Normally I spent lots of time researching the best places to stay, but sometimes the best holidays can be the most spontaneous ones and you come across a gem like On the Rocks. I spotted this gorgeous villa on a holiday auction site and put in a bid without even knowing exactly where Ios was. So when I won the first thing I did was get out a map, and the second was invite my parents and sister along with me for a week of late autumn sunshine. On the Rocks was set up by Yannis and Emmanuela, who lived in the UK for years before coming back to Greece and building two luxury villas. They’ve been designed to minimise impact on the environment – water is scarce around here so they recycle rainwater and treat their own waste as well as generating power from solar panels. But there are plenty of luxurious touches too, from the lovely pool to the daily cleaning service, that make it a cut above your normal self-catering holiday villa.
Read more: Off-season in Ios, Greece

The lounge at the villa
The location
Ios doesn’t have an airport but you can fly to Santorini (which has flights from the UK in summer and from Athens all year) or Athens and then get a ferry. Or if you’re feeling flash there’s a helicopter pad just behind the villa. The journey from Athens’ Piraeus port takes about seven hours on the normal ferry or four on the fast service. Santorini is 35 minutes by ferry, and there are connections to other Cyclades Islands too if you fancy going island-hopping. There are a few different ferry companies though Blue Star are apparently the most reliable (our SeaJets catamaran was two hours late). The villa owners will pick you up and drop you off at the port, a ten-minute drive away. From the villa it’s a five-minute walk down a rocky path to Valmas Beach and 20 minutes’ walk either along the road to the main town of Chora or along the coast path to the port. It’s easy to get around on foot but it’s worth hiring a car to explore more of the island.

Looking down on Valmas Beach from the villa
The villa
The two separate villas sit next to each other with the pool and terrace area in the middle, surrounded by lawns and gardens. Each villa sleeps six people, with two double bedrooms (the top floor room also has a balcony) and one twin. They all have their own en-suite bathrooms, supplied with Greek Apivita toiletries that use essential oils and bee products. You also get the villa’s branded Egyptian cotton bedding and towels which are changed every other day. And the beds have a clever Coco Mat mattress where you can adjust the hardness of the bed. Then downstairs there’s a big lounge area surrounded by patio doors that face out onto the garden (with inbuilt mozzie nets to keep the little biters out). It’s all decorated in cool, muted tones of blues and browns with traditional Greek-style whitewashed walls. I loved the little decorative touches like the beach-hut fabric cushions, driftwood hearts and vintage suitcases too.

Bedroom and bathroom details
The food
The villa has an open-plan kitchen/diner and there’s a dining table outside on the terrace. We arrived to a feast of local treats – like spinach and feta pastries and a fresh Greek salad – and a fridge stocked with beers, water and soft drinks. There was also iced tea made with the villa’s own rooibos and orange blossom tea blend. The kitchen is fully equipped with an oven, hob, fridge-freezer, Nespresso maker and small dishwasher. There’s also a barbecue and wood oven in the garden. If you want to eat out, during the summer the taverna at Valmas Beach serves food and there are lots of places to eat in Chora and by the port, though by the end of the season only a few are still open. If you’re self-catering there are two main supermarkets – a Carrefour down by the port (better for fresh food) and another on Chora’s main road (better for wine and everything else) and the owners can order vegetables or bread from local producers for you.

Local treats in the villa kitchen
The facilities
There are sunlongers by the pool and lots of seating areas outside, both in the sun and the shade. And although the pool’s not heated it was still warm enough to tempt me in in October. The terrace looks across the sea to Santorini in one direction and the neighbouring island of Sikinos in the other, and the semi-circular stone seat by the barbecue is the prime spot to watch sunset. In the basement of the villa there is a utility room with washing machine, ironing board, etc and a children’s area with stacks of toys. The lounge has a TV with DVD player and shelves of books (in English and Greek) that you can borrow too. There’s also what we christened the ‘cocktail library’ a collection of spirits left by previous guests you can help yourself to and just buy a bottle to replace what you drink – perfect for an evening’s amateur mixology!

The pool and terrace
My tips
- Guests are… with the two villas it’s perfect for an extended family or for two families of friends as you can socialise together but have your own space to escape to.
- Staff are… Yannis and Emmanuela were lovely, helpful but not intrusive and even invited us for dinner with them on our last night. Cleaner Alina also came in every day to bring fresh bread and clean up.
- Don’t forget… the villa’s eco water treatment system means you can’t drink the water so stock up on bottled, and remember not to flush toilet paper.
- Useful to know… if you fancy trying Greek wine, the owners organise tastings from local producers.

Sunset from the villa’s terrace
The details
On the Rocks villas are open from the start of May until the end of September. They cost €300 per day per villa in low season, and €450 per day per villa in high season (1 July until 20 August). The villas are normally rented together and there’s a minimum stay of seven nights. You can also rent the five-bedroom main house with infinity pool for €500/€800 per day, or there’s the cosy one-bed retreat for €150/€200.
14 Comments
Becster
November 10, 2015 at 8:43 pmAbsolutely gorgeous!
Lucy
November 11, 2015 at 3:41 pmYou can see why I had trouble dragging myself away!
aroundtheworldin80pairsofshoes
November 10, 2015 at 9:06 pmThis is definitely better than a 5 star hotel! I’m so wanting to go to the Greek Islands Lucy and you’re giving me a huge amount of wanderlust…what a fantastic auction to win xx
Lucy
November 11, 2015 at 3:38 pmIt was so lovely, I suspect it’ll be the first Greek island trip of many! The auction site is well worth checking out too – Luxury Travel Dairy – they have some fab bargains x
atravelingb
November 12, 2015 at 2:42 amBeautiful, Lucy! I visited Greece many years ago, but never made it to Ios. I love the idea of staying in a “home” vs. a hotel these days so will need to look into this!
Lucy
November 12, 2015 at 2:49 pmI’m a huge fan of rental places these days, it’s so nice to have your own space, especially if you’re in a group as there are lots of communal areas to hang out in!
MummyTravels
November 12, 2015 at 7:36 pmThis sounds absolutely gorgeous. I really need to get to Greece again soon and I’ve never been to Ios…
Lucy
November 13, 2015 at 1:27 pmI hadn’t spent much time in Greece for years but really enjoyed it, more island hopping to come for sure, just need to find another place as nice to stay!
restlessjo
November 14, 2015 at 5:28 pmIt looks idyllic, Lucy! Ios is one of those islands I didn’t make but always wanted to 🙁 I was intrigued by your ‘holiday auction’ comment. I’m not sure what you meant. Such an ignorant child I can be at times! 🙂
Lucy
November 14, 2015 at 7:16 pmThanks Jo, it was lovely out there. The holiday auction was a bit of an unusual one – I came across the website (https://www.luxurytraveldiary.com/auction/) which sells off various holidays and hotel stays so thought I’d give it a go and ended up winning (£420 for the week’s stay so it was a bargain – worth a look!).
GreekBoston.com
November 17, 2017 at 3:41 pmBeautiful! It might take a little bit longer to get to Ios, but that’s what also makes it so charming. A little escape from the hustle and bustle.
Lucy
November 17, 2017 at 11:06 pmDefinitely – it’s a really charming place, I’d love to come back someday.
fede
May 16, 2018 at 11:25 ammajestyc of greek islands , misss this place good article
Lucy
May 18, 2018 at 8:33 pmThanks, it’s a lovely part of the world!