In one of the most beautiful beaches of the Peloponnese, Greece lies a derelict hotel that in its glory days was frequented by the international jet set.
Angelina Jolie, Sophia Loren and Telly Savalas were some of the celebrities who stayed in the 100-room luxury hotel with its serene surroundings and the magnificent beach.
Today Hotel Lakonis, which took millions of euros to build and was dedicated to the gods with its spectacular circular atrium, lies abandoned. It has been deserted since 2002. No one seems keen to touch it. “Some people think it is cursed,” a local restaurateur said back in 2015, when the British tabloid Daily Mail ran a feature on the hotel.
Situated a few kilometers away from the picturesque town of Gythio, the hotel took three decades to complete, but the developer who still owes a “significant amount of money” to banks and the state was forced to close it down.
The sale of the hotel bogged down in legal confusion
With its 900-feet (300m) long secluded beach, 59,000 square feet (5,500 sq. meters) of buildings – including 10 residential outbuildings – dedicated to gods including Artemis, Poseidon, Athena and Aphrodite – and 7.4 acres (30,000 sq. meters) of gardens, it remained for decades a prime site for development.
It has a parking facility for 100 vehicles and the main building is just 900 feet (300 meters) from its own secluded beach.
Its seafront is blue-flag class — meaning it’s been classified as one of the most pristine beaches in the world. There is also the opportunity to have a private marina built to accommodate luxury yachts.
But, despite efforts to attract investment over the years, the hotel had no takers until now. Selling agents had it listed for 5 million euros. But for years its sale has been bogged down in legal confusion.
A new lease of life for the derelict hotel in Greece
The property will open its doors again in 2025 as Radisson Blu Resort and will be the fifth consecutive Radisson Blu hotel in Greece after Athens, Crete, Mykonos, and Santorini.
The American multi-national hospitality company says that the hotel will offer a range of dining options, including an all-day dining restaurant, a terrace restaurant on the beach and a poolside bar. The resort offers relaxation by the pool or on its extensive, fully landscaped beach, a hotel fitness center and a 1.5km turtle nesting beach.
Situated near important archaeological sites such as the castles of Mystras and Monemvasia, and on the Blue Flag beach, Selinitsa Beach, the resort is 3 hours from Athens International Airport and less than 2 hours from Kalamata International Airport.
The hotel offers a wide range of accommodations, from standard and accessible rooms to suites, including a presidential suite. All rooms have a private outdoor terrace with ocean views. In addition, most suites have a private infinity pool for an added sense of luxury.
“The idyllic location of the Radisson Blu Resort, Mani will offer a stunning product complementing the rest of our portfolio in the region and the country,” Elie Milky, vice president of development for Greece, Cyprus and the Middle East at Radisson Hotel Group said recently.
The hotel in its glory days
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