Inside:

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Villa Iremia has 3  double  bedrooms  all with en-suite, ceiling fans and air-conditioning. These are located on the ground floor and open out onto a terraced veranda that overlooks the pool, garden, sea and mountains. There are no cots at the villa.

 

The hallway on this level houses the washing machine, cleaning equipment, first aid kits and a bookshelf filled with holiday reads, guidebooks and local maps for guests use.

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A marble staircase leads you up stairs. Here you find a large open planned area which includes a fully equipped kitchen with island, a dining area and lounge area.

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The kitchen has a dishwasher, microwave, halogen 4 ring hob, fan oven, kettle, toaster and all the utensils, crockery, glassware one would need.

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The dining area has a table seating 6 persons and a sideboard containing glassware and tableware. There are no high chairs at the villa.

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The lounge has a wall mounted television, DVD, portable CD and radio, Bluetooth Speaker with MP3 and I-Pod, USB and mobile phone connections, record player and Wii games console. There are also numerous board games and puzzles as well as DVDs, CDs and vinyl.

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External stairs also lead up to a terrace and the main door to this level. We call this terrace the breakfast terrace, as it is cool and shady in the mornings. There is a large table and 6 chairs here for outdoor dining. In addition to this each area has doors that lead out onto a front, huge balcony that wraps round the front of the villa.

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There is a dining table and chairs here too which has wonderful views over Messini Bay the Mani Peninsula and the Taygetos Mountains.

All windows and doors are fitted with insect screens which is great as you can have all the windows and doors open without worrying about any unwanted insects coming indoors.

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Cleaning:

The villa, terraces, pool, veranda and balconies are thoroughly cleaned between stays. Cleaning equipment and products are provided for guests to keep the place clean during their stay. We visit the property every 2 days to maintain the pool and water plants.

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Outside:

At the back of the villa is a carport for parking your car. From here there is a lower front door that leads to the hallway on the ground floor. 

Steps from the bedroom veranda lead down to the pool area. The swimming pool is fully automated. The depth of the pool is a level 1.35m, it is 7.6m x 4.4m. There is a pool ladder to give easy entry and exit and pool lighting for night swims. The pool is mosaic tiled. The surrounding pool area is tiled  and walled on 2 sides. The wall has lights in so the area can be used when it is dark. There is an outdoor shower and a cupboard containing pool games, a pump for inflatables and beach towels. A railed area guards steps which lead down to the pump room. There are 6 sun loungers, 3 lounger tables, parasols and a table and chairs that seat 4 people. Pool towels are provided and can be found in bedroom wardrobes. The views are across the Messini bay towards the Mountainous, Mani Peninsula.

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Villa Iremia has land amounting to 4200 metre squared.  It is extremely peaceful and private. Nic is a keen gardener. When we arrived here the land was overgrown with grasses and weeds the height of a person. This has to be strimmed regularly out of summer months to keep on top of it. There is a mid level, more formal garden and lower and upper, wilder gardens. There are 30 olive trees which provide olive oil and a large eating olive tree. There are several fig trees that produce figs which are lovely to eat and make jam from. We have planted an orange, apricot, apple, pomegranate and lemon trees.

Nic has spent hours landscaping, dry stone walling, creating seating areas and planting up the garden. It is looking good and is a work in progress. We will need to water plants during guests stays.

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FLORA AND FAUNA AT VILLA IREMIA

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PLANTS

To see the Peloponnese at its best you need to visit in springtime when there is an abundance of flowers that carpet the ground. It is truly breath taking. At Villa Iremia the grounds are covered in several species of orchids, grape hyacinths, anemones, iris, cyclamen, aconites and poppies to name but a few. Little grows in the summer due to the heat. However, we know that this season is when most people want to visit and so have worked hard to plant plants that bring colour to the grounds such as summer jasmine, hibiscus, oleander, bougainvillea, geranium, pelargonium, campsis,  salvia, osteospernum and lantana. Outside, near the washing lines we have planted herbs for your use. They include mint, thyme, marjoram, sage, rosemary and oregano. There are over 30 olive trees on the land, several fig trees, a carob tree, myrtle, prickly oaks, terebinth and yukkas.

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INSECTS

In the summer months silence is broken by the sound of cicadas during daytime and crickets at night. There are also a lot of praying mantis which are alien like, fascinating to watch and harmless to humans. There are numerous species of butterfly including Southern White Admiral,  Clouded Apollo, Swallowtail, Cleopatra and Cardinal. We are trying to attract them to the grounds by planting salvia and lavender.

In the summer months there are mosquitoes and we strongly advise that you apply a repellent when venturing out from dusk to dawn. We have found the best repellent to be 'Soft Skin' by Avon (not sold as a repellent) - we swear by this and it hasn't got the nasty chemicals in that a lot of the repellents have. 

There are stinging insects including a variety of wasps, bees and hornets. We personally haven't been pestered by them although we see many as they come to drink from the pool, outside shower and watered plants. 

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REPTILES

There are many lizards including the Greek Rock Lizard and wall Lizard. There are Geckos too and you mainly see them when sitting outside in the evenings when you have an outside light on as this attracts the insects that the Geckos feed on. There are several species of snake. Only one is poisonous and that is the Nose Horned Viper which is the only species here to have a diamond pattern on its body and so is easily identified. It is seldom that we see snakes and on the odd occasion we have they have quickly disappeared as soon as they have heard us.

We have seen and rescued tortoises from the middle of the roads and one visits the garden and we have seen Terrapins in Messinia. 

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MAMMALS

At dusk and at night you will hear some howling which sounds like a high pitched wolf. These are Golden Jackals and their howling makes us laugh as it sounds as though they are having a great party. The noise is short lived, they are just letting everyone know that they are there. We get regular visits at night from wild boar which root among the olive trees. There is normally mum, dad and several offspring. The other mammal we get visiting is the Stone Martin which are very cute but do dig up the plants on occasions. You will also see bats at night time which particularly like swooping over the swimming pool. We do get visits from feral and domestic cats and dogs. However cute, please do not encourage them by feeding them as we don't want them pestering us or other guests.

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BIRDS

At night we hear the sound of owls of which there are several species including Little, Scops, Tawny and Screech. During the day other birds of prey we've seen are Buzzards, Kestrels, Brown Eagle, Harriers, Falcons and Hawks.

Other birds that have flocked to the garden in summer are the Little Bee Eaters which are bright green/blue colour with yellow throats, very exotic! We have had a Golden Oriel visit the garden. More familiar and common birds that we have seen include Sparrows, Robins, Wagtails, Swallows, Swifts, Great Tits, Redstarts and Blackbirds. There are many Jays and Crows and sometimes Magpies. 

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 The Locality:

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The nearest airport to the villa is Kalamata. It is open from the end of March to the end of October. It is a 35 minute drive to the villa from the airport. Some guests choose to fly to Athens and this is a 2 hour 40 minute journey by car to the villa. If hiring a car we recommend hiring a SUV, 4x4 wheel drive or a car with a high undercarriage as the track from the village of Kakorrema to the villa is unsurfaced.

The villa is a 10 minute drive from the village of Chrani on the periphery of a hamlet called Kakorrema. The Greek word Kakorrema means 'Bad River' as the hamlet sits on the side of a gorge at the bottom of which runs the river. Kakorrema has a church and a separate chapel and cemetry . There is an ancient olive tree that is worth a look, a Tourkos well and a disused school house. 

Chrani village has 6 tavernas, 2 cafes, 3 beach bars, a mini market next to Billy's Place which is a fast food  eatery, a bakery called Bake which is also a cafe, a gift shop and estate agent. The nearest beach is also here. 

A 20 minute drive towards  Kalamata brings you to the market town of Petalidi. Here you will find a Post Office, Banks with ATMs, a very good pharmacy, bakeries, mini markets, hardware stores and many cafes and tavernas. Every Friday morning, on the seafront there is a very good market where you can buy produce from local farmers; fruit, vegetables, nuts, eggs, olive oil and honey. The market also sells clothes, footwear, baskets and garden plants. We shop here regularly for all our fresh produce. 

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From Chrani in the other direction you will find the nearest petrol station at a place called Episkopi, which is not signed. The bay here is a great place for swimming. The next village you come to is called Agios Andreas. Here you will find 2 bakeries, Pharmacy, traditional gift shop, two mini markets, cafes and tavernas. It also has a charming harbour. There is a turning on the right which leads to the village of Logga where there is a very good medical Centre, taverna and two cafes as well as a very good hardware store.

The next village you come to from Agios Andreas, on the main road, is Nea Koroni. We think this has the best super market and it is where we often do our weekly shop. On entering Nea Koroni you will come to a large roundabout/square, the super market is the first right turning and is immediately on your left. Continuing on the main road you will next come to Chariokopia as you come out the village past the Shell garage, at the point where the sign is that tells you you are leaving the village, there is a turning to the left which leads you to a parking area from where you can walk down to a wonderful beach called Triada. It has no facilities but is very beautiful.

 

After Chariokopia you come to the beautiful seaside town of Koroni it has a castle above it and a Nunnery which is a great place to visit.

We chose this area to live due to its beauty but also due to its proximity to things to see and do. Please see the excursion section for details of the many wonderful places to visit.

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