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levendi's estate
description : Levendis is an organic olive farm on the shores of the Ionian island of Ithaca providing family-friendly, romantic and eco-chic accommodation and facilities. Perched on the side of a valley and having spectacular sea views, the Estate includes four houses each set into its own fragrant gardened terraces, a salt-water infinity pool, outdoor cooking and dining and an al fresco Massage Pavilion hidden in a forest glade. Quality and hospitality are the abiding hallmarks at this secluded get-away. Perched on a hillside of the northern-most tip of the island, Levendis is a working Estate which has produced organic olive oil for four generations. Its grounds stretch from the shoreline up the hillside of a quiet wooded valley, providing seascape views and offering guests the seclusion and privacy of a country estate, with the added benefit of the sea directly below, and villages within 3 kilometers. High summer is nearly all families with children under about l5 years, whilst April - June and Sept - Oct is mainly adults wanting walking/retreat type holidays and a sprinkling of couples with very small children.
accommodation: facilities have have recently been added to the property. Four houses scattered throughout the groves provide quality accommodation for the most discerning guest. Each is set within its own perfumed garden terraces; and outdoor lawn loungers in the shade of trees, along with a summer dining area on vined terraces, take full advantage of spectacular sea views. Footpaths wander throughout the Estate connecting the houses with a morning coffee shop, organic herb and vegetable gardens, an outdoor cooking and refectory dining area, a separate farm area, an infinity pool with shaded colonnade, sun terrace and summer house, and further through a native forest where hammocks and relaxation areas are in shaded glens, to eventually end at a small pebbled swimming cove. Each of our houses has two bedrooms with French doors leading into vine shaded verandahs with sea views. There is a fully equipped kitchen, sitting room with wood burning heater and a bathroom. Houses are quite separate and each has outdoor dining facilities and its own private gardens extending into the groves. Pathways and stairs which ultimately connect and lead down to the pool link them. Beyond the pool and summer house, the path meanders into the forest where hammocks strung in shaded enclaves beckon an hour’s read or siesta. Or follow paths through the maquis of myrtle, lentisk and herbs to a small pebbled cove where you’ll almost certainly be alone to lazily snorkel away a morning in sparkling clear seas, then perhaps enjoy a picnic lunch.
A daily maid service, cars and private airport transfers are included in all tariffs. On request staff will arrange child care and/or full nanny service, the services of a cook and/or home-cooked meal deliveries, picnic hampers, motor boat hire, walking trail maps and advice, fresh bread deliveries daily, and they are happy to share their knowledge of cooking with locally-sourced products to produce traditional fare. The morning coffee shop provides a more social alternative to breakfasting in your own house – spontaneous symposia often continue until early afternoon, a lazy afternoon by the pool or on the sea, and then its time for long, pre-dinner aperitifs followed by dining under the stars – days are loaded with tranquillity and the most difficult decision is whether to wander to the pool or stay on the lawn lounger and start another book!!
surroundings:
Ithaca is the well known island of Homer's Ulysses, but little known as a holiday and recreational destination. Ideal for eco-tourism and activity holidays, its gentle beauty, undiscovered green valleys, mountains and many crystal clear swimming coves make it the perfect all seasons' holiday. Levendis provides you with immeasurable tranquillity and beauty set within the idyllic backdrop of Homer’s legendary island. Whether you are planning a holiday for your family, a group of friends, a romantic retreat or an extended-family holiday, Levendis is a unique environment for a perfect holiday in any season. Geographically spectacular, the island is mostly ignored by summer throngs. Consisting of three heavily wooded mountains which plunge into crystal clear waters, the indented coastline provides many small swimming coves which, even in high summer, are often yours for the day. Most are accessible only by motor dinghy and all provide idyllic long days of lazy snorkelling and swimming. Within 3 km of Levendis there are three villages which provide a wide choice of tavernas for evening dining by the sea; or for spending late afternoons idly watching the life of the village from the comfort of a shaded outdoor café.
other
details: Whilst we take great joy in having a unique holiday destination, Levendi's is also a farm growing a bounty of organic foods. We invite you to help yourself to fresh produce from the vegetable and herb gardens, fruits and nuts from the trees, preserves, honey and herbal teas. And to this we add our olive oil and pickled olives, and our neighbour's organic wine.
environment
and ecology: The
environmental/ecological impact of creating accommodation and facilities
within the groves at Levendis has been carefully planned to be a positive
and healthy one simply because our environment is what we have.
Firstly, in building our houses we used the traditional Ithacan
architectural style, and surrounded them with natural gardens so that
optically they blend into their surroundings.
They have been very well insulated, and are positioned to take full
advantage of the cooling affects of sea breezes; so that no air or noise
polluting air-conditioning systems are necessary for our guests’
comfort.
All rain water is collected from the roofs using the forces of
gravity to take it to an underground holding tank positioned below the
houses. It
is then pumped to large holding tanks which are hidden in the bushland
well above the houses and then, again using the silent forces of gravity,
each house is supplied with fresh
rain water.
A separate system of collecting ground water for garden watering
has been installed. Underground pipes run horizontally across the entire
hillside each joining to a central pipeline which leads to another
underground holding tank.
Thus water damage to our severely sloping hillside has been halted
and gardens can be watered sparingly in times of drought.
By providing guests with bathroom products which we make with
biodegradable natural ingredients the grey waters from our sewerage system
can be used to water the citrus orchard.
In winter our houses are heated by slow-combustion wood burning
heaters, using wood we collect when olive trees are pruned annually.
Just
as care of the environment was paramount in the creation of facilities and
accommodation at Levendis, during our day to day operation, attention to
the environment and ecology is the first consideration.
During the olive harvest no part of the trees is wasted.
Just as we use the wood for heating, the fruit provides our oil and
pickled olives and smaller branches and leaves are put through a mulching
machine and used as our garden mulch to save unnecessary watering.
We make compost to enrich the poor
soil by collecting garden prunings, the litter from the winter sheds used
by our sheep and hens, weeds from the gardens, kitchen food waste and old
newspapers, cardboard, etc.
Twenty-five percent of our property is covered with natural
bushland and cypress forest.
Ten years ago this area was completely overgrown to the detriment
of the plants and trees.
We now manage this wonderfully rich ecosystem.
We maintain small naturally-surfaced paths which meander through
the forest so that guests are able to appreciate the variety of plants in
the Mediterranean maquis and forest.
Shaded sitting areas have been made and the paths give access to
the beaches below the Estate.
Large areas have been left untouched as they provide important
nesting areas for birds, which, in turn, we need to keep the gardens and
olive trees free of detrimental insects. Our
guests are invited to participate in our ‘carbon-free flights’ re-forestation
plan, by purchasing the number of trees required to negate the carbon
emissions of their flights to Greece.
This is an extension of an NGO’s work here in Greece, and our
guests can choose to have their trees planted at Levendis or making
contributions directly to the NGO which works to replant natural forests
on Greece’s barren mountainsides after forest fires. contact us for further details and pricing: Please phone or fax to: +30 6944 169 770 eMail: levendis@otenet.gr
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