6 Best Hotels in Nafplion, The Peloponnese

Surrounded by orange groves, this hilltop retreat is just a few minutes outside Nafplion but provides a resortlike getaway, with handsome, contemporary-style rooms and large terraces overlooking a shimmering pool and, in the near distance, the Gulf of Argolis. Large lounges invite guests to linger, snacks and drinks are available throughout the day, and a home-cooked evening meal is on offer for an extra charge. The country setting and pool provide a cooling refuge after summertime visits to all the surrounding sites, while in-room fireplaces and homey public spaces make this an appealing choice in winter, too.

A jolt of modernity illuminates this late-19th-century neoclassical town house, bang in the center of the old town. There's little about 3Sixty that is understated. From full-length dark mirrors that transform into TV screens to wood-burning fireplaces, Jacuzzis, and a golden elevator, what modern accoutrements they could squeeze within the tight restraints of the city planning laws are never less than whimsically over the top. Breakfasts in the restaurant next door are invariably superb, as are the dinners. The 3Sixty Grill might be achingly on-trend, but it has a fine menu to back it up, with 150-day-aged rib-eye and anthotyros cheese-stuffed ravioli a delight. Plus, it has comfortably the best wine list in the town.

Sea views fill every window in the airy, stylish, and contemporary guest rooms here, all of which open to teakwood decks—though the Old Town is just a few steps away, you may feel as if you're in the middle of the sea on a ship, and a pretty swanky one at that. Mattresses are remote-controlled to conform to the shape of your body, curtains open at the push of a button, bathrooms are equipped with jetted tubs, some showers double as steam rooms, and a maid comes twice daily. Guests may use the pool at the sister hotel, the Nafplia Palace. The in-house Circle restaurant is a refined, dress-for-dinner kind of place.

A great deal of charm prevails in these simple but tastefully decorated rooms—the building used to be a Russian Embassy during Nafplion's brief stint as a capital. Turkish carpets, dark woods, and the odd sloping, beamed ceiling set a dignified tone, with the large family rooms particularly impressive. The location at the top of the Old Town, up the street from the church of Agiou Spiridona, means that many rooms have views of the hilltop fortress but this also necessitates plenty of steps to climb. Great value for the views.

It might seem counterintuitive to swap a stay in the old city for the less attractive new town on its fringes, but the newly opened Liberty has an ace up its sleeve---it has the best views in the city from its rooftop (the only one in Nafplion), where over breakfast you'll gaze out over to the ancient ramparts of the Palamidi, Acronafplia, or down to the coast as you fill your belly. Aside from that, it's a thoroughly modern stay with lifts, disabled access to all floors, street parking and balconies in every room. Plus, it's only a short walk to the old town.

If first impressions are everything, spare a moment for the glamorous Nafplia Palace, which is reached either by car or via a bizarrely dark, graffitied tunnel leading to a trio of battered elevators. The latter whisk you up from the Old Town to another world entirely, where extensive grounds, spacious villas, and luxurious suites sit perched high above Nafplion on the ruins of the Frankish fortification atop Acronafplia. Rooms in the old hotel wing, in what was a state-run stay in the 1970s, are yet to be reopened; the real lure are the bungalows and villas, equipped with sumptuous bathrooms, sliding glass walls, and chic modern furnishings; some even have private pools and huge pine-scented terraces.   Even if you're not staying here, it's worth the rickety elevator ride to visit the bar, which sits on a pine-scented terrace high above the town and is a prime spot for a sunset cocktail.