Out of the blue

PHOTOS Adriaan Oosthuizen WORDS Izelle Venter PRODUCTION Tina-marie Malherbe

My knowledge of the Greeks boiled down to a controversial statement that my mother made many moons ago: Adultery is only forgivable at the time of a spectacular Greek sunset. One of the many other discoveries that awaited me at Villia Athena, a South African guesthouse on Skiathos, was also the island’s biggest drawback: Sooner or later you have to go home.

A colleague uses the nickname “the chameleons” when referring to decorative artists Johan de Villiers and Len Straw, who both look years younger than their ID pictures. The two are renowned for their skillful visual sorcery, using paint and a brush to turn boring concrete surfaces into wooden floors, plaster into magnificent mosaic and bland pine cupboards into heirlooms.

All of their many skills have gone into making Villa Athena, something much more than your average guesthouse. The green island of Skiathos, north east of Athens, had been their summer holiday home for years when Capetonians Peggy and Peter Loebenberg decided to invest their money in a guesthouse on the island, and asked Johan and Len to join them in the venture as business partners.

However, finding a suitable piece of land proved to be a classic Greek drama. Fortunately Johan and Len have many friends. During a walk with them on the island’s winding streets one is greeted by several Greeks who step out of their stores or restaurants for a quick kalispera (good day) or kalinychta (good night). Yannis Mitzelos – a neighbour whom they describe as “a salt of the earth all-rounder” – helped with the negotiations to purchase a piece of hilly ground with a dream view of the town and the Aegean Sea.

The building process was an epic clash of culture and language fought day by day, Len says. As in the case of the garden, when a container of thousands of plants arrived by ferry, after midnight and in driving rain. That nightmare has now been forgotten in the happy contemplation of Villa Athena’s garden filled with roses, geraniums, sage, chamomile, santolina, poppies and rosemary…

Greece meets South Africa in the unique building style, developed by architect Peter Loebenberg, as neither modern nor conspicuous in its setting. It feels Greek, but at the same time comfortably and conveniently South African. The showers are one good example. Villa Athena has both the Greek open hand shower and the safer version with the showerhead against the wall, equipped with genuine Greek soap and giant towels. “We know what South Africans prefer. Typical Greek towels are much too small for South Africans who prefer to cover up the loins after a shower,” says Johan.

Every unit has its own style, which happened coincidentally, says Len. “When we started decorating we found four exceptional cloths at a market in Cairo. We didn’t want to import from South Africa – what would be the point of that?” Each cloth became a bedspread that served as the inspiration for the unit’s colour scheme. The colourists’ regular hawk-eye expeditions guaranteed the authenticity of the colours. Ceilings and floors were painted the same colour, something that their local friends initially frowned upon but that is actually true to Greek tradition.

Behind every item there’s a story, like the handmade Greek island benches at the entrance of each unit. These were for a woodworker from Corfu his biggest order yet. “He couldn’t believe his ears; an interpreter had to come and explain that was actually the number we wanted.” Typical Skiathos lattices decorate each front door, not for security, because it’s quite unnecessary to lock doors here. They were made by the father of a local friend. “He is an old man of over 80 that we now consider blood relatives.”

Two brothers who are local craftsmen made the other furniture, like the beds with their “lovely legs”, which Johan discusses as if each has its own personality. Other pieces come from markets in Athens, Thessalonica and Volos, and a junkyard in Larissa; some favourite items were buys from gypsies.

Every unit is a model of comfort and charm. White broderie anglaise curtains play in the breeze and cast patterns of light over the whole room. The neatly equipped kitchen means that your supermarket shopping can be transformed into a tasty meal. But the best place is surely the verandah with its steel table, huge pot with shocking pink geraniums and incredible view. If you can’t switch off here, something’s wrong. Len says it’s a revelation to see how people change after a day or two at Villa Athena. “Most of the guests are from cold climates and find the Skiathos light and air bewitching. They’re different people when they leave.”

And that’s the only bad thing about Villa Athena – leaving. Shaking the beach sand from my beach slops as I packed, I was rather sad. Other emotions pop up in the visitors’ book: “In Villa Athena you have captured the essence and beauty of this island, which we’ll always treasure” and “Your hospitality was the only thing that surpassed the beauty of Villa Athena”. Back home I didn’t have to confess any infidelity, but I had fallen in love with an island, a red room on a hill and the hospitality of two exceptional people. 

For more information or bookings, visit www.villa-athena.com, send email to info@villa-athena.com or call 079 944 0478.

Besides Villa Athena, there is also Villa Ella owned by South African Lina de Villiers. Villa Ella offers painting holidays and perhaps it’s just what you need to be inspired for the SPI National Portrait Award. From 25 May to 9 June 2013, artist Hennie Nieman Snr will provide four hours of tuition for six or seven days and the total cost is €880 per person including eight nights accommodation at Villa Ella. Non-painting partners pay €200 extra. More info: www.villaella.com