Steve, the designer and owner of Villa Octavius, was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He has lived in Greece since 1979.
Brought up by his British parents on a dairy farm in South Devon, England, he learnt to sail on the local river Tamar. After schooling he trained as a joiner with a local firm.
Steve taught sailing in Salcombe during the summer and worked as a joiner during the winter. A chance meeting led him to get a job teaching sailing in Greece.
After over ten years and as a director of the company then called Falcon Sailing he moved on and went sailing in a Wayfarer from Greece to Egypt and the river Nile, returning via Cyprus and Turkey and the Greek Islands. This adventure was over 4000 miles and took 18 months.
Back in Lefkas, he started his own business with a boat called Ayesha, an Egyptian Felucca, which he had built in Turkey.
Many fine years of sailing people around the local islands in the end lead him to design and build Villa Octavius. Villa Octavius is named after the victor of the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, Octavius, who defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The Battle of Actium was fought just north of Lefkas Island and decided the fate of the western world.
Steve has a passion for the conservation of octopus and offers his clients a personal snorkelling day out getting to know the area and the marine life.
He also runs an evening tour called Sunset and Stars. This tour teaches you the constellations and stars together with the Ancient Greek Myths.
Monica hails from the Stellenbosch wine region of the Western Province, South Africa. Having previously enjoyed hiking in the Zagoria region of Greece and the Sporades, the safety and freedom of movement was motivating her to return to Greece and, having done so, one sunny spring day, she met Steve.
As a nature lover, the Mediterranean climate (and healthy diet!), unspoiled Lefkadian scenes and somewhat familiar flora and garden plants encourage Monica to join the swallows twice a year: she enjoys perhaps the best of both worlds by spending glorious summers in Greece and then as autumn approaches in Greece, has summer all over again in the Western Cape!
