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As the night fades away and the first
glimmer of light appears, stroll through the
gardens, watch as the last stars disappear,
listen as the birds wake up and flit to and
fro, then hear the silence! Not another
living thing to be seen or heard. The magic
silence of Levendis, a place to be truly
alive, is why we keep returning - this time
for our honeymoon. Too many thank yous to
put on paper!
Rob and Nita,
Sept/Oct 07
What a week! My favourite thing? an early
morning swim followed by a cappuccino and
dining at the local restaurant, fabulous
meals, brilliant service and could drink as
much as we liked with only an 8 minute walk
down the lane home. Five-star child care and
cleaning. Brilliant concept - all of it!!
Fiona, Gary and Samuel (5
months), Oct 07
Browsing the web during the dark
months in Ireland, Levendis seemed the
perfect antedote. With two very small
children we needed something easy going and
laid back and Levendis hitthe spot. I wasn't
relishing the thought of airports and travel
but the trek was not so bad and certainly
well worth it. We've had our own private
space yet the company of others if you wish
to avail. There is nothing to do, but plenty
to do. Days have been unstructured and the
opportunity to idle the hours away has been
a rare luxury. Ithaca is a charming island,
picture perfect and unspoiled. Plenty of
food choices made meal planning so easy.
This along with the option of eating in was
part of the appeal of Levendis. It's our
getaway spot, purely idyllic. Thank you to
you all.
Emma and Richard, Emily
(3-1/2) and William (1-1/2), October 2007
We've lost count of our holidays here
now! Time becomes irrelevant, all that
matters is that Levendis is here for
us..........
Rob and Nita, April 2006
We've had a brilliant holiday. We'd love to
come back. Our holiday was filled with fun
and exploring and the pool was lovely.
Molly (7), Megan (5),
Stella (6) and Tessa (3), June 06
Luxurious and authentic - a rare combination
indeed. It's not easy to find a place where
you can truly relax and be excited by what
you see at the same time
Ellie, Jack and Ellery
(10), June 06, Melbourne
Another fortnight at Levendis, exactly as
needed. Thank you so much for your wonderful
breakfasts and delicious BBQ food
Ed Weekes, (13), Kent
I'd like it to be our first day, but
actually it's our last. First time we saw
Levendis last August, we found it so
surprisingly beautiful! This year we came
back and, knowing the place already, we
found it so...........surprisingly
beautiful!...........Has any other guest
ever asked to be twined into an olive tree,
so as to stay at Levendis for ages....?
Antonella, Antonio and
Valeria (8 1/2), Rome August 06
Last breakfast in the sun! wishing we had a
least a few more days. This year I brought
my Dad and all my brothers, their
wives/girlfriends and kids, and we've all
had a fantastic celebration of Dad's 70th.
Pete and Carly, Harvey (3)
and Heidi (6 mths), June 06
I think the word that springs to mind is
'relaxed'. We've had a great family holiday,
everything made easy for us so that all we
had to do was unwind...........we got real
good at unwinding!!
David and Claire, Stella
and Tessa, June 06
To use the old simile, a holiday at Levendis
is like a swan - it porceeds serenely and
gracefully....we quickly found ways to just
'be'....pool...... lunches of salads and
ratatouille with the excellent homegrown
vegetables and - don't miss it - a superb
massage in the 'massage temple'.......Many
thanks to Levendis for setting this example
of 'gentle tourism'. We explored beaches,
mountains....frescoes.....strange
atmospheric villages where the ghosts of the
1953 earthquake still walk. We have relaxed
in style! It works!
Helen and Galen,
Sheffield, July 06
We've loved it here. Sad to leave and wish
we'd booked a longer stay..........there's
always next time
Derek, Liza and Aidan (2),
Marblehead, Ma., July 06
From the day we arrived to now, when we
await the taxi to begin our journey home, we
continue to pinch ourselves to make sure we
are alive - this place is like a heaven! We
will always remember the surroundings, the
amazing views, that feeling of total
relaxation - helped by magnificent massages
- the mountain walks, and most of all the
hospitality shown to us at Levendis. Eloise
(4 1/2) made good friends, and we're sure
Camryn (2) enjoyed everything. We hope to
make the long journey back on day!
Dave and Sam, Eloise and
Camryn, Melbourne, September 06
Our holiday was delightful. We greatly
enjoyed venturing up to the Coffee Shop
every morning, where Ben and I would tuck
into delicious waffles. It really is
worthwhile to do down to the pool after
dinner and watch the bats glide in for a
drink. If you're lucky you can see swallows
doing the same in the afternoons. Thanks for
being fabulous hosts, and hope to see you
again soon!
Phoebe (15) Ben (12),
Jamie and Mel, Suffolk, August 06
So many new, good experiences and foods.
Found the cute bay at the bottom of the
track, such clear warm water and nosey
little fish! Everything about this holiday
has been A1 from pre-hol. information by
email, to the ticketing agents work, the
trip from the airport to Levendis......DO:
watch the bats skinny-dipping in the pool,
have a massage down in the wooden pavilion
overlooking the bay (fabulous setting!),
enjoy a mulberry smoothie, fine the wild
blackberries down the track (scrumptious),
and come back......actually don't, as we
don't want Levendis fully booked when we try
to come back next year!
Angela and Hannah, UK,
September 06
A perfect family holiday - the time, space
and peace to be together and apart. Thank
you. We go home feeling revived after an
awful two years. We thoroughly recommend the
Levendis child-carer, so wonderfully
trustworthy that our rather picky 18 month
old loved being with her. She's also a great
cook so, for anyone with a toddler or small
children, she makes your holiday a perfect
one. I can't do justice to the herbs, the
smells, the sea, the sky, the walks and the
pleasure of seeing so much fruit and salad
growing so freely around the grounds. Thank
you!
Raine, Anthony and Rachel,
May 2006
Our week on Ithaca has been a wonderful
experience with all its lovely villages,
private little coves, wonderful tavernas and
friendly people. Levendis is run so well,
everyone in the family doing their part to
provide us with fresh vegetables, breads,
breakfasts, wonderful landscaping and
gardens....our stay has been a memorable
one.
Lyn and Gus, Melbourne,
June 2006
....wonderful, restful place and we've
enjoyed the peace and ranquility of being
here.....long restful days and evenings with
the rich aroma of plants wafting in the air.
It's been very hot, but the surroundings are
very 'cool'. Thanks too for my surprise 60th
cake and bottle, much appreciated. We're now
ready for work again.
Terry and Sharon, England,
June 06
Yet another exquisite family holiday, from
the fragrances greeting you, to the serenity
and restfulness of Levendis. Matt's thanks
for removing his stitches and to everyone
for keeping the kids well fed and
entertained. We can only hope for another
Levendis holiday!
Dave and Christie, Matt
(5) and James (2), July 2006
I really enjoyed Levendis and mostly the
trip they organised for me to go
horse-riding. Dad saw a pine martin and some
bats, but I saw a gecko and a humming gird
moth. The pool is great and I think it's the
best holiday yet.
Natalie (9), August 06
What a wonderful family holiday - three
cheers to the internet! We've been wanting
to come here for 3 years and finally we made
it, and it's been a joy and everything we
expected - a very special place. Thank you
for making everything so easy and achievable
for us. The massage was a particular
highlight and the setting completely
heavenly - all power to the masseuse's
elbow!! We're sad to leave and thank you for
your relaxed hospitality and hope very much
to be back again, horrendous work schedules
permitting!
Susie and Adam, Louis(5)
Isobel (2) and Hal (9 mths), August 06
What a wonderful way to come back to my
beloved Ithaki! I can't believe how gorgeous
Levendis has grown to be - incredible pool,
sublime massage in the forest, hymmy
produce, perfect coffee every morning, hot
smells of lavender and sage, the fantastic
way the geckos fly up the stair ahead of us,
I could go on forever! Anyone who discovers
Ledvendis and its family will be very lucky
indeed. Magical.
Emm and Andy, September,
06
How do we praise thee!! Enough to say,
coming from a long way away, that it was all
my daughter-in-law raved about. What a
beautiful corner and a welcoming place
you've made here.
Simcha and Arthur, South
Africa, Sept 06
A quick dash to catch the taxi! We
absolutley loved it here - thank you! thank
you! thank yoiu!
Brigit, James and Maya
(1), Sept 06
What a wonderful place to have a 13th
birthday. Thank you for the cake and
arranging the yacht for our birthday and our
parents anniversar;, and we especially
enjoyed the pool, the waffles and barbeque.
Please let us come back!
Tom and Ed, England,
August 2005
Well, it's our third visit, our parents 2nd,
and our baby's 1st......a week isn't enough
here. Next time it's two. Levendis, the
island and you...love you all! Jasmine (7
months) loved her first swim in the pool,
falling asleep in the hammock and staying up
past bedtime!
Richard and Natasha,
London, August 2005
We were married just one week ago.....an
amazingly perfect and wonderful party.....
and, then, Levendis. Aahhhhh! Advice? Hire a
boat, tour the coves and secret shoreline of
Ithaca, dine under the stars and focus on
your loved one/s with you - the lucky
person/people sharing this special adventure
that so few in the world will have a chance
to experience......find yourselves at
Levendis.
Jo and Robyn, USA, Sept
2005
It was very late, a gorgeous, windy, dark
night, when we arrived. I knew, even before
I'd seen the view, that Levendis was more
than beautiful. Then came morning and the
view of the Bay was more stunning than I
could ever have imagined. Then, similing
greetings, laughter, amazing conversations,
wonderful meals and the truest sense of
generosity that I've ever known.
Thank you all so very much
Karin, Ohio, Sept 2005
A winter trip alone, with a week of writing
the aim, was convoluted and long.....an
odyssey to the island of The Odyssey. I
arrived at 1 am, thoroughly exhausted. But
you were both here, the fire was roaring and
we had a cup of tea and I thought, hey, this
is going to be good......The week has been
great. I've loved waking to light the fire,
sit at the kitchen bench with my cup of tea
and watch the gulls show off above the
gorgeous peacock blue bay below. I've
written so much, and yet have spent long
hours enjoying the island, tavernas in the
winter, the wonderful Greek music CDs you
shared. A week, even in winter, should have
been two or three.
Cesca, Geneva, February
2005
Wild sage and thyme, the pool, the best
mosquito net I've ever seen.......glorious
weather, friendly guests and a timeless
place. Breakfasts at the coffee shop have
been an event not to be missed. Everything
we wanted for our honeymoon. We'll be
back.......what a wonderful place you've
created at Levendis
Kam and Clare, England,
June 2005
Saturday afternoon, I'm going to pack my
things. I can see Aphales Bay, I can hear my
daughter's laughter from the pool, I can
smell the many scents that all the greatest
poets who've written about Ithaca, even
Kavafis and Homer, have always failed to
describe. I will never forget the moment
when the beautiful house and Aphales Bay
showed up to me. Inside, the house of stone,
finely finished in wood, was my dream come
true, so neat and elegant, but cosy and
country with a marine spirit. Then we
discovered the pool. There one cannot fail
to see what is expressed and achieved in the
creation of Levendis, through love, respect
and self-commitment. And where else, in
August, could you walk 10 minutes to spend a
day entirely alone with your family on a
white pebble beach with clear cool waters.
Unfortunately, even in Greece, so many
places have already paid their tribute to
that sad destiny some people call
'development'. Mal and Spero have saved
Levendis from such a future, with a very
good idea and lesson to whomever has ears to
hear. We have visited and seen the most
beautiful sites in Ithaca and we have never
felt sorry to come back home in the evening!
Antonio, Antonella and
Valeria, Rome, August 2005
A couple of "must do's": First, do
nothing.....you are in the best place, just
stay by the pool and read. Second, if you
must be more active, hire a motor dinghy,
fantastic day. And thank you for doign what
no other holiday home/hotel I've ever stayed
at has done, and that's answering all your
questions and giving all the recommendations
you could ever need, before you've even
thought to ask! I felt relaxed from day one.
Rachel, England, September
2005
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