Guest User
October 31, 2021
Ioannina is a wonderful city, and Its Kale is the perfect base for exploring both the city and the region. When we arrived at this beautiful modern hotel--built into a Byzantine-era shell, with the ruins of a Hellenistic house displayed under the breakfast room floor--we were greeted by a member of the friendly staff, who immediately offered to make us a cup of tea and served it in a china pot with matching cups. The friendly elegance of that initial hospitable act perfectly embodies the atmosphere of this lovely, perfectly-located hotel in the heart of Ioannina's old city. Over our four-night stay, we enjoyed our immaculate, cozy, and beautifully appointed room, as well as the bountiful breakfast buffet served (with scrupulous Covid protocols) in an elegant, spacious dining area. The hotel is on several levels between two elegant residential streets, with a front patio and stairways full of well-tended flowering plants. It is also next door to a delightful local eatery, Arte Povera (perfect for a light lunch or a glass of wine). And, oh, the location! In every direction, one soon comes to a Kastro gate into the modern city--with its lively, youth-oriented scene. Inside the walls are former mosques and fascinating museums that document the city's multi-cultural past--before the exchange of peoples in 1923 and the even more tragic deportation of the Jews. The Municipal Museum, housed in a 17th century mosque fully operative until 1923, celebrates the three cultures that shaped this fascinating place. Outside the walls, the Archeological Museum focuses on ancient local sites such as the nearby Sanctuary of Dodona, older than Apollo's at Delphi. The Silversmithing Museum gives a fascinating history of Ioannina's craft history over the past five hundred years. And, on the lovely island in the middle of Ioannina's large lake, one can visit the site of Ali Pasha's last stand and visit a number of working monasteries. Ioannina is one of Europe's most fascinating cities. And Its Kale is the place to stay.