Dexamenes Seaside Hotel

Style

Industrial Dionysian

Setting

Ionian eye candy

A former industrial winery, Dexamenes Seaside Hotel sits beachside between the forested mountains of Elis and the shimmering Ionian. Stroll through the courtyard, passing huge metallic silos once used to crush grapes and now home to more refined pursuits such as private dinners, art installations and live music. Courtesy of a cellar toting close to 100 different bottles, wine is happily still a flowing feature here, but the productivity of the hotel’s grape-peddling past has been ditched in favour of dedication to sea-soundtracked R’n’R.

Facilities

Rooms

44 suites.

Checkout

11am. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

More Details

Rates include a daily Greek breakfast.

Also

Dexamenes is a hotel that wears its art on its sleeve. Local artists regularly curate exhibitions and installations in the gallery and silo (hanging lamp that doubles as a playable musical instrument, anyone?) and there are exclusive ceramics and jewellery pieces, also designed and made locally, available in the little gift shop.

Hotel Closed

November to March

Free Internet Access

Pet Friendly

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

At the Hotel

Restaurant and bar, gift shop, free WiFi, free beach loungers and parasols. In rooms: Double bed with Coco-Mat mattress, Nespresso coffee machine, minibar, flatscreen TV, beach towels, private patio, bathroom with shower, dual sinks, bathrobes, slippers and Zealots of Nature toiletries.

Our Favourite Rooms

The singular experience of sleeping inside a 1920s wine tank is likely to be memorable whichever suite you choose (assuming of course that you’re into industrial concrete minimalism), but only Beachfront WineTank Suites promise a sea view. And what a view it is: horizontal blocks of ochre sand, azure sea and deep indigo sky that – framed through huge glass patio doors – look for all the world like a Rothko painting. But our favourite has to be the grand neoclassical Beachfront Villa, previously a wine chemistry lab, now reimagined as a 10-person standalone stay.

Packing Tips

Elis is the region of Greece that birthed the Olympics, so now might be a good time to steep yourself in the country’s rich history. You could finally get round to the Herculean task of reading The Odyssey. Or, perhaps less dauntingly, lose yourself among the ancient ruins with Mythos, Stephen Fry’s audiobook retelling of the Greek myths.

Children

Over-11s are welcome at adult pricing; the Beachfront Villa allows children of all ages. All other suites are adults (over-11s) only and have a maximum occupancy of three people (one on a sofa bed).

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

The courtyard has a buzz about it, especially come evening, but we loved the intimacy of the far corners of the former engine room.

Dress Code

Cool and calm.

Hotel Restaurant

The open-plan main restaurant is set in the winery’s former engine room and spills out across the terrace. Locally crafted ceramic lamps cast mellow light over intimate tables, where guests gorge on contemporary Greek and Mediterranean cuisine from chef Gikas Xenakis. This former winery of course boasts a list of local varieties so extensive that the short stroll back to your suite may prove something of a Sisyphean challenge.

Hotel Bar

The bar extends from the terrace down onto the beach and serves snacks and light meals like souvlaki and Greek salad throughout the day. As well as wine, there’s a broad variety of cocktails on offer. And no-one will think badly of you for taking the Just Relax and Mojito Sunset concoctions literally.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served in the main restaurant from 8-11am and dinner from 7-11pm. The beach bar and taverna are open 11am-11.30pm.

Room Service

Dine out on your own private patio: room service is available from 8am-10.30pm.

Planes

Kalamata Airport is a little shy of two hours’ drive from the hotel; it’s a somewhat more protracted three-and-a-half-hour jaunt from Athens.

Automobiles

The hotel’s remote location makes wheels a must. Good motorways run the length of the coast from both Kalamata and Athens airports and there’s free private parking at Dexamenes. The hotel requires 48 hours’ notice to organise a transfer, should you prefer to be chauffeur-driven.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Budding Olympians may choose to rise early and sprint the (approximate) 26 miles to the Archaeological Site of Ancient Olympia (entry €12), otherwise an air-conditioned 45-minute drive from the hotel. You’ll need at least a full day here to perfect your victory lap of the ancient stadium and worship at the wondrous temples of Hera and Zeus. Closer to the hotel, the Archaeological Site of Elis, a preserved city dating to the 12th century BC, is less crowded but no less impressive, and certainly cheaper: entry is free and there’s a nominal €2 charge for the museum.

Hiking opportunities abound in this ancient land, among them Foloi Oak Forest: over 200,000 acres of largely flat woodland with views to the mountains beyond. Mythology has it that the forest was named for the centaur Pholus, who died here when a drinking session with his pal Hercules went awry and his fellow centaurs, discovering their party invites had been lost in the post, attacked them. Best leave the flagon of wine at home, just in case.

Instead, you can swirl, sniff and sip without fear of assault in the vineyards of Brintziki Winery, a producer of citrusy and refreshing Tinaktorogos, intensely fruity Augoustiatis and several more local varieties. Tours of this and other wineries can be organised through the hotel.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .