The Southern Peloponnese

The southern Peloponnese rates as being amongst one of my favourite Greek destinations. Comprising the three promontories of Messinia, The Mani, and Monemvassia, each area differs from the other in so many respects that they could almost be mistakenly identified as being separate nations.



But Greece’s landscape being universally beautiful, stunning scenery of every kind is always a predominant feature of the country. I had booked a holiday at a hotel that was situated near Petalidi on the Messinia peninsula, which was the most western prong of the three promontories.

And I was travelling on a flight that departed at the civilized hour of 12.00 noon, which was bound for Kalamata Airport – the city of Kalamata being the capital of Messinia. The aircraft that all the passengers boarded was both large and roomy, and the sun was shining brightly as we ‘took off’ – no storms having been predicted anywhere.

Yet one could sense the tension that prevailed among those passengers on the plane. For, a couple of days earlier, Athens had been struck by an earthquake. And earthquakes did seem to follow a pattern that often resulted in them ‘striking twice’ – not necessarily in the ‘same place’ – but invariably in the same country!

And we were all bound for Kalamata – a city whose ‘main claim to fame’ had been its 1986 major earthquake! But, by the same token, Kalamata had probably already had its ‘allocated centennial quota of tremors’, and everyone was no doubt worrying unnecessarily!

Air flights always seem to have a soporific effect on me, and I dozed throughout most of the journey! (My spell of sleep, of course, could have been induced by the after-effect of the strong ‘double gins’ that I’d imbibed to drown any ‘earthquake worries’ prior to the meal that had been served on the plane, which had also been accompanied by a generous quantity of wine!)

In any event, I woke up well before we began our downward descent into Kalamata – but was informed by my neighbouring travelling companions that I had missed the ‘whole’ of the film that had been shown on the plane! Furthermore, they appeared astonished that I had been sufficiently ‘relaxed’ to have actually ‘fallen asleep’!

A small mini-bus awaited my arrival at the Airport. It was already evening by Greek time and a ‘twilight zone’ seemed to embrace our surroundings – with no ‘sunset’ being in evidence.

Kalamata being within half an hour’s driving distance of my hotel, it was ‘sheer luxury’ to have such a short final stage of the journey. The hotel complex itself looked most attractive. Situated on the coastal strip that overlooked both the Messinian Bay and the distant Mani Peninsula, it seemed to occupy an idyllic location.

Composed of a main building and numerous individual ‘bungalow buildings’ (which were, in fact, two storey edifices), its grounds encircled a vast swimming pool, surrounded by sun beds and sun umbrellas, beyond which a narrow path led down to a small shore – where there were more sun beds and sun umbrellas.

And alongside the shore the huge ocean formed a stunning backdrop. Even at twilight, it was a spectacular sight!

I was led to one of the ‘first floor so-called bungalows’, which appeared to be particularly spacious, being en-suite and possessing a double bed, a fridge, a television and a sofa chair. There was even a telephone beside my bed and a wall fan overhead. And a large French Door led out onto a railed balcony that overlooked the sea, which had been equipped with both sun loungers and a small table.

The hotel complex seemed to occupy a solitary site. Neither town nor village appeared to be within visible range. Only the occasional villa dotted the hillside terrain that bordered the other side of the road. It seemed to me that my choice of accommodation had been perfect!

Locating the dining room presented no problem since it overlooked the pool, and an enticing aroma of exotic fare wafted out onto the night air. And the food itself lived up to its ‘aromatic exhalation’! The hotel apparently offered a succession of ‘varied’ Dinner Evenings.

There would be a ‘Greek Night’, an ‘Italian Night’ and a ‘Barbecue Night’ – to name but a few! And I soon discovered that whatever the ‘national flavour’, the food was always excellent……..

My first morning found me standing on the balcony of my room at the incredibly early hour of 7.00 a.m.! With the coming of dawn my bedroom had been filled with sunshine – and such brightness had precluded further sleep.

And the view that I was overlooking was breathtakingly beautiful! The sunlit scene that I now surveyed was almost dazzling in its intensity. The blue sky, the blue sea, and the blue ‘ocean pool’ seemed to be vying for supremacy in the ‘shimmering stakes’. And between sea and sky the distant Mani Peninsula – seemingly a stark and mysterious coastline topped by the dark Taygetos mountain range – was dimly visible.

Breakfast, like dinner, proved to be a gargantuan spread that was impossible to fault. ‘Big’ just had to be ‘beautiful’ on this occasion, and I feasted on the appetising fare with appreciative enthusiasm. After breakfast I lingered awhile beside the gleaming swimming pool, which looked singularly inviting. While none of the sun beds that surrounded it were actually occupied, I noted that innumerable towels had been strategically draped over most of the mattresses. It would seem that one had to get to the pool as well as the sea ‘ahead of the Germans’!

The sight of the sea now lured me, and I finally located the narrow path that led down onto the hotel’s private cove. The path itself appeared to have been carved out of the cliff and I made my descent with extreme caution. And, finally, I reached the cove itself. It was an idyllic little beach, composed of both sand and shingle, and bordered on both sides by large rocks and boulders that abutted into the sea.

Most of the sun beds that faced the blue ocean had already been reserved, for as beside the pool, towels had been neatly draped over the mattresses. Only one sun bed lay unclaimed, and this one stood directly beneath the cliff path. I, it would seem, had inherited the ‘booby prize’ – but any sun bed was better than ‘no sun bed’ and I immediately ensconced myself upon it.

Peace and serenity, glorious sunshine, and stunning scenery was mine to indulge in at that point in time, and I felt that I could remain in this one beautiful location for the duration of my holiday. But there was so much to see in the Southern Peloponnese! And I planned to participate in a virtual ‘orgy of sightseeing’!

I intended to visit Sparta and Mystras, Olympia, the Mani Peninsula, the Monemvassia Peninsula, and even the surrounding areas of the Messinian Peninsula…………

But I would certainly spend the first day of my holiday, relaxing on this idyllic little shore, swim in the sparkling sea and gaze out at the breathtakingly beautiful stunning scenery

Roberta Crookes has worked as a newspaper journalist throughout most of her life, writing news stories, editorial features, advertisement supplements, and reviews. And in the course of her work she has interviewed many famous people from all walks of life. She has also managed to combine parallel careers in both journalism and acting, and, being Welsh speaking from North Wales, her main television featured parts have been Welsh language roles with BBC Wales.