Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
14 Apr 2024
Reply rate
89.0 %
Usually responds within 7 days
Feedback
64
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Badges (2)
Details
Description
We are a couple (Vassilis and Irini) living in a small and beautiful coastal town in Crete: Agios Nikolaos. Our children are living in Athens studying at the University. We both like traveling and meet new people, their cultures and habits. We live with dog Sara.
We like when our guests tell us their experiences from their travels.
We are experienced in hosting people.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Living with us is a great way to experience Greek daily life; we are always interested to learn about the culture and daily routine in your home country and to share ours. There are always some events going on like national days, meeting friends etc. and we are glad to take you.
Our workawayers can learn how to cook and bake traditional Cretan food.
I (Irini) usually cook once a day, I am vegetarian, Vassilis eats meat.. We use to cook meat once or twice per week. Generally we try to reduce animal fats and eat healthy. As a vegan or gluten free you would probably need to cook for yourself often as we use flour, dairy and animal products except meat.
You are always welcome to join our family-meals - help yourself at all other times or pack a lunch when leaving for a trip.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We are looking for help with:
1) daily chores OR
2) various renovation projects
OR a nice mix of both
3) picking olives (just Nov & Dec)
1) Daily chores
- Daily house cleaning and arranging
- cleaning dishes (I really dislike doing that ;)
- vacuum cleaning once a day due to the dog hair
- cooking, preparing/ processing veggies/ fruits
Additional non-daily tasks in the house: ironing, cleaning the whole house thoroughly
2) Renovations (March – September)
We have different apartments that are still under construction or have to be renovated. If you have experience or an apprenticeship in constructing walls, ceilings and floors, laminate, as a plumber or in electronics you are more than welcome to help us.
Unexperienced workawayers can help with:
- painting walls inside and outside of the house
- repairing old furniture (sometimes)
- arranging storages
3) Picking olives (just between middle of November and December)
If you want to see the procedure of making olive oil in a traditional way you are more and welcome to join us to pick olives in December. This is manual work and as it requires a lot of energy we love to do a traditional picnic in the olive groves at lunch time. One time we deliver the olives to the factory and you are invited to join us there – when you are lucky we can taste the freshly pressed olive oil.
Other works:
Many times we help our parents in the fields and we participate in it. You can follow me when we help them. They have a garden during the summer, pick grapes in October etc.. My parents live close to nature and near them you have the chance to experience the real Cretan life.
You are going to offer five hours of work per day and the programme will be flexible in order to have your own time to enjoy the area. You can work independently or collaborate with us.
We offer food and as I like cooking. Our guests will have the opportunity to taste local dishes. We like to treat our guests as members of our family.
Languages spoken
Greek: Fluent
English: Fluent
Accommodation
There is one bedroom for 2 people and a couch 2 people in the living room. Bed sheets and towels are provided. The rest of the house is shared: big living-/ dining-area, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, terrace, garden, WiFi.
We never invite 2 workawayers not travelling together to share the same room.
Although we work every day we usually try to spend time with our guests in order to explore the area and have interesting conversations with them.
Our volunteers will have their free time to spend as they like. There are nice villages near the town that you can explore. The weather is very nice so you can enjoy the beaches around at all seasons. The beach is just 10 minutes walk from us.
What else ...
I am sorry, but we can only accept you if you have a valid health insurance that covers Greece.
If you would like to stay for a longer period: If you haven't got a European passport: Be aware that it is very difficult to stay in the European Union for longer than 3 months.
Please don't hesitate and ask all the questions you have. It is important to know all aspects in advance - for both sides.
What else ...
INFOS FOR ALLERGY SUFFERERS:
We have a dog
Smoke-free home (for smokers: we don’t mind outdoor smoking)
ABOUT FOOD
You are welcome to participate in our meals but I (Irini) realized recently that I am an Overeating person!! I have joined the team of the Overeater Anonymous. I can’t resist when I have food in front of me!! This means that although I love cooking I try to avoid it. For this reason, I don’t cook so often anymore.
So we will provide you with the necessary ingredients which means:
For breakfast: dry or normal bread, margarine, marmalade, or honey.
For cooking: pasta, rice, potatoes, and some vegetables to cook by yourself.
Sometimes there are other kinds of food at home or in the fridge, PLEASE ask before you use it.
ABOUT THE PLACE WHERE YOU SLEEP
Keep the place where you sleep (in the room or the living room) in good condition which means tidy and arrangement. We don’t like (Irini more than Vasilis) to see clothes and other staff on in mess the floor or on the table.
DEPARTURE DAY
Keep in mind that as most of our guests fall in love with Crete it is something common to ask to leave 1-5 days earlier (it depends on the duration that they offer) to visit other parts of the island. Of course, we always agree as we understand this need, and a nice relationship has been created with all of them but sometimes it is a problem as the project doesn’t finish.
So please fix your departure day in advance
Plan B
Both of us need to have a plan B so if our collaboration doesn’t work well from both sides we can use it.
MOBILE PHONE
We kindly request, please don’t use your mobile phone during working hours. We will appreciate it a lot.
AN "IDEAL VOLUNTEER" for our family is reliable, self-initiative, and can work on her/ his own if needed.
As I am sometimes a bit introverted person it would be a big plus if you are not super-shy.
In any case, if you think it would be nice to live with us for a while, please do not hesitate to contact us! I gladly answer all personal messages.
When you want to volunteer with us, please read our full profile and then contact us.
We expect workawayers to be willing to help and not to be lazy.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, sometimes one day more work and another less or a free day in exchange.
Feedback (38)
Ce fût un moment très intéressant (même si cela est très physique), nous avons partagé de bons moments avec la famille d'Irini qui sont très accueillants.
Cette expérience nous a permis de partager nos expériences et le quotidien… read more
He worked with Vasilis upgrading the pipe system of the building, he helped with the sewage pump repair, with the fireplace blower covering the gaps in the wall where it is placed, and cooperated with Vasilis doing some electric work.
He did a perfect job… read more
During the period she stayed with us, we spent some time together and did many activities.
She is a willing woman, she worked cleaning the house and did all the chores in our house.
Agi is very active so she not only participates in our activities but enjoys the area by herself.
It was so a pleasant surprise to… read more
Photos
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(4.8)
Ce fût un moment très intéressant (même si cela est très physique), nous avons partagé de bons moments avec la famille d'Irini qui sont très accueillants.
Cette expérience nous a permis de partager nos expériences et le quotidien… read more
He worked with Vasilis upgrading the pipe system of the building, he helped with the sewage pump repair, with the fireplace blower covering the gaps in the wall where it is placed, and cooperated with Vasilis doing some electric work.
He did a perfect job… read more
During the period she stayed with us, we spent some time together and did many activities.
She is a willing woman, she worked cleaning the house and did all the chores in our house.
Agi is very active so she not only participates in our activities but enjoys the area by herself.
It was so a pleasant surprise to… read more
I cherished a lot spending time in their home, meeting the members of the family and being caring about their dog. I also… read more
Two years after joining you in your home, I finally create my own profile! Indeed, thanks to you, my first workaway was a very nice experience and I am grateful for it.☺️
Irini and Vassilis welcomed me and a friend for 5 weeks during the spring. We helped them weeding, painting walls, walking their lovely dog Sarah and… read more
Thank you for a good stay and a nice experience. We stayed with Irvine and Vasilis for a month. We helped with the annual olive harvest and some general house keeping. Vasilis and Irini was really friendly and caring for us. The Olive harvest was had work, but also a really unick experience.
Overall a good stay :)
Irini and Vassilis are kind and energetic people, they will make you feel welcome from the first moment. They will be happy to show you the Cretan culture and make you feel part of life and family. We really… read more
We stayed at Irini and Vassili's place for about three weeks in November and we really managed to have a taste of Cretan culture.
Irini and Vassilis are great hosts: they are a jolly, welcoming couple and like to have people at their house, despite the fact that they both have full time jobs and are away most of… read more
She helped us with the house’s daily chores and arranged everything we asked from her.
she did a great job with our cupboards and she show me a new, more effective way, to organize them.
She is a very smart girl with a strong willingness to learn; he… read more
Since the beginning I have been feeling at home.
Irini is one of the cooler people I have ever met, we had so much fun together, all the time laughing. Vassilis has a really cheerful personality, always willing to help… read more
Both were very polite, hard-working and every job they were handed was done accurately and on time.
They always had a smile on their faces, asking to help with extra jobs, and were great company. We highly recommend these two and hope they enjoy their future travels.
we hope to stay in contact and… read more
Irini made a big effort to show us the Cretan dishes and culture not without telling funny family… read more
During these beautiful weeks we were able to share, live and enjoy the local life.
We have been warmly integrated in all family .Especially by the parents of Irini who thanks to their farm, made us taste the traditional… read more
Both of them gave their best on our new project which was pruning the olives trees. Although the demanding job they worked hard and they were flexible in the working hours when it was necessary. They adapt quickly to the needs of the job and the work was very… read more
He is hard working and really willing to do everything.
He worked hard all during the day and collaborated perfectly with all the members of the team.
He is so kind and respectful to our place. He was flexible and followed our way… read more
She is a perfect Greek-Canadian Lady with a nice heart. Vivian involved with the house chores every day. she did a perfect job organizing many things at our home. She did a super job especially in our bathroom. She cleaned carefully every day the terrible dust that it caused because of the construction… read more
Although they were to stay with us for three weeks they stayed five nice weeks. The main task was to paint a new flat. They did the job working carefully and independet almost without supervision that was perfect for us, as we were very busy. Although… read more
We also had a good balance between the time for ourselves and the time we shared with them because even Vasili and Irini are very busy and sometime tired after a hard… read more
Darek did a lot of construction in our house. Not only did he a lot of professional painting but more than we had on our project!!
Jola did a lot of cleaning!! She did everything at home. Although there was a lot of dust every day because of the construction works around she worked… read more
The location on the hill above Agios Nikolaos is pretty sweet. It is a 10-15 minute walk to the city, where there are a bunch of nice cafes. Within 20 minutes walking we could reach our favorite beach Almyros, where we went very often.
Food
One of the best parts of the workaway. Always delicious, freshly cooked veggie food for us. As… read more
We found a very familiar environment, also meeting other family members. We felt like their children. Irini is a fantastic cook, always ready to cook traditional and genuine meals. During the weeks spent in Agios Nikolaos we felt very… read more
perfect couple, perfect collaboration. Great personalities!!
Ben constructed perfectly the watering system for our second garden.
He, with Vasilis, constructed also perfectly, some walls of plasterboards. At this time this task was really precious for us.
Elisa, not only is he such a perfect organizer of the house but she takes… read more
We learned so many information about Canada and the way of life
We spend some time together and did many things.
They are willing to learn new things and they worked for the project although the work was hard for them.
It was so pleasant surprise your presents from Canada which remind us of their country.
We hope to meet you… read more
They are very friendly, sympathetic, respectful young people with a very sweet smile on their lips from their heart.
They stayed with us for two weeks. They helped us in the garden and they construct a wall in our store that we appreciate it a lot.
Viviane ironed… read more
They worked in our fields for the olive picking period. They are a hard-working couple.
Alinne and Daniel are so clever although they did this Work for the first time, they saw us working for some time on the first day and then they get our precious volunteers. They took the initiative and… read more
Lucas was completely independent.
He built the walls to our basement with great success. He only took some directions and worked completely alone.
He is a nature lover… read more
Also I have to… read more
We stayed for around 2-3 weeks. Hayden helped Vassilis with some home renovations, while Kate helped with cleaning in the home. Irini is an excellent cook and we throughly enjoyed experiencing and trying her Cretan cuisine. They are very generous with the food they provide and… read more
So nice people. They stayed with us for two weeks and they involved with some different tasks completely successful. They were so willing both. They helped us with painting our house outside and our parents' farmhouse, organizing our storage and picking potatoes from our parent’s field.
Charlie is a strong young man with a lot… read more
I spent lovely days with them. I think they really enjoy to host people, and they are also very experienced in it. Agios Nikolaos is a beautiful pleace to live and nice to discover with their professional guidance. After trying Irini's tasteful, costum made food you can clearly understand what does "greek… read more
He is a really nice and inspired person.
He zealously participated to the… read more
Havi was a very pleasant addition to our household. He is extremely hardworking and disciplined.
He is very willing to do all work requested of him.
He also helped with housework such as cleaning dishes, sweeping floors and… read more
They are hard working and really willing to do all work requested of them.
They worked hard on the fields picking olives all during the day. They collaborate so perfect with my parents only with the eyes and they told us that "they are like working at fields for a long"… read more
We collaborated for 13 days and all was amazing. He worked hard to every work that was asked .
He is very clever and easy learning person.
Stavi participate to our project for making a garden outside of our house, move and transfer the heavy rocks.
He cleaned our kitchen’s… read more
He is a hard working young man and he did his best for our different projects. He is an experiment person and his advices were precious to our projects. He… read more
She is a very experienced volunteer-traveler and shared with us a lot of her… read more
i met a lot of the members of the family and friends of them, everybody was a special person.
i felt at home ( una faccia una razza), greek people and italian… read more
They followed us to the top of a mountain to pick wild vegetables all the day and on the end lead us on nice meditation inside the nature .
They worked at a very hard task outside our house trying to… read more
They were both such nice young people, lovely and willing to do everything for our family. They worked hard to the farms for olive picking although the weather was not… read more
I ‘m very glad that she stayed with us and helped us so great -to clean the cupboards , the storages and the dusty furniture…. Anne every day cleans the… read more
They welcomed me into their home and their lives without hesitation. The work was just some spring cleaning and organising of cupboards and a bit of English language practice so nothing too taxing and I had plenty of free time to explore Agios Nikolaus. I was rewarded with excellent home… read more
Loretta participated to our activities and our hard programme with a lot of… read more
