Villa Olivia Mykonos

Sweeping Sea Views

A bright white, stair-stepping structure enclosed in a stony embrace, Villa Olivia is all about location, location, location. Minimalist and practical, with a touch of whimsy in its pendant lamps and pops of vivid color against a classically bleached Cycladic backdrop, the home puts deep blue sea views center stage, with a panorama that radiates beautifully from the pool terrace, long covered dining patio, sunsoaked roof terrace, and bedroom balconies.

Traditional island architecture takes shape here in the villa’s strong stone foundation that holds a spacious pool terrace and shaded alfresco dining space. The waterfront location offers unlimited sea views and the promise of technicolor Greek island sunsets. Inside, practicality rules, and the multi-level, three-bedroom villa presents as sleek and minimal, with golden wood floors and accent pieces, and easygoing, unfussy furnishings fitting for a casual waterfront getaway.

AROUND

The Tourlos area is known as Mykonos’ New Port, a ferry and cruise ship harbor east of Mykonos old town, with private yacht slips and increasingly buzzy bayfront restaurants, cafes, and taverns. Whitewashed villas dot the rock-strewn hills that stretch inland from Agios Stefanos beach, a stretch of sand that’s backed by a small promenade about a kilometer and a half from Mykonos town.

Called Chora by locals, the town curves around a bright blue bay, its sugar cube homes offset by wooden doors and terraces painted in bright color blocks. Its houses are stacked topsy-turvy up the hillside from the waterfront, crisscrossed by a maze of small stone streets kept mostly car-free in the town center. Mykonos is famed for its nightlife, of course, its bustling Little Venice quarter, and its trademark windmills. Built in the 1500s and used until the early 1900s to grind wheat and barley into flour, they once numbered nearly two dozen. Sixteen still stand, with five (the stars of today’s postcards) lined up on a strip of land near Little Venice, the neighborhood named for its waterfront location and for the Venetians who once ruled the island.

Mykonos’ lesser-celebrated charms include birdwatching, sailing, horseback riding and cycling inland. History buffs shouldn’t miss the UNESCO World Heritage site of Delos Island, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, Zeus’s twins, located about 30 minutes by boat from the island.

LOCATION

Tourlos, Mykonos, Greece. Nearest airport: Mykonos (10 minutes)

BEST TIME TO VISIT: April to October