Hotel Kosta Famissi

“Respite From A Dark And Stormy Night”

Our long day’s adventure from Athens was finally coming to an end. Because this bus tour of Delphi, Thermopylae and the Monasteries at Meteora and the travel time to and from Athens would take two days so that meant we had to spend the night somewhere. That somewhere was the Kosta Famissi Hotel in… more

Our long day’s adventure from Athens was finally coming to an end. Because this bus tour of Delphi, Thermopylae and the Monasteries at Meteora and the travel time to and from Athens would take two days so that meant we had to spend the night somewhere. That somewhere was the Kosta Famissi Hotel in Kalampaka the town in northern Greece tucked below the peaks of the Meteora. It was here that our tour bus pulled into after sunset with the rain still drizzling down. My wife and I have over our years of travel developed a system of beating the crowds off the bus when it comes to checking into hotels or resorts. She armed with both Passports and other documents gets off as fast as she can and makes a beeline for the reception desk hoping to be first in line or close to it. I in turn head to the luggage compartment and help the driver unload, usually in the dark and/or rain as was the case this time. This way I hopefully get our cases which I Cn then schlep inside to join her, hopefully already checked in and with key to the room in hand. It usually works, just not apparently in Kalampaka. By the time I’d found the bags and headed inside I could see my wife right at the reception desk but no key in her hand. In the centre of the lobby surrounded by wet tourists was the guide from the tour company with her trusty clipboard and a collection of hotel keys. Apparently as we were a group we didn’t have to register individually, all that had been done by the tour operator. All we had to do was collect the keys which she was doling out as per her list. Naturally we were almost at the end of that list. Eventually key and luggage in hand we made our way to the elevator, up to the fourth floor and down to our room. The elevator unlike the one in the hotel in Athens was large enough for both of us and our luggage with room to spare. It was also fairly modern compared to the rest of the hotel suggesting that upgrades are happening. The Kosta Famissi Hotel is five stories high with rooms on four of them. All the rooms have balconies, those facing outside overlooking the streets and maybe even with a view of the Meteora. The inside ones like ours the balcony faces an internal atrium with a view of the opposite wall. The room was actually fairly large and sufficient for our needs especially for one night. There was a double bed, a large wardrobe with hangers and a safe which didn’t work, we used my portable lock box. A desk, and a TV which we didn’t bother using but apparently had local and cable channels. Like the rest of the hotel the room was a bit dated but had a nice homey feel to it with lots of wood furnishings and accents which really helped warm it up on a cold and drizzly night. Dinner was included in our tour package and at a set time, so we had little time to enjoy the room. There wasn’t much to unpack just dry cloths for the evening and following day and hang up the wet stuff in the closet. I was the first to use the bathroom and small and dated would be the first words that come to mind including the 1950s tiles. The old-fashioned built-in tub and handheld shower were a bit of a challenge after the previous nights glass shower stall and rain fall shower head. The water was hot, the pressure good and the towels were large and thick though. After I made a mess of the bathroom, I retreated to the bedroom to dry off and change and let my wife use it. Her main complaint was the lack of a hair dryer. What she thought was the hair dryer on the wall beside the mirror turned out to be the telephone? Naturally I then found the hair dryer in the bedroom on the desk beside the TV. Dressed and dry we descended to the main floor to join the others for dinner. The dining room was behind the lobby/reception area. Dinner was buffet served off steam trays by elderly Greek ladies who apparently took small portions as a personal insult and tried to heap more on your plate. There were a couple of pork and beef dishes, moussaka, pasta, potatoes and a few other sides and some very thick and filling soup. The later being the perfect cure for the chill outside. As at lunch we sat with several of our tour group and exchanged pleasantries and discussions about the day’s adventures. There was plenty of water jugs and if one wanted something else the lobby bar was nearby. After dinner there was coffee and tea and a well stocked desert cart. The dining area, lobby, reception and bar area all had a bit of a dated look with plenty of dark wood and polished marble suggesting some long past faded old world elegance. However, as I said it seemed to fit the mood and was a nice warm contrast to the cold outside. Later exploring building, I discovered a very modern exercise are, business centre and basement indoor parking area. Meal finished we stepped outside briefly, but the drizzling rain kept our usual after dinner walk to only a couple of blocks. Not surprisingly the bulk of the stores still open on Trikalon, the town’s main street were tourist shops. Interestingly the two most common items for sale were rain gear and wrap around long skirts for female visitors to the very conservative monasteries. Returning to the hotel, my wife retired, and I decided to grab a quick beer in the lobby bar. With a quart bottle of the local ale I grabbed a seat on one of the comfy couches and began to casually eavesdrop on some of the German guests from the other bus tour group staying there. As an aside my German first learned over four decades ago while serving there and then later in university is far from perfect, but I can still follow some conversations. The next morning while waiting for the elevator, we bumped into our neighbours an elderly German couple. Naturally I offered some basic pleasantries, and they seemed quite surprised especially the husband who had also been in the bar the night prior. I’m sure that started some interesting conversations of their tour bus later that morning. Not wanting to go outside to smoke I grabbed another beer and headed up to our room. On the tiny balcony was as I remembered a small table and chair set and a metal ashtray. As I said there was no real view only the other balconies, the far wall and a rather complex metal fire escape. Below were two blue glass windows which I knew were the ceiling of the dining room. Above was a semi-transparent plastic and metal roof. It had started to rain harder again and that a pleasant sound while I sat smoked and enjoyed my beer until it was time to turn in. The next morning it was down early for the included breakfast, the standard hotel fare of steam tray eggs, assorted fruits, cereals, pastries and of course juice, tea and coffee. After this we went back to the room grabbed our bags and returned to the lobby to join the rest waiting to check out and for the bus to arrive to set off on the day’s adventures.

less

“Not bad”

This hotel was not far from bus station and train station by walking 10 minutes. Located in the heart of town so there were a lot of restaurants near the hotel. Room was simply decorated and no free bottles of water. You need to get a key from the front desk to use safe box in the room. Breakfast w… more

This hotel was not far from bus station and train station by walking 10 minutes. Located in the heart of town so there were a lot of restaurants near the hotel. Room was simply decorated and no free bottles of water. You need to get a key from the front desk to use safe box in the room. Breakfast was average. View from my room was so fantastic!

less

“just a satisfactory stay of a night”

having a tour in Grease with a small group. Spent one night at Kosta just as night stay. Checked in around 6.00 pm and checked out at 7.45 am. Arrangement made through group so instant check in . Room is good bed very soft. shower area better specially you can sit there. Food and breakfast satisfac… more

having a tour in Grease with a small group. Spent one night at Kosta just as night stay. Checked in around 6.00 pm and checked out at 7.45 am. Arrangement made through group so instant check in . Room is good bed very soft. shower area better specially you can sit there. Food and breakfast satisfactory with few vegetarian choices. Seems as family run hotel because there is tea cattle in room but not refills. they could not provide bathroom sleepers. Otherwise it is a boutique hotel with beautiful statues.

less