Pheobe is a very homely stone house with all the comforts we needed, without being over-the-top in terms of luxury trimmings. The garden is very pretty and private for breakfast or evening meal, with both sunshine and shade and the seemingly constant buzz of cicadas. For our family (two teenage daughters) the location was perfect. We like to be in among the villagers and able to easily walk everywhere. There is a permanent population in Methoni so even out of season there would be a good bar and restaurant nearby and an interesting flow of locals to and fro along the small main street. It's not a picture perfect place, it doesn't have fancy shops, but it's real! Old men watching the world go by as they flick their worry beads, women practising traditional dancing in a village hall, an open air movie night for the kids... In summer the choice of tavernas and beach bars was really good and everyone friendly - we ended up eating out pretty much all the time because of the great prices and variety. The main square and beach are an easy stroll from Pheobe, as is the vast castle with its wild interior. The beach may not be the best ever but the water is beautiful and as you swim you have stunning views of mountains and stylish boats moored off. The 'tourists' are mainly Greek families (of all ages) so the atmosphere is lively but appealingly low key. Fiona and Nigel are very fond of their Greek neighbours and lifestyle and gave us plenty of useful and enthusiastic advice as well as thoughtful extras like home grown oil and blueberries. Thank you both so much! We will definitely come back.

Our family spent three and a half weeks in Greece. We spent the first two in Nigel and Fiona’s villas in Methoni and we spent the last week at their place in Gialova. Each of the locations was wonderful. The accommodations were even nicer than the pictures convey, they were extremely clean, and well-stocked. Furthermore, Nigel and Fiona were glad to provide everything we needed from DVDs for our kids (and the villas were great for kids with plenty of room) to tips about sites to see to advice on the best boat rentals and most beautiful beaches to explore. The location of the villas is also perfect—we loved exploring the Peloponnese from Methoni and Gialova. These villas—and their gracious owners—helped make for a perfect holiday for our family.