Page 382 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Great Places to Stay in Europe

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3 8 2 G REE C E

GREECE
MALL HOTELS of among the many choices we
character are quite a list are a cave-like island cliff
S new phenomenon dwelling, an 18th-century
in Greece: most have bandit chieftain’s tower, a
been in operation for Venetian townhouse and a
little more than ten mountain mansion. Most
years, and many are in Greek hotels are family-
traditional buildings which run, friendly and in-
have been in the same family formal, but with little
for generations and have been emphasis on luxuries
lovingly restored. Greece has a such as room service
very rich vernacular architecture – and ambitious food.
Argo-Saronic islands, popular
with foreign visitors and
Athenians escaping from
the city. The group includes
car-free Ydra, and Spétses
with its choice of excellent
small resort hotels.
The white villages, blue-
domed churches and
mountainous, arid landscapes
of the Cyclades islands are
among the best-known
images of Greece. Despite
the popularity of Mykonos,
Páros and Santoríni, there
are a number of charmingly
simple places to stay, ideal
for peace and quiet.
Tourism is still relatively
new to the large, widely
spaced islands of the North-
east Aegean group, where
most beds are in small,
simple pensions and larger
holiday hotels.
The Dodecanese group,
Oía Mare Villas, page 390, fabulously sited on the island of Santorini close to the Turkish coast,
includes tiny isles such as
GREECE, REGION Central and northern Greece Symi along with larger´ S S
BY REGION are equally varied. The neighbours such as Rhodes,
capital, Athens, a huge urban which receives hundreds
REECE CAN be divided sprawl, is short of hotels of of thousands of visitors
G into two obvious parts: distinction, as are other main annually. Many of the most
mainland and the islands. towns, but there are unique charming hotels are in
places to stay throughout the impressively restored neo-
Mainland Greece mainland. Among them are classical houses.
The Gulf of Corinth and the the rugged, dry-stone-walled The Sporades and Ionian
Corinth Canal slice Greece homes of the Zagoria villages islands are dominated by the
into two. The southern and restored neo-classical package holiday market, with
Peloponnese offers a wide mansions in small ports such few hotels of real character.
range of landscapes, from as Galaxídi, near Delphi. Kythira, in the Ionian group,´ K
rugged, treeless mountains to is the exception, with some
gentle farmland, lush valleys The Islands attractive small hotels in its
and sandy beaches. There are Of the thousands of Greek white-washed village capital.
lovely small hotels in historic islands, only some hundred Crete, Greece’s largest
buildings in towns such as are inhabited. These are island and most southerly,
Yíthion and Návplion, in divided into six groups, plus is almost a country in its
medieval fortresses like Crete, largest of all the own right. Many of its most
Monemvasiá, and in the tiny islands and an administrative interesting and attractive places
castles of the Máni region and region in its own right. to stay are in old Venetian-
the stone villages of Arkadia. Closest to Athens are the tiny Turkish townhouses.