Kardamyli is one of the oldest settlements of Greece, mentioned by its current name in the Iliad, the oldest work of Western literature, written by Homer around the 8th century BC. It is well worth wandering around the Old Town with its well preserved old stone houses, walk uphill to the Fortress Complex of the Troupakides-Mourtzinoi, with its tall military tower and the church of Agios Spyridon, an open air museum, and stroll further up under the imposing flat rock that hosts Ancient Kardamyli’s ruins and pass in front of the Tomp of Dioskouri; or visit the Mourtzini Customs at the picturesque harbour of Kardamyli. Or, one can follow the traces of Kazantzakis and Zorbas at the lignite mines of Prastova and the Kalogria Beach, where the actual events occurred that inspired one of the classics of modern literature. The sightseeing that attracts more visitors to the area, however, is the house of Patrick Leigh Fermor, that lies a few steps away from the hotel gardens.

The Patrick Leigh Fermor House
The house of legendary travel writer and World War II hero, Patrick ‘Paddy’ Leigh Fermor, and his wife Joan, is a reason in itself to visit Kardamyli. It is considered one of the most beautiful homes of Greece and the Mediterranean. The house is a three minutes walk from the hotel gardens. Built from local stone in the 1960s on “a peninsula ending in crescent-shape beaches…into a gently sloping world of the utmost magical beauty”, in the words of Fermor himself, it was frequented from the 1970s to late 1990s by royalty, politicians, diplomats, writers and artists. Recently renovated, it is now open to the public. The house served as scenic backdrop for the 2013 Hollywood film ‘Before Midnight’, with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.