Inside:
Villa Arbutus consists of two bedrooms, a bathroom and well appointed kitchen and a large
dining/sittingroom. There is a large covered veranda at the front of the house facing West
(accessed from the living room) and a second smaller balcony adjacent to the master bedroom.
The master bedroom contains a king-size double bed, wardrobes, vanity table, etc. The second bedroom is a small twin room. Both bedrooms are fitted with large mosquito nets.
All the rooms have high vaulted ceilings finished in wood panelling. Floors are all stone.
There is also a divan in the living room which makes a fine bed. A cot is available on
request.
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Outside:
Steps lead down from the veranda/balcony to the terracing surrounding the pool.
The infinity pool measures slightly in excess of 7 x 4 metres (approximately 33 mē)
and is regularly cleaned by the maintenance crew.
There are BBQ facilities and a variety of outdoor furniture to relax on. There is also a hammock which can be slung between a couple of the olive trees further down the grove.
There are numerous shady spots for sitting out of the direct sun and the wind builds up every afternoon during the summer months to provide a cooling breeze - Vasiliki bay (just around the corner but out of sight) is reckoned to be one of the best windsurfing spots in Greece, if not Europe.
The house sits at the top of a one acre (4,000 square metre) terraced olive grove of
great antiquity which, in the spring and autumn, also supports a great variety of other
flora including crocuses, orchids, cyclamen & wild grass varieties found only rarely in the UK these days.
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Ecology:
The house was built to be as green as possible -- the basic structure is built in wood which
uses a fraction of the energy required to build in concrete and which locks up carbon
rather than releasing it. All the electricity is generated on-site using photo-voltaic
panels and the power circuit is a 12 volt DC system.
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Power:
The fridge (which includes a small freezer compartment) is a highly efficient 12 volt
appliance, lighting uses 12 volt LED or fluorescent lights, there is a 12 volt CD and
speakers and charging points for batteries and any other 12 volt DC appliances
(such as MP3 players, iPods, laptops, mobile phones etc). If you wish to run/charge any
such items you will need to have your own 12 volt charger
(ie with an in-car/cigarette lighter type plug).
Hot water is provided by a solar-powered system which is more than adequate for most of the year of the year
- certainly throughout the season. Take care in the summer - it gets very hot.
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Wildlife:
Most wildlife in the Med tends to hunker down in the heat of the summer days but we have
seen wild boar, foxes and hares. A pair of European eagle owls have nested either in our
grove or right next door for the past few years and regularly arrive at the pool in the
evening to drink. These are magnificent birds and seem completely unafraid of
humans so long as you move slowly. Dolphins live out in the bay and Lefkas is regularly visited
by migratory birds in the spring and autumn. Curiously, there are pheasants living on the peninsula.
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