The Mediterranean comforts of sun, sand, and warm hospitality are to be uncovered everywhere you go. It’s morning coffee and freshly baked bread, the warm sand just a short stroll away down your own private path, the shade of ancient olive groves guiding your way. Each of these moments would be all it takes to fall deeply in love with the ever-alluring Greece.
read moreIthaca, the storied home of Odysseus, is one of the most romantic and unhurried islands in the Ionian, a place of pine-clad ridges, deep blue bays and small harbour villages where the rhythm of the day has changed little in generations. A luxury Ithaca villa holiday gives you the freedom to slow down to the island’s natural pace: long mornings on a private terrace above the sea, lunches under olive trees, afternoons spent dropping in and out of coves that no road quite reaches.
A villa on Ithaca offers what hotels here cannot, privacy, space and a true sense of place. Wake to the light over the Gulf of Molos, take coffee by your own pool, then drive ten minutes to a beach where you may be the only swimmers. Spend the afternoon exploring Vathy’s waterfront cafés or the harbour at Kioni before returning to dine al fresco as the sun sets behind Kefalonia. Whether you are travelling as a couple, a family or a group of close friends, a luxury Ithaca villa gives the holiday room to breathe.
Each Villa Collective property on Ithaca is chosen for its setting, character and quiet sense of style. From stone-built homes tucked into hillside olive groves to contemporary retreats with infinity pools overlooking the Ionian, our handpicked collection of villas in Ithaca is designed for guests who want the island at its most authentic, and at its most comfortable. With a luxury Ithaca villa as your base, the long evenings, the empty bays and the slow harbour suppers all fall easily into place.
Ithaca lies in the heart of the Ionian Sea, a slender, twin-lobed island just off the east coast of Kefalonia and immortalised by Homer as the homeland of Odysseus. Smaller and quieter than its neighbours, it is defined by rugged limestone ridges, deep natural harbours, pine and cypress forests and a coastline of hidden pebble coves. Its main town, Vathy, gathers around one of the most beautiful sheltered bays in Greece, while the northern villages of Kioni and Frikes remain working harbours of fishing caïques and tavernas. Our portfolio of luxury Ithaca villas is selected to capture the island’s timeless, unspoilt character.
Airport: Ithaca has no airport. Most travellers fly into Kefalonia (Kefalonia International Airport, EFL) and continue by short ferry, or into Aktion / Preveza (PVK) on the mainland and travel down via Lefkada.
Island Area: Around 96 km², one of the smaller Ionian islands, with a population of just over three thousand.
Capital / Main Town: Vathy (Ithaki), set around a deep, sheltered horseshoe bay on the island’s south-eastern coast.
Weather:
Travel from Gateway Airport: From Kefalonia (EFL): around 45 minutes by road to the port of Sami, then a 30-minute ferry across to Pisaetos or Vathy on Ithaca. From Aktion / Preveza (PVK): about 1 hour 15 minutes by road to Lefkada and on to Nydri, then a longer ferry south to Frikes.
Food & Drink: Honest, Ionian-style cooking, grilled fresh fish and octopus, slow-cooked savoro, wild greens and tomatoes from the hills. Look out for rovani (a local rice and honey sweet), Ithacan thyme honey, and the island’s peppery extra-virgin olive oil from centuries-old groves.
Flight Time from UK: Around 3.5 hours direct to Kefalonia or Preveza in season, followed by the short transfer and ferry to Ithaca.
Time Zone: GMT+2, two hours ahead of the UK.
The beaches of Ithaca are some of the most unspoilt in the Ionian, small, pebbly coves of astonishing clarity, often reached by a short walk through pine and olive. Gidaki, on the east coast, is the island’s loveliest stretch of white pebble and turquoise water, accessible only on foot or by boat from Vathy. Nearby Filiatro is a soft horseshoe bay backed by cypress trees, perfect for long family days. On the wilder north-west coast, Aphales offers wide views and dramatic sunsets, while Polis bay shelters a tranquil curve of shingle just below the village of Stavros. Sarakiniko and Aspros Gialos, both close to Vathy, are favourites for sun-drenched mornings and quiet afternoon swims, making any Ithaca villa holiday a study in slow, sea-led days.
Ithaca rewards travellers drawn to myth, sea and quiet exploration. Follow in Homer’s footsteps to the Cave of the Nymphs above Dexa beach, where Odysseus is said to have hidden the gifts of the Phaeacians; climb to the Arethusa Spring on the south coast, a windswept walk through olive and oak; or visit the so-called School of Homer in the north, an evocative archaeological site believed by some to be the seat of Odysseus’ palace. The harbour villages of Kioni and Frikes, with their pastel houses, fishing boats and tavernas spilling onto the quay, are made for slow evenings, while a day at sea is essential: charter a private boat to circle the island, drop anchor in a hidden cove, and lunch on board between swims.
Walkers will find the island laced with old shepherds’ paths through hillside olive groves, with sweeping views across to Kefalonia and the open Ionian. Whatever the day brings, an Ithaca villa is the perfect counterpoint: a private pool, a shaded terrace and the long, golden evenings that the island does so well.
Map View
List