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The scene feels like something out of a glamorous movie: a picture-perfect Greek sea view when you gaze out from your balcony one way, a village ringing a dark blue and turquoise bay when you look to the right. If you dream of staying somewhere like this, then fly into Kalamata, Greece and head south to Limeni Village Hotel in the Mani district.
The Mani region of Greece is a small finger at the very bottom of the Peloponnese Peninsula, a few hours’ drive from Athens or a short road trip from Kalamata. It’s a rugged and dry land that doesn’t support a lot of crops apart from olive trees and this town is one of the last stops before you enter ghostly villages full of narrow stone forts with very few people or commercial services around. A stay at Limeni Village hotel is akin to swimming in luxury before you head into a land of very few lodging options.
This is not the only hotel in picturesque Limeni Bay, but it certainly has the most commanding views. Stretched out along a hillside and built on several levels, it offers breathtaking panoramic scenes from nearly every vantage point. The stone structures feel solid and they blend into the surroundings, with architectural nods to the Mani towers encountered on hills in the whole region.
Most visitors arrive in a rental car and there’s free parking on site by the lobby or further down closer to some of the rooms. You enter an attractive lobby with sofas to lounge on. There’s a fireplace at one end for chilly evenings, a bar at the other end close to the reception area.
On sunny days, however, most guests don’t spend a lot of time in this room unless they are reading a book or choosing one of the games on hand to play. Or gathering for a drink after getting too much sun on a hot afternoon.
That’s because there are three levels of outdoor space to gather on apart from the private balconies that come with the rooms. One is the pool level, a large outdoor dining space adjoins the main restaurant, then the terrace outside the lobby lounge is a spacious area that takes full advantage of Limeni Village Hotel’s location.
There’s a snack menu for this area with casual dining choices all day. The bar is right inside the door, however, meeting the desires of many guests to drink a coffee with a view or enjoy a glass of Greek wine or maybe some ouzo at the end of the day.
The main restaurant serves a full breakfast buffet, often included in the rates depending on your plan, then dinner from a menu in the evening unless you’re traveling with a group and they have set up a buffet. Again there’s an outdoor area with a direct line of sight to the village, the mountain across the bay, and the pretty village at the end of it. The indoor area is cozy and attractive too though, with exposed wood beams and stucco walls.
The breakfasts here are filling and give a real sense of place, with plenty of Greek items to select from such as spinach pie, feta cheese, olives, and figs. In typical local style, you’ll also find an array of desserts to have for breakfast. These join some eggs, vegetable dishes, and good coffee.
Both dinners were had were delicious and reasonably priced for such a luxurious hotel. The menu features mostly traditional Greek items, such as moussaka (baked in a clay pot here), kebab with potatoes, and grilled squid with fava beans. Plus there are a few international pasta, meat, and vegetarian items in the mix. After weeks of drinking very similar-tasting Greek lagers, I was very happy to find some craft beers from Sparta to enjoy here, including a hoppy IPA.
The swimming pool area was the only part of the hotel that didn’t feel impeccably maintained, with a few tattered cushions and broken lounge chairs that had lost their battle with the wind and sun. It’s a pleasant place to relax in a horizontal position though while gazing up at the stone buildings of the property or out to the sea.
Beside the pool is a path that leads down to the water and eventually to the village beyond. We walked down it and headed into town for lunch one day, enjoying some seafood at a taverna right on the water. There’s not much in the small town besides a few drinking and dining places, but there are a couple of swimming areas if you want to take a dip.
Rooms here range from smallish standards with no balcony to the far superior junior suites with a hot tub on the balcony. We stayed in one of the latter and it’s hard to top the experience of soaking in a tub with a 180-degree view of the Peloponnese coastline. Our room had a sofa and two armchairs, a very comfortable king bed, a desk, and a table and chair on that balcony outside.
The bathroom was very different than what you usually find in Europe: spacious, with a shower you don’t bang your elbows in, and sealing glass enclosure that keeps the floor from getting wet. The only oddities were the need to call the front desk to have pool towels delivered and a call again when we wanted to change the room temperature. The controls in the room for the latter are just for show.
There are a few other options, like a triple, a quad, and a duplex room in what feels like a castle tower. Several options have a kitchen, though you’ll need to drive to a neighboring town to find any groceries. All rooms include Wi-Fi, cable TV, a fridge, hair dryer, and nice Greek toiletries in the baths.
Staffers here are surprisingly comfortable with English despite the remote location with no cities around and are a helpful bunch.
Rates at Limeni Village are some of the best values in Greece, starting at just $160 per night outside of the busiest seasons, including breakfast. They top out at less than $300 most of the time for a top suite. See more information at the hotel site and book direct. Or check prices online at Hotels.com.
Hotel Scoop tip: Keep heading south the next night and stay in a stone house at Kyrimai Hotel in Gerolimenas.
Review and photos by Hotel Scoop editor Tim Leffel. He was hosted at Limeni Village Hotel while writing a Mani travel article for another publication. As always, all opinions are his own.
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