Olympion Asty Hotel

This is a little jewel box of a country hotel. Laid out in a Hacienda style, the setting immediately puts you at ease and in a relaxed frame of mind. Add to it the tranquil bucolic surroundings and you’ll begin to slip into the proper attitude to take in an enjoy this deeply historic town. Olympia really cannot be understood, let alone enjoyed without some acclimation…primarily letting go of the urgency to do something or be somewhere. Checking in at the Hotel Olympion Asty is an excellent first step. Sitting by the pool at sunset, or just enjoying the view from the balcony in the room will do wonders for your psyche and your mental state. The Hotel Olympion Asty is also located on the top of small hill and overlooks the town of Olympia, suffice it to say that the location automatically makes wandering around town or shopping “not an option.” This enforced detox is exactly what your soul needs to begin to truly enjoy Olympia, to fall into that frame of mind, that pace that allows you to truly understand it and why this place was so special to the ancient Greeks. Ok, let’s talk nuts and bolts. The rooms are new and well-equipped. The air conditioning leaves much to be desired, but that’s just continental. The bathrooms are all steel and glass and the toilets are new, sturdy, and clean! There is plenty of space and I appreciate hotels setting out sufficient counter space next to the sink. The rooms are spotless and give you the feeling of being luxuriously clean and neat, tastefully appointed and thoughtfully functional. The room we had had a split level with a separate sitting area with a sofa bed, and a balcony overlooking the city and the plains….just gorgeous. The kitchen out a very solid buffet dinner on the day we arrived and the breakfast was just as good the next day. While you may not get a buffet, it is clear what the kitchen CAN do and you are in good hands at the Olympia Asty. The pool is great. It was clean, spacious enough to do laps comfortably and deep enough to be thoroughly enjoyable…likely deeper than most hotel pools at 2.9m at the deep end. There is a small pool bar as well.

This is actually a nice four star hotel, although it feels tired on first arrival until you actually go inside. The staff are great as are the rooms, pool (20m), and dining. The rooms are recently refurbished and very contemporary. It's clearly there for people to stay one or two nights to visit the Olympia site (about 5 minutes drive away), and probably not worth a longer stay. We had a two bed suite. Very comfortable, newly refurbished, with two ensuite bedrooms. Excellent bathrooms with walk in showers. Has possibly the world's most complicated shower in one which we never mastered, but it's fun trying! The food is very good. Traditional greek, well prepared with quality ingredients. Reasonably priced for a four star. Breakfast is included and nice if not outstanding.