Sophia's House

On the beautiful island of Crete is where you will find Sophia's Villa near the small village of Aspro (white village) which is located in the Apokoron region of the north west coast of Crete. Close to Almerida. Built upon a hill Sophia's villa affords spectacular views of Almirida, Souda bay and Crete's White Mountains. Sophia's House is a particularly pretty modern bungalow built with traditional Greek touches and finished to a very high standard.

The quaint hamlet of Aspro (which means 'white' in Greek) is located 1.7km inland from the seaside resort of Almyrida. On the outskirts of the hamlet, Sophia's House looks out from its hillside position across a valley of olive groves to stunning views of Souda Bay, Karga Island, the Akrotiri Peninsula, and the Turkish Fort at Aptera.

Sophia's House has the quiet corner plot at the end of a small group of houses, and borders acres of land covered in mature pine and olive trees.

The land drops away below the villa which allows for an exceptional setting for the entire property but especially for the gorgeous infinity pool and semi-covered front terrace.

Sophia's House is painted a lovely shade of pale yellow and has Mediterranean blue pergolas, windows and doors. It has been thoughtfully designed on one level and is therefore particularly suitable for the elderly or less abled. There are a number of different terraces for a choice of sun or shade, all of which take in the outstanding views.

The upstairs roof terrace is also known as the sun terrace for obvious reasons, and it is fully tiled and equipped with sun-beds and umbrellas. There is a covered front terrace which is equipped with a table and chairs, and an open terrace by the infinity pool which also has sun-beds and umbrellas. The warm summer evenings are perfect for sitting and watching the ferries going to and from Athens, or the lights twinkling from the Akrotiri Peninsula on the opposite side of Souda Bay.

There are also terraces on either side of the house, a lower terrace and a parking area, all of which are gravelled and decorated with traditional clay pots. To the east of the house, there is a traditional stone wall, on the far side of which are many mature pine trees. Many different flowers and trees have been planted in flower beds or pots around the house and pool area including, hibiscus, palms, cacti, geraniums, oleander, a lemon tree, orange trees, a mandarin tree, olive trees, and a vine with grapes.
The English owners have taken great care whilst furnishing the house in order to ensure both quality and comfort.

They have even thought to supply a good selection of books, DVDs, and a chess set. Decorating the walls throughout the house are lovely framed photos taken by the famous Greek photographer, Giorgos Meis. The lounge has a lovely rust coloured corner seating unit, and the rest of the very attractive furniture in Sophia's House (including the kitchen cupboards) is made from a dark coloured wood with black metal details.

All modern comforts have been provided for, including a TV, DVD and CD players, a ceramic hob and built-in oven, a dishwasher, a washing machine, a microwave, and air conditioning units in all the bedrooms and the living room. The a/c units also double up as heaters for the cooler nights at the start and end of the season. The water is heated by either solar panel or a back-up immersion heater. Sophia's House is an ideal retreat for either romantic couples or families of up to six persons, but if you can drag yourself away from this lovely property, you are only a short drive from the sandy beach and many shops and tavernas in Almyrida. Accommodation.

Ground floor (1 step from the parking area): Open plan living room, kitchen and dining area, 1 double bedroom, 2 twin bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a large sea facing covered terrace, and a sea facing terrace with infinity pool.

The living room has double doors that lead out onto the open sea facing terrace and infinity pool. This terrace is joined to a covered terrace (shared with the double bedroom and front twin bedroom) that is equipped with a blue green table and 6 matching chairs. From the living room/kitchen there is also a front door that leads to the private parking area. The lounge area has a large corner seating unit, a coffee table, a TV/DVD table, a bookcase which houses the CD/stereo unit, and cream coloured curtains.

The modern kitchen/dining area is fully equipped and includes a dishwasher, a washing machine, a ceramic hob and built-in oven, a large fridge/freezer, a microwave oven, a coffee maker, a toaster, a kettle, and a locally made wooden dining table with a marble top, and 6 chairs. All the large appliances are in matching stainless steel. The kitchen window faces east, and looks out to the natural stone wall, lemon and orange trees, and conifers. The hallway that leads from the kitchen/living area has doors to the 3 bedrooms and the bathroom.

The bathroom has a nautical effect with lovely blue and white tiles, and a wave motif detail around the centre of the walls. There is a full bath with a shower attachment, a white washbasin, a mirror, a toilet, and a frosted window to the south. The double bedroom has a double bed, 2 bedside cabinets with reading lamps, a dressing table, stool and wall mirror, a wardrobe with hanging and drawer space, and matching soft gold curtains and bedspread.

This double bedroom has double doors which lead out onto the covered sea facing terrace. The front twin bedroom has 2 single beds, 2 bedside cabinets with reading lamps, a dressing table, stool and wall mirror, a wardrobe with hanging and drawer space, and soft gold bedspreads with matching curtains. This bedroom also has double doors which open out onto the covered front terrace. The side twin bedroom has 2 single beds, 1 bedside cabinet with a reading lamp, a wardrobe with hanging and drawer space, a dressing table, stool and wall mirror, and Mediterranean blue bedspreads with matching curtains. There are double doors that open out onto a westerly patio (facing the next door villa, and the sea to the side) and a gravelled area which leads to the lower terrace.

Roof/Sun Terrace (17 steps up from the covered front terrace). Equipped with sun-beds and umbrellas.

The lovely village of Almyrida is only 1.7km from Sophia's House, and is built around a pretty crescent shaped sandy beach, with a small fishing harbour at the eastern end. The beach is very shallow and safe, which is good news if you have children or are not a strong swimmer. Lining the beach are 4 excellent tavernas, cafe acute;/bars, 2 bakeries, a wonderful jewellery shop, 5 mini-markets, 3 gift shops, 1 clothes shop, and an off-license. Also in Almyrida there is a water sports centre which rents out kayaks, windsurfers and catamarans.