Happinest is… A charming cabin for two with beguiling views. Built between ancient olive trees, overlooking the sea. You’ll sleep to the sound of rustling leaves and owls hooting. Wake up to a vision of shimmering waters then wander through a magical Mediterranean garden and dive straight into the sea.
Located in an undiscovered area of mainland Greece called Pelion, our treehouse offers the opportunity of an utterly unique and romantic holiday escape for sea and nature lovers.
The space:
We’re very blessed to live in a serene olive grove right on the water. One summer, our Italian relatives decided to visit for an extended holiday. To accommodate them, we built a wooden platform between two trees, away from the house. We pitched a tent on it and moved in.
Whilst our stone cottage quaked with snores, we slept soundly, lulled by the velvety night sky. In the morning we awoke to the sight of a silken sea unfurled beneath us. We felt so delighted to be there that we fondly called it our “Happinest”.
In time it grew walls and a roof and became a true treehouse. We still often “holiday” there in summer!
Step straight into Happinest. This bit of heaven needs no stairway. Yet the other end of the cabin is high off the ground, in the canopies. Magic? Undoubtedly, LOL. Inside, a comfy Queen bed is positioned in front of huge sliding doors that open onto the deck. Once again, those views… The entire cabin is fully screened, so no annoying bugs to swat. Sleep deeply, cooled by the sea breeze.
You can dive from our private swimming platform into the bay of our property. Or take a short walk along the sea to a large sandy beach nearby. Other beaches with full amenities like Marathias Bay or lonely planet pebbled coves with only goats for company are only a few minutes drive away.
Explore the secluded coast with a boat, including uninhabited Alatas island right across the waters and nearby Prassouda, both with ancient monasteries and crystal waters. Check out One Tree island, immersed in a sea of yellow coral and silver fish.
For meals, head to the nearby coastal village of Milina with its many excellent tavernas. Or enjoy home-cooked fare from your friendly hosts who happen to be excellent cooks…:-) Cafes, mini markets, shops and an excellent bakery in Milina will all help make your stay enjoyable.
All urban amenities can be found at the Port city of Volos just an hour away. It is also famous for its many tsipouradika, traditional taverns offering a bevy of Greek tapas called mezes.
Guest access:
Guests get the whole treehouse. The underside is a shaded and breezy area with a kitchenette, table and chairs for two. The kitchenette has a small fridge, toaster, 2 burner cooking hob, coffeemaker and a sink, adequate for simple meal prep.
Parking is on the road next to the property. The bathroom is a small building along the path, 20 steps from the cabin, lit by outdoor lamps. The adjacent outdoor shower has hot water and a live bamboo privacy screen.
The main residence and terraces are 30m away and barely visible through the trees. Expect to be welcomed by our three friendly dogs and four playful cats who live freely on the property. Animal lovers can get free pet therapy if they wish :-)
Other properties on our bay are holiday rentals. The bay is large enough not to feel overcrowded. Our swimming platform is small but private and separate from the beach where the other houses are. They are not visible from the treehouse as it looks outwards towards the sea.
Other things to note:
Pelion is a narrow peninsula located almost in the middle between Athens and Thessaloniki. The port city of Volos is where Jason and the Argonauts set sail from and centaurs once roamed in the ancient verdant forests of North East Pelion. South Pelion is more gently rolling plains of olive groves and sleepy coastal villages. There are various activities including hiking, fishing trips, boating, kayaking, scuba diving, sailboat charter and winetasting. Day trips to Northeast Pelion are also worthwhile.
Of course, if all this sounds a wee bit tiring to you, you can always just chill on the deck of your private treehouse…
To get to us:
The two major airports are Athens (ATH) and Thessaloniki (SKG). Nea Anchialos Airport (VOL) 75 km away has direct flights from Dusseldorf, Munich, Vienna, and London as well as a domestic flight from Heraklion, Crete. The season is May till October. There is a shuttle from Volos city to the airport. Private transfers and airport car rental are also available.
The easiest would be to rent a car at the airport and drive to us. The trip from Thessaloniki is about 3.5 hours and from Athens it is about 4.5 hours. If you are coming by ferry from Italy then it is about a 5.5 hour's drive from Igoumentitsa.
But if renting a car does not appeal to you then the following information might be useful: An excellent alternative is to take a bus. KTEL is the Greek bus company, they run a tight ship with comfortable vehicles and there are 7-8 trips daily approximately every two hours from both Thessaloniki and Athens to Volos. From the same Volos bus station you then take another bus to Milina which is an hour away. The cost for an Athens round trip to Milina is about 65 euros and for Thessaloniki it is about 46 euros. This does not include transfers from the airports to the bus stations. Both cities offer various options including a shuttle, subway and taxis.
We are happy to help you make reservations for the bus tickets. Advance payment is not required.
For meals, there are a few options. Milina is 5 km away so it's not really walking distance. However, we have two bicycles that we will make available to guests. There are also two excellent tavernas about 3km away. Both serve traditional food in unpretentious surroundings. The treehouse has a kitchenette underneath that can be used to prepare simple meals. Also we are happy to provide home-cooked meals for guests. We love cooking and use locally sourced fresh ingredients. So as you see, you won't go hungry here ;-)
More info:
Milina has car, scooter and electric bicycle rental which are quite economical. That might be a nice compromise for getting around once you are here. Summer is perfect for riding on a scooter or bicycle and you can then get easily to some amazing beaches less than 5 km away if you want a change of scenery. However, we have to book beforehand as they are a popular option.
Send us a message if the idea of Happinest appeals to you!
License number
00001495765
