, and recent guests with toddlers and luggage found it fine, but still, take note. There's also a few steps up between external patios. While water is thankfully naturally sweet and plentiful in Pelion all year round, sanitation is less straightforward, so guests are kindly asked *not to flush anything extraneous down the loo*, and consider using the outdoor shower when it's pleasant to do so. As typical in Greek homes, hot water comes from an electric immersion boiler, so it need switching on about 15-20 minutes in advance to heat up sufficient for a shower, more for several showers. Well-mannered pets are welcome, though they do need to stay outside, to avoid leaving behind allergens in the house that other guests will find intolerable. Hara will be glad to arrange any additional in-stay cleaning if you wish, paid to her in person. Registration details 00000192110