Arktouros Guesthouse / Monodendri — Restaurant in Zagori Municipality

We stayed at Arktouros Guesthouse in Monodendri village for two nights. This wasn’t originally in our plans, but during our road trip through Zagorohoria, we had to make some changes, and this place was recommended to us. Upon arrival, we were impressed—the guesthouse exuded charm, clearly reflecting the personal touch and care put into it, what we call 'meraki' in Greek. The décor and atmosphere were lovely, and the hosts were very friendly and kind. However, during our stay, the temperature soared to an unexpected 38°C . We were given room 7, which had a beautiful mountain view but faced the rising sun, causing the room to become extremely hot during the day. Unfortunately, the room lacked both a fan and air conditioning, and the curtains didn’t block out the light effectively from 7 am and onwards. We struggled to sleep on the first night due to the heat. The next morning, we noticed another guest had requested a fan and received one, so we kindly asked for one as well. One of the owners told us that he would do his best to provide a fan for the second night, but when we asked again later, we were told that there were not enough fans for all the rooms. The second night was even warmer, and we barely managed to sleep for a few hours. This made our five-hour drive the next morning quite challenging. Though we loved the guesthouse’s atmosphere, the lack of sleep due to the heat significantly impacted our stay. After all, a hotel or guesthouse’s primary purpose is to provide a good night’s rest, and despite the beautiful decor, it’s hard to enjoy much when you can’t sleep well. Additionally, the mattress was quite firm, leaving us both with back pain. Breakfast was delicious but also the breakfast area was warm during these days. Drinking on the terrace at night...

Stayed for two nights from May 31 to June 2 in order to hike through Vikos Gorge from Monodendri to Vikos. The owner helped us arrange a taxi to take us back from Vikos to Monodendri for 40€. Perfect location for the hike, it is right next to the trail start point, and the town is very charming and quiet.

This is a bed and breakfast with a restaurant and is beautifully decorated, lots of personal touches. Family owned, very kind owners. The included breakfasts are excellent, homemade, and easily rival those of a 4 or 5 star resort. The restaurant is also delicious, serves pastas and pizzas, and has fair prices.

Some important notes for future guests - Most people here speak enough English to get through interactions you need, but few are fluent. There is a parking lot located a short 5 minute walk from the hotel. There is no AC, but the elevation is high and mountains are cool at night in early June, so we did not need it. Not sure how it would feel in August. The bathroom is small but has 24/7 hot water, a rare perk in Greece for a hotel/BnB like this. The walls are thin and the sounds of other guests moving about at night may be loud for some, though it didn’t bother me. Earplugs or a white noise generator will help.

I would love to stay here again to do more hiking, the area is gorgeous and does not attract huge crowds of tourists like the islands. 10/10...

Hello my name is Peter and I was working at arktouros hotel the last 4 months as a waiter/barista/service .It was a great experience and I overall enjoyed my stay there. The professionalism and and the hospitality that the owners of the hotel offered was immensely . As all the jobs there are difficult times and days , but if you could keep your smile and your mood high everything turned out good 👍. They always treated me well and payed me on time. This chance teached me alot of things on the job but mainly on the social interaction I had to have with the clients. After corona this kind of job was perfect for me to feel social and to charge my community's batteries way up! I was offered a free room and everyday I had a homemade food to eat. 10/10 would work again. Great place . Best...