Melanie Haralambous

On Saturday 28th September 2024, we had the privilege of organising and sharing this special Wedding Day with the Bride and Groom: Mary & Ektoras. Having the groom from Anoghi, it was decided to choose a church in this beautiful traditional village.

Once again, here at MV Properties, we had the honour of organising this memorable week of events for the lovely Bride, Mary and Groom, Ektoras here on Ithaca Island.

One of the most beautiful and memorable weddings we had the privilege of organising during July 2024 was the one of Rafaela and Charles. 

This was a memorable week of events that we had the privilege organising for Lockie and Anastasia during June 2024.

This was a memorable week of events that we had the privilege organising for Lockie and Anastasia during June 2024.

This was a memorable week of events that we had the privilege organising for Lockie and Anastasia during June 2024.

This project began in October 2022. The current building was originally used as a business which would show movies in the great courtyard. When we sold this property to our clients, their vision was to turn this space into a gorgeous, modern 2 bedroom home. 

We first began with our team stepping in, to strip the house of all the current interior obstructions to begin with a clean slate. We had one team, building up the interior walls to divide the open space into two bedrooms and incorporate the existing outside toilets into a new modern en suite bathroom connected to the main house. Our plumbing team was hard at work installing all their pipes for the bathrooms and new kitchen which would later be installed. Simultaneously we had our electrician also planning and prepping all his wires for the installation of the lights and plugs. 

Once this was complete, we had the tiler do all the floors, and the plumbing team continued with installing all the new sanitaryware for the bathrooms. Thereafter the entire house was painted on the inside and outside. New doors and windows were installed. The project moved ahead, quite quickly and easily, with the brand new kitchen being added and marble countertops. Then came the finishing touches, with the lights and the outside pergola. 

The entire house renovation was completed in 6 months, so by early April, our clients could arrive in Ithaki, and move straight into their complete home. This project brought us much joy, seeing the result of transforming an old building into something new and magical. We hope our clients enjoy their new home, and should you be interested in doing project renovations with MV properties, please be in contact with us. A big thank you to all our contractors that made this happen, and for all the hard work that was put in.

Should you require any project management services, please do get in contact with us and we will be able to assist you. For a comprehensive guideline on how renovations and building project are handled on Ithaca, take a look at our Building on Ithaca brochure. Check us out on Instagram and Facebook.

Welcome 2024! We are back and excited for the year that lies ahead. We trust all our clients had a restful and meaningful Christmas holiday with their loved ones. We certainly recognize the need to take a break in order to restore, replenish and rejuvenate ourselves to be able to do our work even better than before.

Meet the Team

As we begin this New year, we would like to take the opportunity to re-introduce the team to you here at MV properties.

Co-Founder & CEO – Melanie Haralambous
Melanie is the proud founder of MV properties. She is the heart and drive behind everything we do. You will most likely find her showing new properties to clients, meeting sellers for valuations, orchestrating and co-ordinating all the finer details and workings of everything that happens at MV. Whilst being passionate and dedicated about her work; Melanie also has two small children who she is devoted to and she loves to run in her spare time, taking in all the beautiful trails and beauty that Ithaki has to offer.

Signage & Drone Videographer – Vassilis Galatis
Vassilis is also co-founder of MV properties has been with us from the start. His consistency and unwavering commitment to the company has been steadfast. His work allows many of our clients to be able to see, understand and experience properties for sale in a very real way especially for those clients who are unable to be on Ithaki at a poignant moment. Vasilis, born and raised Ithacan, has extensive knowledge of the island that is second to none. He is a valuable team member and when he finds some time to relax, he loves to go on adventures, to try new things and experience all that this life has to offer.

Stavros Office Administration – Cornelia Dumitru
Then we would like to introduce you to our newest administrative member, Cornelia. She will be situated in the Stavros office. Cornelia will be the first point of contact. She sees to all our property enquiries, our new sellers adding properties, all the administration and office operations. She has been a great blessing to this team, originally from Romania, she is a very capable woman with many talents; one of them being the fact that she can speak 4 languages fluently. This is so beneficial to us having clients from many parts of the world. In her spare time Cornelia loves to read, walk and listen to music.

Vathi Office Administration – Natasha Robb
Then lastly we have Natasha who will be working for us on a part time basis in our Vathi office. She is an instrumental part of this team, taking care of all the writing with regards to new properties as well as general office administration. Originally from South Africa, she moved with her family 2 years ago to live in Ithaki. She has four small children and in her spare time she loves to bake and cook.

Summer Rental Properties

Now that you have a face behind the team at MV properties we look forward to meeting with all our clients as the year progresses. Winter has been in motion with adding new properties to our portfolio and continuing our renovation projects that are on the go. Having said that, we would like to take the time to highlight some rental properties which are available for this summer as people start planning and booking their summer holiday in Ithaki.

Villa Kalos

First up we have,  Villa Kalos. Situated in the tranquil village of Lahos, this luxurious villa offers the serenity of a retreat. It can sleep up to 8 people in 4 double bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms. This traditional stone villa has a rustic, contemporary style and it also boasts an infinity pool with sun lounges to enjoy during the hot summer months.

Kouvarata Villas

Next we have Kouvarata Villas which is in Stavros Village. Ideally located within a short walk to Stavros centre and Poli beach, this villa comprises two stone cottages. The first stone cottage sleeps 2 to 4 people with a fully equipped kitchen and lounge area, the second stone cottage sleeps up to 5 people. The outside area has the most amazing views with a garden and barbeque area as well as a large swimming pool which offers privacy and tranquility.

Villa Idylle

Thirdly we would like to showcase Villa Idylle. Also located in Stavros village, this villa offers the most exquisite views of Poli bay. This Lavish villa has 4 double bedrooms, with a large downstairs open plan living and dining area. Each bedroom overlooks the breathtaking view of Poli bay. The stand out feature of this rental would be the outside terrace with private swimming pool creating your dream holiday come true.

Kolleri Rental

Then lastly in the picturesque village of Kolleri we have a wonderful 4 bedroom house which can sleep up to 8 people. This house is the perfect holiday getaway, with breathtaking views, the quiet and calmness of the surroundings and only a 5 minute drive to Afales beach. The exposed stone walls, smooth cement flooring with bold and contemporary features provide a cool and authentic atmosphere.

As Autumn kicks in, and those long summer days are fading away, we would like to flashback over the summer season highlights here at MV properties.

We had yet another busy, hot and vibrant season on Ithaki. We loved welcoming all of our clients either at our Stavros or Vathi office. Many people coming for holiday are captured by the beauty, the uniqueness and authenticity of Ithaca and so they find themselves, at our door, interested in finding their perfect home.

As a result, our days were filled with many property viewings, helping our clients find exactly what they were looking for. We pride ourselves in taking the time to prioritise property viewings knowing that for each client comes their own personal aspirations of which we like to meet. 

Rental Properties

Whilst we had many property viewings, our rentals also comprise most of what we do in the summer; managing the many visitors arriving and departing Ithaca, at all our various rental establishments.

One of our rental villas in Stavros, upgraded their property adding a swimming pool to its facilities, and how the guests enjoyed this feature along with the privacy that it had to offer. Amongst all the different rental properties in the North and the South part of the island, we loved welcoming and meeting visitors from all over the world, who came to our small island, to enjoy the magic that Ithaca has to offer. 

Event Management

At MV properties, we also offer a service of event organising and planning.

This summer, we had the honour of assisting at a wedding for 200 people on Lazaretto island and the reception at Filiatro beach. Normally we would organise the entire event ourselves, from the catering, to the decor, the DJ, to every small detail involved in making a wedding ceremony and reception come to life exactly as desired. In this specific wedding this summer, the client had a passion for event organising, herself, and so she only needed our services as assisting on the wedding day, of which we were happy to undertake. It brings us such joy to see people choose the beautiful Ithaca as their wedding destination to begin their marriage on our beautiful island.

We are currently working on all the planning and organising for several weddings that are scheduled for next summer already, and we will keep you posted with those events, as they unfold. 

Secondly, we had the privilege of organising an intimate 50th birthday party at Filiatro beach.

Taking place in the middle of October, it was the end of the season, and the beach was private, peaceful and serene. It was the perfect setting to host this event of a close group of friends, about 40 people in total. We organised everything, including the Catering company from Kefalonia, to cater an incredible menu of simple Greek flavours at a very high standard.

We had our team at MV properties to set up the lights, and take care of all the decor, flow of events and management of everyone involved. There was a fantastic DJ who mixed a great variety of music, keeping the whole party going, and creating a wonderful atmosphere. The guests could enjoy the perfect sun setting, with an array of colours scattered throughout the sky.

The event was truly a great success especially due to the weather playing its role. After a mild storm the day before, we had luck on our side, with the most calm and tranquil backdrop. 

As this season drew to a close, we look forward to the end of Autumn and start of Winter and all that they have to offer. The shops have begun to close down, we are all taking a breath from the non-stop summer. We are starting to chop wood, to prepare for our heating for the winter months that will roll around.

As we enter the middle of November, the Olive picking season will take place; an important time of year, where the olives are raked and harvested and pressed in order to supply oil for us and our families for the next year ahead.

At MV properties, we had the privilege of organizing this intimate 50th birthday party at Filiatro beach.