We are four Aussies who want accommodation for 2 nights to view the monastries of Meteora and two towns or villages to use as our base for four nights each in to explore the Peloponnese
Where would ytou recommend we stay?

Can I jump on this thread?
I am interested in visitng Meteora at the end of October. Is this a good time to go? Will the same nimber ofhotels and domatia be open then?
With thanks

Hi there,
We were in Meteora in October last year and all the monasteries were open. Only problem was some of them were only open on certain days, and we were only there for 1 1/2 days so we missed a couple. If you're interested in specific ones, see if you can find out their open days.

Not sure about hotel availibity as the one place we looked into staying was available and I didn't look any further. We stayed at the Dupiani House at the foot of the mountains in the town of Kastraki. We loved this little bed and breakfast. Both it, and its owners were charming. It was cheap - I think around $60 which included breakfast - and had amazing views, a pretty little courtyard, comfortable rooms, and was just a 5-10 min drive to the monasteries. Unless you need a 5* hotel, I would highly recommend it!

Have fun!

We stayed at Hotel Sydney in Kastraki. The business card that I took is hard to read because the phone # is on the side that I glued into the scrap book! But, it seems to say the cell # for the owner (who is an Aussie of Greek descent I believe) is 0974535051 or the hotel # is 0432 7786. It's a simple and clean place where some of the rooms have little balconies facing the monasteries. It's at the foot of the mountain that you drive up to see the monasteries. I do not know the exact price, but I know it's quite reasonable, and the breakfast was more substantial than I am used to getting in Greece. There is a very good and simple restaurant nearby called Mpatalogiannis, it's a 2 minute walk from Hotel Sydney. The card also says they have rooms, their # is (0432) 23253.

Do you have a phone number or other contact for the Dupiani House? Also, how many days did you stay in Meteora? Someone in one post somewhere around here said they wished they had based themselves in Delphi and made Meteora a day trip. That looks pretty long to me-=-what do you think?

Hmmm, I seem to remember having a business card somewhere for Dupiani, so I'll try to remember to look when I get home. If not, I think it's also listed in the Fodors guide (I checked online already and it's not listed on this site). If you would like to see pictures of the hotel, I can email them to you if you wish

Whether or not to stay in Delphi I think will be dependent on how many monasteries you want to visit. It does become a bit repetitious, but they all have their own unique qualities, so we really enjoyed all the ones we went to. I would probably allot at least 1-2 hours for each.

Oh yes yes, please email the photos. (Now that shows my age, I'm excited about pix of a hotel, not the hotel keeper.)

Hi again,
I remembered! Here's the Dupiani house info off their busi. card...

Manager = Thanassis Nakis
Addr = 422 00 Kastraki, Meteora, Greece
Tel = 0432/75326 (additionally, Fodors lists 0432/77555)

Is there a way to post pics? Or do I just email them? If so, what's your addy?

[email protected]

Thank you!

Hi
First off I'd say a day trip from Delphi to Meteora is too much - about 3 hrs each way.
As for the Peloponnese query which has so far gone unanswered, I'd recommend the following 2 bases:
Nafplion for the Argolid area (most of the major ancient sites)
and either Areopolis or Kardamyli for the southern parts (Mani etc) which are simply stunning.
I'd give Olympia / western Peloponnese a miss, as the site is largely closed for pre-Olympics 'improvement'.
For nice, medium-priced hotels I'd recommend the Ilion or Acronafplia in Nafplion, the Londas (Areopolis) and Notos or Lela's pension in Kardamyli. You can see and book most of these on
http://www.i-escape.com/country_summ...country=Greece

I've just finished researching and writing a guide book to the southern Peloponnese which, as I genuinely believe it's the best, most up-to-date guide to the lesser known parts and paths of the region, I feel justified doing a little plug for:
http://www.sunflowerbooks.co.uk/pelop.htm
You can get it from Amazon.
Hope this helps,
Michael