Goulas Traditional Guesthouse

It may be less than 50m from the town gate, but enter the walled town of Monemvasia and you enter a medieval mystery tour of tangled alleyways, steep stairs and shadowy archways. Goulas’ sign on the street is in Greek - see photos if you’re limited to Roman script! Like everything else in the town Goulas guesthouse is old - in parts, very old - and seems to have grown organically over time. Our ‘room’ (effectively a junior suite with the feel of recent comprehensive renovation) had a sitting room, shower and bedroom, plus a huge private outdoor terrace overlooking the town roofscape, a public garden, the town walls and the sea. Excellently appointed, scrupulously clean and well equipped, modern wi-fi and aircon rubbed shoulders with bare stone windows and duck-or-grouse low doors. Presiding over it all was the excellent Dora. Having guided in her lost sheep on the phone, she was a fount of local knowledge and precisely the kind of landlady you’d hope to have in a guesthouse of quality. (Tip: plenty of places to eat nearby, but try Matoula for seafood dolmas and fried red mullet). Goulas Traditional Guesthouse may be hard to find, but it’s well worth the effort.

The room has an amazing view. However it is really small. The staff is very friendly. There is no breakfast available. It was quiet and also the shops had no music so that one could enjoy the rest. It is difficult to find parking close by, of course.