Rosemary scented stories

This year is of great significance to me and my father. Over the last couple of years, we have really poured our hearts and souls into Villa Meraki. the last big project we did, was renovating the entire basement into a luxurious extension three years ago, which turned out to be a great success. In addition to having gained another enormous bed/bath, with the original rock wall as its main feature, We have also created a beautiful indoor yoga studio. About which you might learn more very soon… 

For a month now, my father has been traveling around the globe. A very well-deserved journey that he’s thoroughly enjoying. Every week he calls me and he gives me an update on his whereabouts and adventures. My father has always been the real adventurer of the two of us. He loves an upbeat traveling lifestyle, whereas I prefer staying in one place (preferably Crete) for a long time. But I love hearing about these faraway places, and traveling with him in thought, through his stories. Anyone who has ever met my father knows that he possesses eternal youth and has the energy of someone half his age. Compared to him, I sometimes feel old. But while he has been exploring, I have not been idle. Over the last couple of years, my project (in addition to all the other indoor projects) have been focused on making Villa Meraki more energy efficient and sustainable. Because as much as I adore this house, it didn’t sit well with my philosophy about sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint. And this year, the biggest goals were achieved! As this is a new blog, let’s do a quick recap, shall we?

Five years ago, we started off with replacing the grass lawns in front of the bedrooms for sustainable herb gardens. Then, while renovating the basement, we removed the grass lawn in front of the living room.  We then connected all of the air-conditionings to a wireless system and added new solar boilers. we also connected the terrace of the guesthouse to the ancient donkey road, adding greenery as went went. At the beginning of this year, we built a pergola in front of the living room to keep it sheltered from the sun, which looks absolutely stunning and then, as the cherry on top, two weeks ago 23 solar panels were installed on the roof. And ultimately, we gained a sister home; ‘To spitáki ston ílio’. We look forward to a succesful collaboration with this colourful home, that lies at 500 metres (a 10 minute walk) from Villa Meraki!

All of this really wouldn’t have been possible without our dear return customers (over 50% of our guests come back every year) who kept coming to Villa Meraki, even in years when almost everyone stayed at home. We are so utterly grateful to still be able to welcome guests and for me personally to still work together with my father. Even when I’m knee deep in rubble or labelling endless piles of mysterious keys, he manages to get a laugh out of me. these are precious moments shared. 

And now, we’re already well into our booking season for 2023. We look forward to welcoming you this summer, autumn and winter!