Greece Hotel Guide: A Family-Friendly 'Medieval' Stay in Chios

Where: Mesta Village, Chios, Greece

January 11, 2008 at 9:05 AM | 1 Comment

Our far-flung correspondent Monica Guy has once again slapped together a guide to a place we have only dreamed about visiting. This time, she's summing up various hotels in Greece. Got a tip, question or suggestion about where to stay? Send it our way.

Hotels generally assume you'll be travelling in a couple. But what if you're in a huge family or a big group? Who sleeps with who and who gets the fold-down cot? Can you find a hotel that offers everything everyone wants to do within a short distance? Nightmare.

Save yourself the stress and irritating compromise on Chios, the fifth largest island in Greece and just five miles off the coast of Turkey in the Northeast Aegean sea.

The port of Chios is big and boisterous and full of commercial ships and traders selling the island's speciality sticky resin mastiha. Avoid it.

Instead, pick up a car and drive down south over to a tiny little medieval village called Mesta.

There you'll find the 14 family-owned "Medieval Castle" suites, newly restored 14th-century buildings scattered throughout the village. Ignore the cheese factor--these suites are great.

Something for everyone
Mum's in the kitchen cooking up some fresh fish from the local market. Dad's checking his emails. The kids are watching DVD in the lounge and the teenager's playing Pink Floyd on the CD player.

Sister's in her bikini lying on the local black volcanic beaches or swimming in the bay. Grandma's visiting the monastery of Nea Moni, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or one of the other attractions in the area. Sister's boyfriend is learning to scuba dive in the calm blue waters - the hotel owners arrange trips in summer - and the others have hired bikes and scooters and are buzzing around the hills in the sun.

If it all gets too much you can escape for the day to the little nearby islets of Psara and Oinousses, a short ferry ride away. Or to Turkey if you're really desparate.

Not talking luxury
We're not talking luxury here. The floors are mostly wooden and the walls are cobbled stone, and don't expect the starched white Egyptian cotton sheets you'll find in the Emelisse Hotel on Kefalonia or the Aigialos Hotel on Santorini.

The restaurants in the village square are local, serving fresh fish and real Greek food rather than fiddly gourmet cuisine. But you can cook for yourself in the fully-equipped kitchen, so it's perfect for large families eating together or separately and staying for a fairly long time.

And for the freedom you get, it's worth the price. Special rates are currently available, at €100 (US$146) per person for a 2-night stay - book well in advance for good deals.

Tags: Greece Hotel Guide / Chios Hotels / Monica Guy / Family Friendly Hotels

by femmefatale

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