THE FACTS ABOUT ANTIPAROS V3

Greece

The quiet little island of Antiparos, reached by ferry from Paros, is hardly undiscovered but it retains the appeal of a sleepy back water, a place in which to unfurl in the heat and do nothing but read, swim and sleep off lunch in a hammock. Antiparos V3 is a low-slung bungalow on a cliffside just off the only easily negotiated road on the island. Recently built, but set in well-established, lawned grounds, it is fronted by a long, tiled veranda shaded by a wattle roof, and furnished with built-in tables and generous seating, from which there are clear views out to sea. To the rear is a large, walled courtyard and a procession of archways that link the main house to a two-bedroom guest cottage. Privacy has been paramount in the design: the two bedrooms in the main house each have a breakfast terrace, screened by cypress trees, and huge dressing rooms that lead to cream, marble-tiled bathrooms with white-porcelain butlers' sinks and chrome vanity mirrors (all the bathrooms are finished to five-star-hotel standards). There is a private cove at the base of the cliff, reached by a steep flight of rocky steps, and there are plans to build a swimming pool by the summer season. The villa is rented with a live-in maid service. SLEEPS Eight in four double bedrooms: two in the main house, two in the guest cottage COST On application CONTACT Ileana von Hirsch at Five Star Greece (020 8422 4885; fax: 8423 4956; www.fivestargreece.com)