Hotel Kastro

A small, charming hotel in the historic citadel of Ioannina, a bustling lakeside town in northwest Greece

Here’s a little trivia test. Which 19th-century emperor earned the nickname ‘Napoleon of the east’, ruling over an ever-expanding slice of the Balkans with a fierce will? Where was his heavily-fortified court, famed for its culture and wealth, admired by Hugo and Byron? And what was the name of the girl who rejected his advances, embraced his son’s, and ended up being tied in a sack and drowned in the lake with 16 virgins?

If you just reeled off the names of Ali Pasha, Ioannina and Euphrosyne, then congratulations - you deserve a holiday where it all happened, visiting the mosques and museums where once his court stood, taking boat rides across that mysterious lake, exploring the island where Ali met his death, and staying in a wonderful little hotel in the heart of his citadel. If you scored one or two out of three, then clearly you need a refresher course. And if you haven’t got a clue what we are talking about, then why not discover a completely new slice of European culture and landscape?

Highs

• The central location, a stone’s throw from the lakefront, fortress and museums; but undisturbed by traffic (a true blessing in a city where teenagers buy exhaust ‘mufflers’ to make their mopeds sound louder!)
• The rooms, fully renovated in 2011, offer really comfy mattresses, new bathrooms and free WiFi
• Staff can give you good tips on where to eat, drink lattes and buy silver at genuinely "friendly prices"
• The stunningly scenic Zagori region is on your doorstep, for mountain hiking, river rafting, spring flowers and breathtaking gorges

Lows

• The 3 downstairs rooms are slightly cramped, and the only views you get are of the pavement outside
• There are no common spaces or facilities other than the small breakfast room; think of it as a glorified B&B