Every year, a new crop of vacationers discovers the beauty and complexity of the Grecian Isles. These small landmasses in the Mediterranean have a lot to offer travelers booking villa vacation rentals in the region, thanks to the stunning beaches and considerable nightlife that propagates the area. Yet there's also a grand history to be discovered by adventurers staying in Mykonos, and there are few locales that have as much to offer as the islet of Delos.

Part of the Cyclades chain of Grecian islands, Delos was once the religious and political center of the region, and plays an important role in classic Greek mythology and history because of it. Ancient Greeks treated the small, circular island as a holy sanctuary for centuries, with ancient temples and statues peppering the isle to this day. Later, the locale was established as the birthplace of notable deities Apollo and Artemis, the twin children of Zeus.

During the Late Hellenistic and Roman times, Delos was declared a free port – a fact that made the island a prosperous center for both commerce and politics. At the time, the island boasted a population of more than 30,000 people representing many cultures and ways of life. Unfortunately, this population would greatly decline in the first century BC, as most would abandon Delos due to pirate attacks that razed the city and looted its temples.

The island would remain mostly untouched until formal excavations by the French School of Archaeology were launched in 1872. Nowadays, travelers can enjoy the fruits of the archaeologists' work by strolling through the ruins of important structures like the Propylaea, the Agora of the Competialists or the Sanctuary of Apollo. You can also learn a lot about the past at the Maritime Quarter, which was once the main residential area of the city, where excavators have managed to salvage several ornate mosaics depicting the gods.

Of course, exploring the ruins of the past can best be accomplished from a comfortable setting, and should your adventures to Delos inspire you to stay in luxury rentals on the nearby island of Mykonos, then the isle's Eagle's Nest Villa is exactly where you want to be. This 8-bedroom manor comfortably sleeps 14 and offers some of the most stellar panoramic views of the region. The villa is located at the top of hill in the Fanari area, a position that both shields it from strong Mediterranean winds and affords it unbeatable views of islands like Delos, Tinos and Syros.