Stella's Apartments

The hillside setting has real potential: it’s intimate, about a five-minute walk from the nearest house, and has a wonderful sea view. It sounds ideal for a relaxed breakfast or dinner, as the owner describes it. But our experience didn’t live up to that promise. Breakfast on the terrace with the family was nearly impossible because of the wasps. Even the repellent smoke spirals we bought ourselves didn’t make it bearable. Dinner wasn’t tranquil either. Mosquitos swarmed around us, and traffic was loud on the steep road beside the property, which is the main route into touristy Agios Gordios village. The kitchen had only the bare minimum. One bedroom had no mosquito net at all, and the one in the other room was in poor shape. The air conditioning was old and quite noisy. Rusty, stained furniture and really lousy mattresses didn’t help. You need a car to get there unless your family are expert climbers. Parking was nerve-racking: the spaces were cramped and narrow, on a slope with no exterior safety barrier. It was a relief that we arrived before anyone else, because parking beside another car would be difficult. If your car gets scratched, the owner says it’s a public parking space, so you’re on your own.