High in the Peloponnese, among Arcadia’s whispering pines, stands a house once built for healing. Nearly a century later, it still is — only now, the cure lies in stillness.
MANNA Arcadia is not a place you visit. It’s a place you settle into. Perched 1,200 metres above sea level, this restored 1929 sanatorium has become a mountain refuge for those who seek calm, clarity, and the slow return to themselves. Its story began with Anna Mela, a visionary philanthropist who believed the mountain air could mend the body. Decades after its closure, the building was rediscovered by Stratis Batagias, then a child on summer holidays, later a man determined to revive it. What followed was eight years of meticulous restoration — not rebuilding, but reawakening — led by K-Studio and Monogon Office of Architecture. The architecture respects time more than trends. Original stone walls and chestnut-wood ceilings meet terrazzo floors and minimal lines; everything feels quietly deliberate. The materials speak softly — stone, wood, light, a touch of copper — forming a harmony that’s more sensed than seen. Inside, the fire crackles in the lounge as books and low voices fill the room. The 32 guest rooms each hold their own calm: high ceilings, large windows, the scent of forest air drifting in. In the bathrooms, herbal fragrances rise from warm water in free-standing copper tubs, touched by lighting from Eleftheria Deko, who also illuminated the Acropolis.
At MANNA, the day stretches. Morning coffee tastes brighter in the mountain air. The wellness spaces — a subterranean pool, outdoor sauna, and yoga deck facing the forest — invite you to move slowly, breathe deeply, and forget the clock. Walks through the woods, pilates sessions, or simply watching the light change are enough. In the kitchen, Chef Athinagoras Kostakos cooks with the land’s rhythm: honey, wild herbs, fresh cheese, and local olive oil tell a story of place. His food is honest, seasonal, quietly elegant — the kind you remember more for how it made you feel than how it looked.
Arcadia, in Greek culture, has long symbolised harmony between nature and humanity. Here, that idea feels tangible. MANNA isn’t loud about its luxury; it lets silence, texture and time speak instead. The world has taken notice. Within a year of opening, MANNA was named one of the world’s best hotels by the AHEAD Global Awards, celebrated by the Créateurs Design Awards for its interiors, and honoured by the Grail Awards for heritage restoration. A quiet presence that travels far. Sustainability is woven into its rhythm: geothermal energy, filtered water in glass, recycled materials, local staff and farmers. MANNA lives not above its surroundings, but within them. More than a hotel, it’s a gentle reminder: slow down, breathe in, and stay a while. The mountains have time for you.
