Mandola Rosa, A Resort to Live

Facing two kilometres of golden sand on the western Peloponnese, Mandola Rosa at Riviera Olympia is an intimate Grecotel retreat of just 25 suites and 20 remarkable beachfront villas, created in the spirit of the grand Mediterranean summer residences of another era.

There is romance in the architecture from the outset. Rose coloured façades, arcades, terraces and tiled roofs sit among gardens and mature forest beside the Ionian, their colour inspired by the almond trees that blossom around Ancient Olympia and giving the hotel an identity entirely its own.

Mandola Rosa feels more like a private seaside estate than a conventional resort. Suites occupy the main buildings while villas and residences spread towards the shore, leaving plenty of garden and open space between them, with the long sandy beach providing a magnificent backdrop to almost everything.

Rooms & Suites

The accommodation becomes increasingly impressive as you move through the collection. Luxury Guestrooms and Mandola Suites provide balconies and sea views, while the larger residences introduce generous living areas and outdoor spaces designed for families who want considerably more room around them.

The villas are where Mandola Rosa really shows its character. Beach Villa and Villa Nostalgia place you close to the sand, while Villa Delos, Villa Iolas and the beautiful Marble Villa add private pools and the sense of having a substantial Mediterranean home of your own.

At the top end are some extraordinary residences. The five bedroom Grand Villa is made for larger gatherings beside the beach, while the Presidential Beach Residence and Royal Pavilion elevate the experience again. The Royal Pavilion with its indoor and outdoor pools is the sort of accommodation around which an entire holiday can happily revolve.

Dining

Dining retains the intimate mood of the hotel. Cap Voyage brings the Ionian setting into relaxed Mediterranean meals, while Orient Express provides a more distinctive evening experience and the Breakfast Salon gives mornings their own elegant setting.

There is a pleasing sense that meals can take whatever shape the day requires. Breakfast can be leisurely, lunch can follow a swim without ceremony, and dinner becomes an excuse to dress up a little and linger over the evening, with the gardens and sea always close by.

Guests also have the wider Riviera Olympia enclave around them, adding considerably more choice when the mood takes you beyond Mandola Rosa and making longer stays particularly easy without diluting the more exclusive atmosphere back at the hotel.

Experience

The beach is the great constant here. Two kilometres of sand run along the front of Riviera Olympia, with the Ionian beyond and forest behind, creating the sort of setting where days quickly fall into an uncomplicated pattern of sea, shade and another swim.

An outdoor pool provides an alternative to the beach, while the wider resort opens up a considerable choice of activities. Tennis, horse riding, cycling and hiking sit alongside windsurfing, canoeing and other water sports, giving families plenty to dip into without having to plan every day around organised entertainment.

There is also a water park and evening entertainment within the wider enclave, which makes Mandola Rosa particularly appealing for multigenerational holidays. You can enjoy the facilities of a much larger resort while returning afterwards to the gardens, villas and quieter atmosphere of your own corner of the estate.

Wellness

The spa provides another change of pace, with an indoor pool and wellness facilities complementing the outdoor life of the resort. It works particularly well as somewhere to retreat for a few hours after several days spent almost entirely beside the sea.

For many guests, however, the simplest pleasures will be the most persuasive ones here. A quiet morning beside a private pool, an afternoon beneath an umbrella on the beach and a walk through the gardens as the evening light reaches the rose coloured buildings capture Mandola Rosa particularly well.

Where

Mandola Rosa sits at Loutra Kyllinis on the Ionian coast of the western Peloponnese, an excellent base for seeing a very different side of Greece. Ancient Olympia is the great cultural draw of the region, while the surrounding countryside, coastline and villages make it worth venturing beyond Riviera Olympia before returning to the beach for another long Ionian evening.

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