Villa Avlaki

Villa Avlaki is ideally located on the north coast of the Greek island of Lesbos, overlooking the cobalt-blue Aegean Sea. The nearest airport is Mytilini International, sixty kilometres from the villa, a scenic one and a half hour drive through the Lesbos countryside. If you are island hopping the nearest port is also at the island’s capital, Mytilini. Villa Avlaki is set on a hill overlooking the Aegean sea, with views towards St George’s islets, and Rabbit island, which you can visit.

The nearest sandy beach of Anaxos is a thirty minute stroll away. Other notable beaches within the vicinity are Ambelia, Tsichranta, and a naturist beach, for an all-over tan. The villa is just two kilometres north of the quaint village of Petra, an area that has been inhabited since ancient times. Petra is a haven of narrow cobbled streets, cafes, bars, restaurants, shops full of hidden treasures, a beautiful horseshoe bay blue flag beach, and the famous Ouzo distillery. Well worth a visit is Vareltzidiana’s House, a restored merchant’s house, full of local history. Overlooking the village is the delightfully named eighteenth century Greek Orthodox Church of Panagia Glykofilousa, aka Our Lady of the Sweet Kiss, visit for the views.

Nearby Molyvos, once known as Mythimna, is one of the most beautiful medieval villages and has been awarded protected status. The village is built like an amphitheatre, all the houses are made out of stone and wood, narrow winding alleys lead to squares with Turkish fountains and merchant’s mansions, that wend their way down to a beautiful sandy beach, a cobalt blue sea and a working harbour. The landmark thirteenth-century Byzantine castle stands proudly at the top of the town, climb the rocky hill and ancient fortifications, to be rewarded at the top with sweeping panoramic sea views. Enjoy a day wandering the alleyways, shopping for olive oil, ouzo, honey, herbs, and local hand-made crafts, visit the Municipal Art Gallery, and then sit by the seashore for a dinner of freshly caught fish, most notably sardines and barbounia.

Visit the nearby coastline of Eftalou, famous for its hot springs, with therapeutic properties that are reputed to help rheumatism and arthritis, with a big organised beach and crystal clear waters. A day trip to the capital of Mytilini is a sixty kilometre drive from the villa, a bustling town that is blessed with cultural museums and theatres, cafes and restaurants, churches and monasteries, souvenir shops and a harbour that can take you island hopping.

There is so much to see and do around the island, if you are feeling active there are lots of hiking trails, where you can discover the local flora and fauna. Lesbos is famous for its excellent bird-watching, at Kelloni Nature Reserve you can spot over two hundred and fifty species. Take a tour of over two hundred caves scattered across the island, believed to be originally neolithic places of worship. Discover an aquatic world snorkelling and scuba diving. Lose yourself in the unique and natural phenomenon that is the Petrified Forest, created from intense volcanic activity. Then visit the nearby museum at Sigri, which is dedicated to researching, promoting, displaying, and preserving it. Go on a wine tour and sample the fruits of the harvest, and most of all make sure you don’t miss the World of Ouzo Museum at Isodoros Avvanitis.

At the end of a busy day sightseeing, sit back and watch the stars appear on the big screen as the stars come out to shine at the open-air cinema specially constructed for the summer in the nearby molyvos. For those who want to venture further afield, the port at Mytilini has ferries that can take you to the neighbouring islands of Lindos, Samos, Chios, and beyond.

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