Manna Arcadia: A historic building transformed into a hospitality venue in the heart of Menalon

As she had become widely known, Anna Melas, the sister of Pavlos Melas, the Mana, had a lifelong goal of creating a sanatorium for the soldiers of the Balkan wars and the Asia Minor campaign. It is the only building for whose construction fundraisers were held on three continents. Architecturally, it does not follow the neoclassicism that governed construction in Greece at the time but incorporates elements associated with central Europe. The building housed patients suffering from tuberculosis from its opening until 1938 when penicillin became widely available.

The years that followed brought about its decline and abandonment. Until recently, however, as the new owner of the site, he had even fulfilled his dream, as this is where he spent his childhood summers at a nearby camp, bought it, and brought it back to life. How? This unique building can be restored and transformed from a sanatorium into a five-star mountain resort of wellness and gastronomy by commissioning the architectural firm K-Studio. 

Working closely with archaeology, the result speaks for itself, creating a hospitality space that is easy and comfortable and, at the same time, bringing the history of the building before the eyes of the visitor. Since last July, Manna Arcadia has welcomed visitors, who arrive in an area surrounded by virgin spruce forest at an altitude of 1200 m. Preserved floors of grey limestone, wood, and mosaic are combined with locally sourced stones, terrazzo, and chestnut wood beams. Soft fabrics complement natural finishes in various pieces of furniture created and designed exclusively. The effect is enhanced at night through the natural ambience, the result of lighting design by Eleftheria Deco, the acclaimed specialist who also created the new, multi-award-winning lighting for the Acropolis.

FNL visited the hotel and had the opportunity to be shown around the premises by Christos Dimas, who is experienced in hotel management. "Our goal is to create a new luxury destination. We want to boost the tourist flow to Arcadia, with a hotel initially as a building, and hopefully later as a landmark hotel." With Christos, we talked for an hour. We had the opportunity to see the premises, and speak to us about his approach to hospitality, which is luxurious but also wants to contain elements of authenticity and truth. We could hear nothing walking towards the small artificial pond below the hotel. It is a moment when you feel all the splendour of nature.

Manna and gastronomy

At the same time, Manna has shown great interest in gastronomy, joining the team as head chef, Athenagoras Kostakos, who creates a traditional and modern gastronomic experience. Both the chef and the man who, with his suggestions, implements all this with his daily presence at the hotel, Michalis Hantzos, share the same love for the mountain, the hunt for the authentic experience, and the true and quality products of the place. In a few days, the new winter menu will be launched. "Manna`s menu is based on comfort, but also a very modern version of Greek cuisine with some international references and these still with a Greek character." he will tell us while not failing to mention the origin of the raw materials: "100% of the raw materials are Greek and of course based on local production and livestock farming." He notes the winter menu and its character: "The character of the winter menu is based on a heavier terrain with many chestnuts, pre-cured meats and cheeses. Several local pastas and wild forage-collecting mushrooms and truffles from the wider region less than 5km from Manna." The menu changes also affect the breakfast menu, which includes breakfast soups, cinnamon rolls and yellow pumpkin pies.

At the wood-carved iconostasis in Maguliana

Concluding our visit to Manna, we pass by the neighbouring settlement of Magouliana. Apart from being the village with the highest altitude in the Peloponnese, it also hides beauties and surprises. One such surprise is a visit to the village`s church, built in 1840 and stands out for its iconostasis, which is entirely carved in wood on massive walnut trunks. The representations are mainly from the Old Testament and are in relief, while notable figures are not absent from the compositions, influenced by late Venetian art (baroque) of the 19th century. We stop at the square in Magouliana and descend to the stone fountains just below the enormous characteristic plane tree. There is always something unexpected about a trip to Arcadia.