Little Swallows, Pinakates, Pelion, Greece - Explore & Book
"The mountainous peninsula of Pelion is blessedly off the tourist track. Dense with deciduous woodland, lush with apple orchard, olive grove and low shrub maquis, the area is a walker's dream. It is also home to 24 well-preserved villages, some of which are listed and undergoing gentrification. Pinakates, once truly remote, still unspoiled, is our favourite.Minutes from the cobbled market square is Ta Helidonakia: 'Little Swallows'. In 2002 it was a crumbling ruin; now, after a sympathetic restoration using traditional materials and methods, the imposing 19th-century mansion has opened its arms to guests. Each of the bedrooms is named after a Greek god and has its own decorative touches - a painted ceiling, a stone fireplace. Flemish antique beds, imported by the welcoming Belgian owners Ward and Wies, add character. On the top floor is a huge guest salon with Ottoman daybeds, magazines and WiFi. In summer, breakfast is served on a terrace with a view - all the way to the enclosed seas of the Pagasitic Gulf; for other meals, the village has a clutch of tavernas. Highs Pinakates is a beautiful conservation village with imposing Ottoman-style stone mansions and cobbled car-free lanesEach bedroom has a fabulously comfy antique bed, thick walls and a multi-jet shower (apart from one, which has a tub)The owners provide maps for paths and cycle rides through sun-dappled woods to sheltered beaches, linked (in summer) by a picturesque narrow-gauge trainOne of the few mansions in Pelion with a pool - and a lovely one at thatHere at 600m altitude it's refreshingly cool in summer, and often cloaked in snow in winter Lows No restaurant, but simple tavernas in the village (and fabulous breakfasts at the hotel)Mountainous terrain unsuitable for the unfit or infirmTwo buses reach the village a day: you really need a carThe area is rainier than the rest of Greece Volos airport is open May-Sept only, while Athens and Thessaloniki are a 3-4 hour drive" - Michael Cullen
