Melanie Haralambous

October brings a clear change of seasons in Ithaki. There is such a peace and tranquility in the air, as the taverna’s begin to close up for the winter months ahead, the visitors on the island are few and far between, mainly cyclists and avid walkers, enjoying the most breathtaking nature walks in the cooler autumn weather. 

We started off this month with the annual Fish festival at Poli beach, where local businesses donated toward the event happening. There was a great spirit of everyone dancing and enjoying a good meal together with the local fish and traditional accompaniments. The cars were parked all the way up the hill of Poli bay, it was a great turnout and very festive indeed.

Another item on the agenda for the locals coming up is olive picking season, which will begin at the start of November. The olive trees are all ripe with olives, the branches are heavy and ready to be harvested. Olive picking is no easy task, it takes days of hard work, pruning the trees and raking all the olives off the branches, onto a drop cloth below. The Olives are sorted, and then packed and sent off to the press to make Olive Oil. One can also keep a selection of some of the olives to preserve in a salt and vinegar brine to make one’s own tasty olives.

Here at MV properties, we welcome the change of seasons, and although the liveliness of summer is over, we are by no means slowing down. We have many upcoming renovation projects planned over this autumn and winter time. We look forward to sharing with you some of our before and after photos as the projects get underway. We also have some new and exciting properties for sale that have just been added to our portfolio! So keep a close eye to our social media posts to see these.

At the end of October was of course Halloween. Although we don’t really partake in it here on the island, we would like to wish a Happy Halloween to all our American clients and those that do take part. Some of the children still find it fun to dress up and we try our best to make it fun for them.

We wish you all the best for the change of seasons in your own lives, until next time.

Rachel and Geoffrey chose to celebrate their union of marriage on Ithaki. Their desire was to have a simple beach wedding, and their choice of Poli Beach, pulled out all the stops with the natural backdrop of the water, pebbles and island mood showing off at its best! 

Let’s take a look back at the highlights of this summer as the season draws to an end.

What a fantastic, busy season it has been. It seems after the 2 years of Covid restrictions, people were extra eager to embark on a Greek island holiday, as all the islands, including Ithaki were very busy this year.

Early on, at the beginning of the summer, we had the “Return to Ithaca” diving campaign come to Ithaki to clean our seas. What a privilege to have such dedicated people come to our small island to make sure our seas are rid of all the fishing nets stuck on the bottom of the ocean floor.

Stavros Panayiri

Another highlight for us this summer was the Stavros Panayiri. For the last 2 years, we have not been allowed to have any Panayiri’s due to the covid pandemic. This year, the village of Stavros hosted the iconic 2 day street festival. With music, dancing and feasting, this was truly a memorable 2 nights. People were able to gather and Stavros village had a hum of enthusiasm leading up to and even after the event took place.

The Yachts

Let’s take a look at another highlight of the summer. The yachts. What a privilege that Ithaki is now on the map, not only with the small sail yachts, but also some of the bigger superyachts. These yachts bring great business to many people on the island as well as boosting our tourism. This has been so encouraging to see, as it showcases Ithaki, as a great holiday destination.

The Beaches

Lastly, summer would not be what it is, without the exquisite beaches we have to offer here on Ithaki. Whether you are looking for comfort and luxury of sunbeds, umbrellas, and a vibing canteen on the beach, or something a little more rustic and low key, Ithaki has it all. You can find your rental accommodation or your holiday home with us that is within close reach of all these types of beaches.

It really has been a summer with lots of happenings, and what better way to enjoy it than to have your own property. This month our three featured properties are all in Vathi. As the sun goes down, on another busy summer season, we look forward to Autumn, and all that’s in store for us in the upcoming months.

As we wave goodbye to another very busy and successful summer season, it is a great time to reflect on all that has been achieved and use the up coming quieter months as a time to plan and prepare for the last few months of the year.

MV properties was privileged to organise another baptism this time for precious George Paizes. The ceremony took place at the iconic church in Kioni. It was an intimate service with family and close friends. 

We hope everyone had a wonderful May here on the island. Here at MV properties, we certainly did! The atmosphere on Ithaca has certainly picked up, with everybody gearing towards summer, the restaurants are open, the shops have all cleaned up, the people are arriving…there is a real ‘buzz’ in the air, everybody is excited for the summer months that lie ahead.

We have had a very busy winter season with many renovation projects on the go. As we move through spring, we see many of these wonderful projects coming to an end and the fruit of all our hard work coming to completion. Our clients are holding their breaths to come to the island for the summer to stay in their newly renovated homes.

Take a look at some of the transformations below or view them all online here.

Basement Renovation – PROJ006STA

This quaint house in Stavros, has a basement area that was craving to be uplifted and we jumped at the opportunity to use this space to create another self catering studio. Keeping the original stone, our team stepped into clean the rock and plaster it well so that all the stone was secure and looking modern. Then we installed all the plumbing and electrics for this studio underground and laid the cement. We finished the flooring in a stylish, contemporary tile. This is still an ongoing project which we can’t wait to see come together.

Full Scale Renovation of Vathi Home – PROJ002VAT

This small house in Vathi underwent a full renovation. Our team demolished most of the inside walls, we replastered and painted, laid new flooring in certain areas of the house and working on the existing floor to allow the floors to blend well. All new plumbing and electrics were installed with two bathrooms created from scratch. A full modern chic kitchen was installed with gorgeous marble countertops. To see the full project online click here.

Sunset Views Home Extraordinary Renovation – PROJ001LEF

Our next project we’ve been working on is in Lefki. the outside area has been transformed from a very basic, futile space, to an incredible outdoor entertainment area with a swimming pool to overlook the gorgeous view. Our team had to do a large excavation in order to install the pool. We levelled the area to lay the concrete and outside tiles as well as created a smooth cement outdoor table around the existing fruit trees. we replastered and painted some of the outside walls as well as re-did the staircase leading from the pool to the outdoor area below. Click here to see all the before’s and after’s of this renovation project on our website.

Village Home Swimming Pool Renovation – PROJ005STA

Our last project to mention is this tucked away house in Stavros village. This outside area underwent extensive remodelling. We began with the swimming pool, which was drained, scraped down, cleaned and then the entire pool was tiled in a gorgeous state of the art outdoor tile. We then installed all new stone paving around the pool and the lower outside area below. we built an outdoor barbeque are and outdoor smooth cement seat which wraps around this outside space so elegantly. to see the full project click here.

Whether you are looking to buy, rent or renovate, we are your go too property experts.

We hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes look at the process of renovating. Thank you to all our local trade teams and contractors for their dedication to meeting deadlines and working within budgets. Their dedication and expertise made these projects all come together.

Until next month,

Melanie

Mv properties have been busy with a house renovation of a quaint little home on the hillside in Kioni that was recently sold. The new owners dreamed of keeping the house as authentic and true to its original form, while adding a splash of modern, graceful and uncomplicated flair.

MV properties has been asked to be part of another renovation project, this time pertaining to the swimming pool and outside area of this tucked away home in Stavros village. 

Mv properties has been on the move again with another wonderful renovation project. The new owners bought this beautiful property with prime position on the waterfront in Vathi bay although the house was in need of a full renovation. 

Spring. The season of new beginnings, celebrations, and the time the world revives and reinvigorates after the colder winter months. I always love this time of year, the longer and warmer days, the blooming flowers and spending more time outside. It’s the most delightful season.

Spring. The season of all things new, and we have many new rentals on our portfolio for the summer season for this year. We love spring here at MV Properties and we’ve been collaborating with our community to bring you the most exquisite accommodation to ensure your summer days are Idyllic on Ithaca.

Luxury Rentals

Idyllic settings, elegant interiors, expansive views, private chefs & swimming pools. These luxurious rentals have it all.

Beach Rentals

These rentals are conveniently located close to the beach and offer the perfect setting for an island holiday.

Family Rentals

These self-catering rentals are home away from home and are ideal for families with children.

Properties for Sale

Spring is also time for fresh starts, and I’d like to share some personal news, my sister and her family have moved to Ithaca and I’m excited to welcome them to Ithaca and look forward to all the family time together.

Soon summer will flow and I look forward to welcoming you to the island too.

Until next month,

Melanie

Trails in the North of Ithaca

Top Properties in the North of Ithaca

Trails in the South of Ithaca

Top Properties in the South of Ithaca

Featured Properties for Sale

We hope to see you on the trails soon while we make the most of the last of these cooler days.

If you would like any more information on these featured properties please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here to help.

Until next month,

Melanie and the MV Properties Team