A journey through time…

In what was the first capital of modern Greece, Nafplio, there is a three-hundred-year-old traditional building, which is now the Ilion Hotel. The mansion used to be the residence of the first Mayor-Prefecture Governor, Efthymiopoulos, at the time of Kapodistrias, and rises above Syntagma (Constitution) Square in the centre of the old part of the town. The building was first used as a hotel in March 2000 and has been restored recently by its owners, Themistoklis and Mimis Papaioannou. The Ilion Hotel is both a historic monument and a uniquely stylish place to stay while you are visiting Nafplio.

The design of the 10 suites and 5 studios transports you back to the Renaissance period, without, however, depriving you of any of the comforts of the modern age. Visitors can also travel through a dreamland evoked by the many pictures which adorn the headboards on each of the beds. The images depict scenes drawn both from Greek mythology and from the world of fantasy, and the different images on each headboard provide each suite with its own unique name and character. Suites include the Adonis Suite, the Muses, Love and Soul, Dreams, and so on. Mrs. Papaioannou has generously provided furniture and antiques from her own personal collection to adorn each of the suites.

In the studios, which are ideal for families, the emphasis is not only on luxury but also on the peace and comfort of the guests. The studios are fully equipped and have a view out over the old town. They are located just 50 metres from the main building and offer quick and easy access on foot to the Arvanitia Beach. Again, each studio has its own name based on the pictures on the headboards on the beds. The layout of each studio is different, and there is one two-storey studio with an internal staircase.

The hotel offers an indisputably wide range of facilities for the benefit of its guests. The suites are air conditioned throughout the year and come with their own satellite TV, radio, telephone and books, while each of the studios also has its own refrigerator. Guests can enjoy an individual Jacuzzi-spa in the bathrooms, which also even contain toiletries, a hairdryer and bathrobes. Room service is available 24 hours a day, while ladies can take advantage of hairdressing, beauty treatment and baby sitting services on request. Laundry services are also available.

Breakfast is served from 8:30 until 11:30, and may be taken in your room, in the hotel’s bistro or (weather permitting) in the gardens. Even at breakfast time, the personal stamp of Mrs. Papaioannou is in evidence. Like the perfect hostess she is, she bakes her own pies (cheese pies, custard pies, apple pies). Breakfast includes wholemeal or granary bread, biscuits, fruit juice, a variety of different types of coffee, cold meats, cheese, cake, homemade jam and preserved fruits.