We recently returned from a 28 day stay at Villa Orientem, nothing I could say would adequately describe our experiences whilst there.
The inside of the villa is modern, stylish and well finished, it has obviously been designed with comfort and practicality in mind, we found everything spotlessly clean and it was kept immaculately clean during our stay, no mean feat when there was 7 of us in residence.
The kitchen, which is probably the most well equipped villa kitchen I have ever used, was spotless, everything you could possibly expect to find in your own kitchen was available, the relief at finding sharp knives, a teapot and a decent coffee machine cannot be underestimated! Salt, pepper, herbs, sugar, teas were all available, one shelf in the fridge was full of large bottles of water and a huge bowl of sliced watermelon was waiting for us upon arrival.
During our stay and to celebrate religious festivals Maria would gift us with treats, pastries drenched in honey, sweet fruited bread and delicious small fancy cakes and home baked cheese pies, returning to the villa after an afternoon away, we would find the villa sparkling clean and a large bowl of grapes from their vines waiting for us or delicious pears from their pear tree. There are figs, limes and rows of vines, we were encouraged to help ourselves to all this throughout our visit.
The beds and mattresses are excellent quality and very comfortable, the bedrooms were cleaned and refreshed and crisp white sheets and snowy towels were replaced regularly.
The family bathroom is modern, stylish and has a large shower, again it was cleaned and refreshed regularly.
The outside front of the villa is divine, the infinity pool faces out onto a vista of olive groves, pine trees, mountains and in the distance the glittering sea, it really does feel as if time is suspended and you are looking at a landscape which would be familiar to the ancients. The pool is very well kept, scrupulously cleaned in the early morning before we got up and checked regularly, sun loungers with comfortable cushions and a couple of huge umbrellas were very welcome as this side of the villa catches the morning sun, early risers sat on the terrace with coffee to watch the sun rise (this is how we know the pool is cleaned very early). We barbequed several times and sat and ate our evening meal at the large table while watching the moon rise, it was a sublime end to the day.
The outside back of the villa is shaded in the
