Favourited 215 times
I am an architect and spend at least several months a year on Kea, a beautiful and peaceful island near Athens with my husband. We love it here because the surrounding nature and scenery is also a beautiful place to raise our 2 year old daughter, spend loads of time on the beach and enjoy the laid back island-life that Greek islands are so ideal for. Our house is just 6 minutes from the beach and offers a spare bedroom where we like to host friends who visit, it would also be nice to use it as an opportunity to get baby-help from a responsible English speaking person.
Babysitting and creative play
Island life in Greece in the summer is delightful. Long warm days with access to many beaches and breezy star-lit evenings outdoors by the sea or the marina is what most people call a holiday! Who doesn't need some relaxing time to catch up on their book-reading, a tan and to absorb the blissful energy of peaceful island living? Kea is an island with super-fast access from Athens airport and is considered one of the nearest islands to the mainland. Yet it is surprisingly untouched and undeveloped and we love that you might even be held on the road by a wild goat or a duck! It is certainly not a touristy island (the type with neon signs or with a large amount of clubs and noise). It is quite a civilized and lower-key family retreat.
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Baby sitting on weekday mornings for five days a week. Our daughter is bilingual (English Greek) and at the potty-training phase. Time should be spent productively offering creative stimuli and activities, indoors and out, music, storytelling etc. Experience with babies is mandatory and required as is the ability to prepare and serve a basic baby meal from fresh ingredients. Experience with baby-swimming or another specialized infant activity will be a bonus for us.
If you speak Italian, Spanish or French and English isn't your first language, thats ok.
Greek: Fluent
English: Fluent
Italian: Beginner
A large spare bedroom in the house with a double bed.
There are a number of traditional hiking routes to discover that go all over the island (although in mid-summer it can be a little too hot for this). There is an archaeological museum with local findings and a couple of ancient sites. We shop our food from small producers or straight from the fisherman. In the evenings we often head down to the port or Marina to join friends at cafes or tavernas.
The house is about 15 mins on foot from a beach that has a couple of tavernas. For making the most of your spare time, mobility is the only key issue. A valid driving licence and vehicle can come in very handy as getting from A to B on the island requires using a car or motorbike - unless you're into cycling - let us know and we can arrange a bicycle.
The house rules are no drugs or substances, no surprise visitors, a sense of cleanliness and personal hygiene (cleaning up after using bathrooms and showers), helping keep the house tidy (or at least not create more mess!) and some cooking contribution a couple of times a week.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
One
5 hours a day, 5 days a week