Contessa Valeriana Villa And Mavratzelo Tower

Well off the tourist trail and miles from ordinary, these two stone-built villas are certainly easy on the eye. Take the setting for example. With mountains to the rear and the Ionian Sea to the front, the views are amazing. The gardens are planted with well-established shrubs and neon-bright blooms. And you'll find them just outside the village of Vassilikos which has plenty in the way of tavernas, bars and mini markets - not to mention two of the best beaches on the island.

The villas themselves are a realisation of the owner's childhood dreams. As such, they look like something out of a fairytale. With it's French farmhouse facade, Contessina Valeriana Villa could have been airlifted out of the Loire Valley. While the Mavratzelo Tower next door bears more than a passing resemblance to Rapunzel's tower. They both come with terracotta-tiled roofs, forest-green wooden shutters and lots of chunky stone. And while they both have their own pool complete with sunloungers and parasols, they share a patio, sauna and hot tub.

Inside, they bring fairytale chic into the 21st century with ultra-modern Smeg fridge-freezers and plasma-screen TVs. Decor-wise, they've kept things simple - leaving the stone-work bare and painting the feature walls in candy shades. It's all plain wooden floors and ceilings, with mismatched antique-style furniture and quirky bathrooms providing the finishing touches.

And that's where the similarities end. As one villa is a traditional two-storey cube and the other a circular turret three floors high, they're laid out very differently. Contessina Valeriana Villa has an open-plan living, kitchen and dining area on the ground floor, with stairs leading up to two double bedrooms, a balcony and a shared wet room-style bathroom. The Mavratzelo Tower, on the other hand, has a round open-plan ground floor with a staircase that curves around the wall to the first floor bedroom. This spacious double room is home to a claw-footed roll top bath, a small en suite bathroom and a balcony. And from here, another curved staircase leads up to the second floor bedroom where you'll find a double bed, a small sitting area and a dinky French-style bathroom. Differences aside though, they're the epitome of storybook chic.

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