Hotel Drakolimni

The room was cramped, with an extra single bed squeezed into the double room we’d asked for, and the electrics seemed dodgy. There was black mold in the fridge, and it switched off whenever we left, so it never got cold. At breakfast, the serving spoons clearly hadn’t been washed since the day before, and I found a hair in the honey. When I told the man, he took it away without an apology. He seemed to be trying his best, but didn’t appear to have hospitality training. We’d chosen the hotel because it had a restaurant, but it was closed. We got there an hour after check-in, but the door was locked. Someone came after we called the number on the door, said he didn’t know about our booking, and made a phone call while we waited. He spoke no English and wasn’t welcoming. Then he told us the room wouldn’t be ready for another two hours because a group had stayed the night before. We left early. Lesson learned: never prepay for a room.

We were a family of five, including my mother-in-law, and had a fantastic traditional breakfast. The views are amazing, and the hotel sits in a beautiful traditional village. Great rooms and really friendly service. Thank you for your hospitality, we hope to see you again soon.

HOTEL DRAKOLIMNI-TSEPELOVO: I usually travel with a group, and when I review a hotel or tavern, I ask everyone for comments or complaints so I can get a fuller picture. We first visited in November 2018 and were very pleased. We came again in May 2019 and still had a good impression. Our last visit was in May 2023, and that time the experience felt middling to below average. I think the change may be connected to the pandemic period, when hotels weren’t operating and had no income for upkeep, fixed costs, or hiring specialized staff. It may also have affected the owners’ state of mind, and now some problems seem to get in the way of their work, which is serving guests. I’ve met the owners before and think they’re excellent people, though their behavior seems different now, perhaps because of those circumstances. The facilities also haven’t had the changes needed to keep up with newer hotels. When it was built, though, this hotel was a special jewel in Tsepelovo and the wider area.

We had the local pies, one cheese and one vegetable, plus very tasty veal in tomato sauce and a lovely chilled red wine. The food was great, and we’ll come back! We only tried the restaurant. It was mid-October, near the end of the tourist season, and already late in the evening. Almost every place in town was closed. Even though we were the only people asking for food, they welcomed us straight away. I think they no longer had printed menus because the season was ending, so the man called someone who spoke English to explain what was available. One thing to know about Zagoria: people get up early and turn in early. Some restaurants even close at 8 pm, so don’t leave dinner until 9.