For the first time in 15 years, we have not sent out one of our Villa Loukia Christmas Cards.  A family tragedy in late November set back all the normal planning.  So instead I am doing the first Villa Loukia newsletter!

I am writing this on December 21st - it is 15 years to the day since we bought the very basic villa, without a pool or garden, just built in the olive grove above Kassiopi.  What an adventure the past 15 years have been.  We have met and had contact with so many people from different countries and from all around the UK .  Loukia has provided holidays to couples, groups, and growing families alike.  It has seen big birthdays celebrated, anniversaries and even a honeymoon.  And some guests have come back year after year.  And for us, new friendships have been created.

Whilst I was at Loukia at the end of this season in late October, I went through all the many thousands of photos that we have taken, cataloguing the way Loukia has evolved and improved over the years.  I have made an album of the adventure, which you will be able to see in the villa next year.  

2022 saw Villa Loukia back to 'normal' following the two pandemic years.  Many of our guests this year had been waiting a long time for their holiday, as Covid had forced many postponements.  It was lovely seeing guests confidently travelling once more and without testing, masks and PLFs!  Let's hope those days are firmly behind us.

Nick and I have worked very hard creating the Villa Loukia of today and so we are always so pleased when guests contact us soon after arriving at Loukia with messages like this one:

Well. Wow. This is absolutely lovely! The villa looked great from the pictures but in real life it’s 10 times better!    Just confirming we are in ok. VERY happy with everything. It feels like a very loved house. Also - you will probably think we are totally bonkers - but what is your availability looking like next summer!?   

That really says it all!  

We are all facing difficult times this winter, so having holidays to dream about is always a good way of getting through the winter.   I have good availability for 2023 with the exception of June and August and I have taken a booking for 2024.  Planning ahead does guarantee you the weeks you want and at the previous year's price.  Also the best deals on flights are always when they are first released.

The booking platforms (with the exception of Simply Owners which is free) seem to become ever more costly for our guests, so booking direct is the most cost effective way.  Next year, I want to find a way that you can do an instant booking directly with me (for those of you who don't prefer the personal touch!) - more news on that when it happens.

We continue to strive to make holidays at Loukia as sustainable as they possibly can be.  We made 61.5% of the electricity used from our solar panels this summer and I once again offset the carbon used in running Loukia and all guest flights.  In addition we have just planted a further 9 cyprus trees in the olive grove.  

We had our first guests arrive by train and ferry this year from London - will try and get a blog done about their experience early next year.

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Best Wishes

Lucy

Once again we have offset the carbon used in everyone's holidays at Loukia this season.  This includes flights, electricity (we made 61% of what we needed from the PVS), car transport, staff etc.

In addition we are just buying 9 large Cyprus Trees to be planted in the olive grove over the winter.

Thu, 12 May, 12:48 

Hi lucy,

Just a short message to say how much we loved the villa.
Inside and out it was spectacular. Your eye for detail is superb.
AND THAT VIEW
Being an avid cook, I found the kitchen to very well equipped and did a LOT of cooking.
The bedrooms were also fantastic and a good night's sleep after a night of partaking in Kassiopi is very important!
As you know we’ve been coming to Kassiopi since 1981 and it’s great to see that the standard you are showing just warms the heart.
Keep up the great work.
Regards
Keith 

1.     Energy:  During 2021 Villa Loukia used 9684 kwh of electricity.  However, Villa Loukia also created 8588 kwh of energy from her Photovoltaic roof panels.  This means the total number of kwh used to run Villa Loukia was just 1096.

2.     We have offset the electricity used and all flights connected to the villa (ie the flights taken by all guests).  This comes to a total of 28 tonnes.

3.     To offset other omissions created by the cars hired, cars driven by staff, laundry and the general running of the villa, we are planting 2 new Cypress Trees and 2 fast growing Paulownia trees in the olive grove.  They are reported to absorb 10 x more C02 than other trees.  We are doing this in collaboration with Vassilis Sofitis of www.poolsandgardens.gr.  If this is successful, then we aim to extend this planting next autumn through Villa Loukia’s olive grove.

4.     From 2023 we plan to start charging for the use of the pool heater in low season (April/early May or late September/October) .  Often the pool is heated even though the guests are not using it which is not good environmentally.  We feel that bringing in a charge will focus people’s minds as to whether they really want it heated or not.  Obviously for most of the season the sun does a perfect job of heating the pool naturally.

5.     At Villa Loukia we remain committed to recycling and the use of eco-friendly products wherever possible.

6.     Our offsetting policy is at our own expense and is a personal pledge to creating a better future for our granddaughter, Imogen.

Really recommend e-biking in low season.  S-Bikes in Acharavi have really good bikes and will supply you with maps and routes.  

Sat, Aug 01 – Sat, Aug 15, 2020

Fantastic Villa

This is an absolutely fabulous villa. We stayed with 4 teenagers and Kassiopi is perfect to leave them safely in town after dinner. Mostly they walked back but taxis were available. The villa is very well equipped with everything you need and then a bit more. All of very high quality. Having stayed in many Homeaway villas I would say this is the best. The owner is very COVID conscious and safe - for example the dvd library was not in use ( but you didn’t need it as there are so many films available on the tv) and there is also extra cleaning etc. The shops were also COVID aware. I would highly recommend a visit even in this pandemic. Finally the view from the upstairs balcony is unbelievable and has to be experienced.

23/8/2020 at 18:34

From the moment we walked through the door, it was obvious this was the best villa we had ever stayed at. There were so many lovely touches, the view was amazing, the pool was delightful, the beds were so comfy, in fact, it was so good we are going to try and go back next year. 

I cannot think of enough superlatives to describe this villa! Beautiful inside and out, incredible views, spacious, extremely well equipped, comfy beds, well maintained pool and gardens, spotlessly clean, every extra you could think of, from phone charging sockets, Sky TV, table tennis to large and fluffy pool towels, lilos and outside drinks fridge! We loved the fact that it is Eco-friendly with solar panels, and separate recycling, and working towards being completely carbon neutral.

The owner Lucy is incredibly helpful, from the initial enquiry, through the whole booking process, and was always speedy in replying to any queries we had.

I would heartedly recommend this villa. We are hoping to book for next year! Many thanks x

'Kassiopi is a delightful little village with a great selection of restaurants clustered around the harbour. Villa Loukia, on the hill behind, is a great place to stay to enjoy it all. The villa has been fantastically equipped and the layout is perfect for a family or small group of friends. Many little extras set it apart.. luxury linen, towels and toiletries are provided and the air con and fitted mosquito blinds are brilliant. Lots of idyllic outside seating areas to enjoy the amazing views over the sea. The pool is a good size and fluffy pool towels are provided. You will need a car though. The owner Lucy was a pleasure to deal with and provided lots of helpful information. Would most definitely recommend.'

Villa Loukia was originally built in 2007 by the extremely charismatic Andreas  Vlachos.  However the upgrading work of 2016 and 2017 has been completed by Chris Giannoukas.  We can not speak more highly  of Chris and his team.  I have never seen men work so hard or listen more carefully to what the client wants.  He has to be one of the finest builders on the island.

Villa Loukia has been mainly furnished with hand-made items made by local craftsmen.  All the iron furniture in the bedrooms and some in the living room was made for us by the wonderful Kostas Mastrantonis.  His work  receives many compliments.  We have also recently discovered Corfu Glass and they have hand crafted all our wall lights - an example is above. 

When it comes to the art in Villa Loukia that has come from our village back in England.  Above the fire place is an Elizabeth Dalziel photo of a corn flower, taken in the olive grove at the villa.  A Tina Hunter painting hangs at the bottom of the stairs and the ponies at the top of the stairs were painted for me by our eldest son, Robbie.  I hope to add to this collection.

I am a cat lover - I have two gorgeous Bengals back in the UK.  But cats on Corfu are wild.  If they are fed through the summer then they suffer in the winter when all the guests (and food supply) are gone. The cats are also a big nuisance if they are hanging around villas  - they bring disease and fleas, sit on all the cushions leaving them dirty, etc.  And of course some of our guests might be cat intolerant. It only takes one guest to feed them for the cats to stay close to the villas.  So please please don't!  We don't generally have a problem at Villa Loukia because we do not encourage them.     If you want to help the  cats on Corfu then please leave them alone and help through one of the many charities such as agni-animal-welfare-fund.co.uk or corfuanimalwelfare.com.   Thank-you!

We love it when people choose Villa Loukia to celebrate a big life event.  So far we have had guests celebrate a 1st birthday, 18th, 40th, 50th and a 90th (and lots of smaller number in between)!  We have also had a 25th wedding anniversary and a 45th.    But we still haven't had a honeymoon.....   Easter and Christmas have however both been celebrated at Villa Loukia.  It is also not unusual for 3 generations of one family to choose Loukia.  And of course we have had lots of teenagers celebrating GCSE and A level results in August.    Do let me know if you are celebrating something important!

Villa Loukia is about to go into its 10th season.  Although most of our guests are from the UK we have also had guests from the USA, Russia, Holland, Germany, Ireland and France.   I hope this list continues to grow.  All nationalities are very welcome.

Villa Loukia is a 3 bed house sleeping 6.  However we can cater for infants, have a spare single bed in the master suite and a double sofa bed in the living room for adults.  So the accommodation is flexible!

The best villa we have stayed in, everything about Villa Loukia says quality from the well maintained villa and gardens to the bed linen and towels, even the toaster is a Dualit! Lucy has thought about every possible need and is so helpful and thoughtful with help and information. The views across to Albania are breathtaking , watching the sunrise over the mountains or the moon come up in the evening, it would be easy to stay at the villa all day. We hired a car through Julia and although not essential I would recommend it. The road to the villa is quite steep and from the centre of Kassiopi probably a good 20 minutes or more climb ( quicker going down!) and at night it is very dark. We found a car made exploring, shopping and eating out much easier. Nicos supermarket at the bottom of the hill had everything we needed and were very friendly and helpful. We also loved Nicola's bakery in Kassiopi, delicious bread, pies and the largest doughnuts we have ever seen, word of warning get there by mid morning as they sell out quickly. Restaurants in Kassiopi that we enjoyed were Tavanakkis on the harbour , The Old School House and Little Italy, all were delicious and reasonably priced. Bar Limona on the opposite side of the harbour to Tavanakkis was fun for delicious sundaes. Out of town Harry's at Perithia is definitley worth a visit and Ice Dream just before the turning to Perithia is a great ice cream parlour, there is a play area for small children. Lawrence Durrells house, The White House at Kalami is in a beautiful spot and the food was very good. My teenagers enjoyed rock jumping from a beach between Kalami and Agni, we then walked to Agni for lunch and ate at Nikolas Taverna which I would also recommend. If you have children and they want a bit of pedelo fun we found a lovely little beach at Agios Spirodon where you can hire them, I would imagine this beach is busy in the summer months though. We made the journey up to Mount Pantokrator, it is a long twisty journey but the view is worth it. We also found an incredible cave just outside Perithia which we have found no mention of in any guide book, bit of a climb down into it but quite an amazing sight. This was our first visit to Corfu and we loved it, Villa Loukia has spoilt us for any other villa, I'm sure we will be back.

I knew from the reviews and the photos that Villa Loukia was going to be great, but it was even better than I could have imagined. The location and views, the outside areas and the interior could not be faulted. Everything was spotlessly clean, beautifully appointed and very well maintained. It is the best equipped holiday rental we have ever been to...a complete home from home and more! Lucy even arranged for a potty to be provided (little extras that mean so much) We stayed as a family of four adults and a 2 year old. Perfect for all ages and particularly impressed with the safety of the pool area which was gated, allowing my granddaughter the freedom of playing out on the veranda without worrying about her gaining access to the pool. I would honestly not wish for anything more from a holiday home....just perfect. We all want to return again and recommend it 100%.

The small town of Kassiopi, a 15 minute walk away, was lovely with lots of bars

and restaurants. We particularly enjoyed Petrino restaurant at the harbour....excellent food and service. We did walk back up the hill to the villa a couple of nights (torches provided) but a taxi costs only 5 euros which was well worth it.

• Review Submitted: Jun 20, 2015
• Date of Stay: May 2015
• Source: Owners Direct, from HomeAway

My husband Nick and I (Lucy) have been bringing our family to Corfu for many years. Once we discovered Corfu nowhere else seemed to match it as it worked for us as a perfect holiday destination - quiet, peaceful, beautiful views, secluded bays, good water sports, friendly people and plenty of sun. Even as the children got older, NE Corfu was still the perfect destination - it really does cater for everyone in the family.

In 2007 we happened upon Villa Loukia whilst on holiday; it was nearing completion but was sitting in a building site.  It was love at first sight but also we were at a point of children leaving home and perhaps needed a new project.  It was called just Michael's house after the Englishman who had had it built.  We therefore named in after me but in Greek of course - hence Villa Loukia was born.

We eventually completed on the purchase on 21st December 2007, our wedding anniversary.  The adventure then began.  In the months of January - April 2008 we had to build a swimming pool, the steps, the bbq area, tidy the garden, clean the villa of builders dirt from top to bottom and furnish it with everything from tea spoons to beds!   In hindsight we were mad but we were ready somehow for our first guests on May 5th!

This started the obsession and I now call Villa Loukia  our 5th child!   Each winter we have improved the facilities: building gates, surfacing the drive, extending the pool terrace, building the lower pergola, planting endless plants, building the outside kitchen, putting a roof on the terrace  upstairs, adding solar water, pvs panels - the list is endless!

In 2015 we started the upgrade to the villa itself.  The extension to the dining room and master suite has been a big success and the master suite really is now a 5* experience.  Phase 2 will start during winter 2016 with the upgrade to the blue bedroom and bathroom to the same standard as the master.  Hopefully over the next two winters we will be able to upgrade the terracotta bathroom  and then make some improvements to the kitchen.   At that point we hope to be able to rest a little!

We have used our many years of experience of renting villas (often very indifferent ones) on Corfu to ensure that our guests are not disappointed by their choice of villa and we will continue to make sure that Loukia  is always at its very best so that it can be the perfect holiday  home for all our guests

This was our third stay in Villa Loukia and each time it has got better. It was September and we weren't sure what the weather was going to do but for seven days the sky was blue from horizon to horizon, temperatures were in the mid 30s and we didn't want to do anything but lie by the gorgeous pool and slide in now and again to cool down. For seven people it was paradise. OK someone had to summon up the energy to make the five minute trip down to Nicos' supermarket to get the beer, wine and supplies for the evening's entertainment. Once a day we all had to drag ourselves away from the pool to answer the call from the barbecue and massive dining table down in the grotto where we spent most of our evenings drinking, eating, talking and playing games. There's a great assortment of games in the villa and this year we discovered Carcassone! The attention to detail in the villa is second to none. It is superbly equipped and spotlessly clean. An amazing holiday! We will be back!

• Review Submitted: Sep 9, 2015
• Date of Stay: Aug 2015
• Source: Owners Direct, from HomeAway

A truly wonderful villa. Very comfortable, immaculate both inside and out and it has everything you need. We went with four children from the ages of 19 down to 8 and all ages were happy. There is lots of space for everyone to find a place to be quiet. The views are stunning and worth being above Kassiopi for. It is a walk from the town to the villa so a car or moped is a good idea but near enough for teenagers to walk back after a night out.Thebbq is excellent and sitting under the pergola is like being in your own private taverna. The kitchen, though small, is very well thought out with everything you need. A real bonus is the outside fridge and sink. The beds are very comfortable with beautiful bed linen and proper pillows. The team behind Loukia were all extremely helpful and though no maid service is offered they were very happy to come in and clean when needed for a reasonable price. The pool is heaven, lots of shady spaces under olive trees and comfortable sun beds.

Villa Loukia is a real haven, little touches make it a home from home and we really felt that we were staying in someone's well loved home. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend this villa.

This was a really lovely villa, clean and also very well equipped and thought out. True to the description it was within easy walking distance of Kassiopi, which was a real bonus for our teenagers (and us!) complete with stunning views and a generous size pool. Lucy the owner was delightful to deal with. This is the third villa we have stayed in on Corfu and the best by far. I cannot recommend Villa Loukia highly enough - we had a wonderful stay and will definitely be back!"