My wife and I stayed at the wonderful Thomas hotel for 10 nights and we wouldn't have traded the experience for anything else! The mountain village of Monolithos is far removed from the tour bus experience and life is slow and relaxed, and it is the perfect location from which to explore nearby villages and sights. While there are a few places in the village to stay, overall it is not specifically designed to entertain tourists like so many other parts of the island. The locals are very friendly and we felt very welcome. Nearby there are two quiet beaches a 5-10 minute drive down the mountain from the village and this is where we spent half our days; on the way down you can also find the old picturesque castle. In the village there is an extremely small "mini shop", so for petrol, ATM, and a large market are roughly a 30 minute drive south.

One of the biggest surprises was the Old Monolithos taverna, which is 3 minutes by foot from the hotel. The quality of the food is outstanding and everything is prepared with care. Prices were actually slightly cheaper than other nearby tavernas and the size and quality of the dishes were by far much better. In addition there is typically a nightly special on the menu; one night it was rabbit in a red wine sauce that was tender and full of flavor, another night it was the most succulent octopus I've ever eaten. My wife and I took part in a cooking class here and experienced 1 to 1 instruction on how to make dishes of our choice (enquire ahead), as well as advice on making pretty much anything! We have now returned home with a stash of recipes to entertain our friends with.

Giorgos was an excellent host and we were never wanting. He was up each morning to serve breakfast to all the guests and is open to any queries you may have. I've never seen anyone running a business look so happy and be so genuinely willing to help with any request; we were left without any worries and were free to enjoy our time in paradise! We will never forget our time in Monolithos; it truly felt like a dream. If your goal is to relax, take it slow and enjoy life, this is the place for you.