High in the profusely green hills of the Pelion peninsula, a restored village mansion with 9 rooms
The mountainous peninsula of Pelion is blessedly off the tourist track. 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: 'L
ittle 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, we are told, has its own essentially Greek decoration. Flemish antique beds, imported by the Belgian owners, add character. In summer, breakfast is served on a terrace with a view - all the way to the enclosed seas of the Pagasitic Gulf. The hotel has two good seating areas, one with a wood-burner; the village has a clutch of tavernas.