Pharae Palace Hotel

The rooftop restaurant and bar have a stunning view over Messinisn bay and Kalamata’s wonderful beach. Food and drinks were excellent, and breakfast is available too. It’s a beachfront hotel with large, clean rooms, and one of my first picks when I’m in Kalamata.

A nice place to start the day is the rooftop terrace, with a good breakfast selection that includes local specialities. The rooftop bar also serves drinks in the evening. Rooms were clean and comfortable, and there’s a private beach with free sun beds. There are some okay restaurants and bars along the promenade, though the better ones are in the old town, about a 20-minute walk away. A sunrise walk out on the molo might reward you with a glimpse of sea turtles.

The rooftop lunch was genuinely tasty, but the rest of this stay didn’t feel worth what we paid for a supposed four-star hotel. We’d stayed here two years ago and came back this week, and the experience had changed. Every shower flooded the bathroom because it needed maintenance. The doors squeaked, and breakfast and coffee were mediocre. The cleaners entered our room several times a day, whether we were there or not. It felt strange that they couldn’t finish in one visit and kept returning every couple of hours, especially since we had valuables in the room. They also charged us for two small bottles of water from the fridge. It was only one euro, but that felt like a shame. Even two-star hotels in Greece don’t do that.

Spiros made our dinner feel special. He was warm and full of energy, explained the dishes with real enthusiasm, and was a great storyteller. He also guided us through the wine, which went beautifully with everything we ordered. The crispy pork belly, briam, and risotto were all full of flavor, perfectly cooked, and nicely presented. I’m looking forward to coming back for the food and to see Spiros again. Highly recommend!