Winter Stays: Five of the Best Guesthouses in the Peloponnese

Lina Kapetaniou | January 30th, 2026

From mountain villages to forest retreats, five restored properties reveal the Peloponnese’s quieter, slower side.

The Peloponnese is a region where nature and history unfold in quiet layers. Towering mountains give way to fir forests and stone-built villages, while winding roads lead through gorges, alongside rivers and across plateaus marked by centuries of human presence. Away from the coast and the crowds, the vast peninsula’s interior reveals a slower rhythm: restored mansions, former family homes and historic buildings reborn as warm, welcoming places to stay. Here, architecture blends seamlessly into the landscape and hospitality is inseparable from local memory, craft and the surrounding natural world.

Miglari Boutique Hotel

In November of 1990, the opening of the Artemisio Tunnel significantly shortened travel times and eased access to the villages of Arcadia. Victor Kanellopoulos, who lived in London at the time but came often to Athens, began visiting his home village of Stemnitsa more frequently. A house he had inherited there lay nearly in ruins, but his wife, architect Katerina Zelioti, was intrigued by the building’s features and envisioned its restoration. In the end, it took more than 20 years to complete the project and to create the seven guest rooms that have been welcoming visitors since December 2024. The hotel takes its name from one of Kanellopoulos’ ancestors, the Greek Revolutionary War hero Ilias Miglaris, a onetime resident in the house.

Info

Stemnitsa, Arcadia

Tel. (+30) 698.473.3021

miglari.com

Azanias Chalet Kalavrita

It is the overall experience that makes a stay here distinctive, from the large windows that bring the mountain slopes directly into the room to the fresh ingredients delivered the night before, allowing guests to prepare their own breakfast whenever they wish. The chalet’s deluxe rooms feature Jacuzzi bathtubs; their Suite 12 (75 sq.m.) is ideal for families; and the Attic is particularly well suited for romantic escapes.

Info

Kalavryta

Tel. (+30) 697.002.1021

azanias.gr

Gileri Eco & Design Residences

For Giorgos Ploubidis, this was his grandparents’ house in Lagadia, where the family gathered for holidays and vacations. Later, it became the house where he hosted his own friends. Together with his sister, he decided to transform it into a guesthouse. The renovation was accomplished through a clear operating approach; wherever local know-how existed, local craftsmen were employed. Today, the eggs, bread and honey served at breakfast are all locally sourced. For many of the other foodstuffs, fair-trade products are used, and three percent of the guesthouse’s revenue is donated to support local events and initiatives. The three residences can accommodate up to five or six guests each.

Info

Lagadia, Arcadia

Tel. (+30) 27950.435.22

gileri.gr

Villa Vager

Marina, who hails from Levidi, often imagined restoring the abandoned mansion she and her husband passed by on every hometown visit. In 2007, the couple purchased the 1843 building and, after four years of restoration, opened it as a guesthouse. Each of the nine suites is different; all are named after trees native to the Peloponnese. What truly stands out, however, is the breakfast: everything is prepared on-site; ingredients come from local producers; and the variety is seemingly endless, ranging from hot soups and homemade jams to freshly baked pies and fruit salads.

Info

Levidi, Arcadia

Tel. (+30) 27960.220.73

hotelvager.gr

Manna

In the early 20th century, Anna Mela, the sister of the Greco-Turkish War hero Pavlos Melas, raised funds from around the world to build a sanatorium for veterans of the Balkan Wars and the Asia Minor Campaign. Constructed at a site located at an elevation of 1,200 meters, the Sanatorium of Mana remained in operation until 1938, after which it was abandoned and left to ruin for decades. The current owner, Stratis Batagias, spent his childhood summers in the nearby village of Magouliana and was, from an early age, fascinated by the building’s history. Years of research and study were put into its restoration before the structure reopened in 2023 as the hotel Manna; since then, it has received numerous awards for both the excellence of its architectural reconstruction and its services. Facilities include a restaurant and a wellness center, and the hotel offers a wide range of nature-based activities.