Living 4 The Sun

In February 2003 after a great deal of research, we bought a level 850m² olive grove just outside the village of Neochori, which is only 2 kms from the beaches of Stoupa and 4kms from the picturesque fishing port of Aghios Nikolaos.

Just five minutes stroll from the house are two Kafenions - both serving excellent food, plus a restaurant, a corner shop and two bakeries. A short drive to Stoupa adds two large supermarkets, a pharmacy and an excellent range of restaurants, bars and shops. Kalamata airport is one hour away and the city’s elegant sea-front and many shops provide a pleasant balance to village and sea-side living.

The Mani is a treasure trove of ancient sites, Tower Houses, Byzantine Churches, the Taygetos Mountains and the historic towns of Areopoli and Gythio - for ferry connection to Crete.

Olympia, Sparta and the palaces of Mystras are only a day trip away.

The House was designed and built for us by a local Architect/Builder team and is constructed from hand-carved Mani Marble with Sand-stone Cornerstones. With a floor area of 148m² it is a spacious and elegant all-year round Home.

The specification includes Double Glazed Scandinavian Pine window- frames and central heating from a “Wolf“ oil-fired boiler. Hot water is provided by Solar Panels, Immersion Heater and this is supplemented by the heating system in wintertime.

With over 110m² of patios, balconies and external paving there are many options for sunny or shaded seating and entertaining.

The kitchen/dining room is accessed from a covered front entrance porch and has windows on three sides that give close-up views of the gardens around the house.

Fully equipped with fridge-freezer, fan oven, ceramic-hob, extractor fan and in-built washing machine. A stainless steel 1½ bowl drainer completes the fittings.

An extensive range of cupboards and drawer units, island work top/breakfast bar and matching glass-fronted dresser provides extensive storage for food, crockery etc.

A corner boot/shoe cupboard adds further hide-away storage.

All kitchen floor and wall tiles are from Italy and this is repeated throughout the house.

To the side of the dining area is an open inner hall-way leading to the two ground-floor bedrooms and the family bathroom.

A generous marble staircase with ornamental balustrade rises from the hallway to the upstairs areas.

The downstairs bathroom is fitted with sanitary-ware from “Ideal Standard ” and has a large tile-surround mirror over the hand-basin.

The main bedroom runs the full width of the house with two garden windows and a double french-window to the front . It is fully fitted with two large wardrobes and has a separate matching drawer/storage unit for bedding and clothing.

The french-windows lead out onto a covered, shady patio that we use for breakfast and outside meals.

This patio, sheltered by flowering shrubs is a cozy sheltered area and faces the sea and the Messinian Peninsula in the distance.

The second, double-bedroom has a wardrobe and large under-stairs storage cupboard. Double French-windows lead onto a private patio with steps down to the rear garden and superb views to the foothills of the Taygetos mountains.

Off this paved area a Boiler-Room/Tool-Store houses the oil-fired boiler and a 1000 litre fuel storage tank.

Underneath the patio in a small store is the pump for the 1000 litre reserve domestic water tank.

The upstairs living room is an open, light and airy space of over 40m² with a vaulted ceiling rising to 3.5 metres at the center. It has five windows and a large French-window to the balcony and is light-filled and fresh all year round.

The views from the rear windows across the olive groves to the mountains are especially spectacular and frequently show a variety of eagles, buzzards and other exotic birds.

To the front a large split-level balcony of around 30m² faces the Sea, Stoupa and the Messinian peninsula.

From the left balcony a spiral steel staircase returns to the lower patio area.

Accessed from the living room a large luxurious shower room allows the living room to be converted into an occasional en-suite facility (however, we prefer to use this option ourselves as it frees-up the family space on the ground floor for visitors).

Again, all sanitary-ware is from “Ideal Standard”.

With its vaulted ceiling and huge walk-in shower this is an ideal facility for use in Summer.

The low maintenance garden is stocked with Olive, Plum, Citrus, Apricot, Peach, Pomegranate, Musmullah, Apple, Almond and Passion-fruit.

Last year the olive trees produced 15 litres of wonderful oil and we expect this to double when the younger trees mature.

In spring the ground below the trees becomes a carpet of multicoloured wild flowers that continue until the first summer strim.

All the paved areas are backed and softened by rockeries and ornamental shrubs and trees.

Features:

• 148 m² living space
• 850 m² land with olive, fruit and ornamental trees
• 2/3 bedrooms
• luxury fitted kitchen/dining room
• 2 bathrooms
• Double glazed with central heating

Buy direct from the owner