Living the best Greek mountain life at Grand Forest Metsovo
What is better than enjoying a Spring escape at a luxurious chalet-like resort located in a stunning alpine landscape? Maybe, enjoying a weekend full of snow and winter wonderland moments. Even better, a weekend that includes both spring and winter weather can’t be easily beaten. This is exactly what I had the incredible luck to experience visiting Grand Forest Metsovo in the end of last February!
Deep in the rugged region of Epirus, in north-western Greece, Grand Forest Metsovo’s scenery is like no other in Greece. The hotel is located on top of a private hill in the footsteps of Pindus National Park. Established in 1966, Pindus National Park is considered one of the most important protected areas for the maintenance of mountainous biodiversity. It’s characterized by extensive forests of black pine and beech in the park’s lower and middle altitudes and Balkan pine at higher altitudes.
Since it opened 8 years ago, Grand Forest Metsovo has been offering travellers the chance to enjoy a luxurious mountain chalet lifestyle all year round.
Spread on this hillside opposite famous Metsovo, a lively mountain town bursting with tradition, breathtaking nature and top-class wine, the hotel has an impressive main building that welcomes every guest with a grandioso fireplace and 7 more staggered buildings, all with grey stone roof tiles, stone facades and chunky beams.
Sunny Grand Forest Metsovo
It was on a Friday evening with mild weather, when a team of journalists including myself landed at the Grand Forest Metsovo universe. From our first steps in the lobby, we were automatically transformed at a parallel universe of luxurious coziness. A delicious dinner with comfort food dishes and shots of fine tsipouro broke the ice and erased the stress of the previous week in the city!
A few hours later in my tartan-clad suite, I caught myself feeling impatient for the daylight to come so I could finally inspect the room view and the famous landscape of my hotel. At around 9 o clock the sun was shining giving revealing a scenery full of vivid colors.
I just could not stop gazing at the fir tree hillside and the roofs of Metsovo in the distance. Opening the window in the morning is a precious experience at Grand Forest Metsovo. So I took my time. The same view accompanied us during breakfast time. We arrived at the hotel’s main restaurant through a network of canopied alleys that allows guests to navigate in the hotel without getting out in the open air. Breakfast includes plethora of options but one should certainly try several the traditional pies that are available in a wide variety.
We all wished to make the most of the pleasant sunny weather and the hotel team had prepared the best activity for doing so by organising a truffle hunting tour! We joined Katerina Nola, one of the most experienced truffle hunters in Greece in a pleasant stroll in the countryside. We watched her trained dogs sniffing out precious truffles and we strolled until we had enough, only to arrive at Katerina’s picturesque “cabin in the woods” for a delicious lunch by the river.
But the best gastronomic experience was yet to come. The dinner served at the 1350 Restaurant (named after the altitude of the hotel) proved to be an unforgettable culinary journey of high standards. No surprise since the menu is curated by acclaimed chef Ghikas Xenakis. Vasilis Giannoulis, the resident chef, executes the dishes in an excellent way, having also enriched the menu with his own modern version of the local Pispilita pie.
Snowy Grand Forest Metsovo
While we were enjoying our dinner, we noticed that snow had started to fall! Here I am being impatient for the morning to come for the second night in a row. Waking up the next morning was something I will not easily forget, Everything was covered in snow. The landscape had changed in a fairy-tale way.
It was time for a visit to the indoor heated pool. Covered by glass, the pool at Grand Forest Metsovo offers a rare swimming experience and an atmospheric relaxation with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains.
The appropriate spot for a day like this was the ultra-elegant, ambient, British-inspired Pines Bar. Several cups of tea by the fireplace later we were ready for one more experiential activity of the hotel, a crash cooking course offered by the best, two experienced cooks from Metsovo. This was the moment when most of us thought how destressing kneading can be…The two ladies from Metsovo helped us to make traditional “petoura” (a kind of local fresca pasta) and spinach pies.
We waved goodbye to our hotel and its magic snow-covered landscape holding a bag with our handmade pies and other delicacies that were given to us as a gift. Till today, I still cannot decide. How do I prefer Grand Forest Metsovo, sunny or snowy? So hard to tell…
Discover more about Grand Forest Metsovo on the gallery below:
TheHotelTrotter.com is curated by greek journalist and fanatic hotel lover Eleni Stasinopoulou. With the eye of a fashion and lifestyle editor, Eleni hopes to inspire all connoisseurs of traveling, focusing on stylish hotel moments around the globe.
