Ever since the completion of the motorway that links Thessaloniki to Igoumenista just north of Parga, bringing in more rich Thessalonians, there has been an increase in some more up-market places to stay and eat about town. The latest of these is the Salvatore Hotel which sits above the main road, a fair bit away from the main town, almost as far as Lichnos, although there is a courtesy bus into the centre.
The hotel is elegantly furnished in a fairly minimalist fashion with an olive green colour theme running throughout the common areas and rooms. There are four different room types to choose from ranging from the still spacious junior suites, to the luxury villas with their own private swimming pools. I dared not ask how much those villas cost as the junior suites were well over 100 euros per night even in low season. Still, this isn't the place that's aiming for the average package holiday maker, so it would be absurd to try to compare it to places I normally stay at in terms of value for money.
An infinity swimming pool and sun terrace sits in between the two main buildings with a wonderful view down the valley to Parga's cove, where, on the right day, you can watch beautiful red sunsets over the hills.
We were lucky enough to be treated to an evening meal up at the hotel as a birthday gift to my wife from friends, and I have to say we loved every minute of it. The Italian chef as yet hasn't got the a la carte menu going yet (but promised soon) but at present presents a different set menu each night with a choice of two offerings for each of four courses. The food was absolutely delicious! And there is an extremely extensive wine list to complement it which I was happy to note started at a humble 12 or so euros a bottle, rising to 100 euros (for those that know what they are looking at) with everything in between.
We also tried out the spa with my wife enjoying a hydrating facial treatment and I had a much needed neck and back massage (Nicoletta commented on the knots in my back for which any girl guide would have gained her badge 100 times over), which cost about 60 and 30 euros respectively.
So if you are in Parga for a week of two, I could thoroughly recommend a pamper afternoon spent up at the spa followed by an evening of very fine dining at The Salvatore.
Can I find a fault with the the place (if you have the money that is)? Well, I don't like to give out A+ grades, but here I am struggling. So to be incredibly nit picking, I thought it would have been better to ensure you always have stock in of your lowest price wine - the Boutari Rose was out of stock (it's one of my wife's favourites - I'm not just a stingy git, honest!).
The only other minor niggle I might have is that in the rooms we were shown there is no real dressing table with a mirror and close by power sockets for the ladies. There is a power socket in the bathroom, so it wouldn't have given us any grief, but at the price level of the hotel, I don't think it can really be forgiven on the grounds of 'minimalist design'.
So I'm saved from having to dole out a plus mark but the place still gets a very solid A grade..... if money is no object, that is. If, however, you do bring "value for money" into the equation, it's still OK as a place to go to eat and drink, but I think probably not as a place to stay (a stay in June via Thomas Cook was coming in as £2000 per person half board for a fortnight)
May 2011
The hotel is elegantly furnished in a fairly minimalist fashion with an olive green colour theme running throughout the common areas and rooms. There are four different room types to choose from ranging from the still spacious junior suites, to the luxury villas with their own private swimming pools. I dared not ask how much those villas cost as the junior suites were well over 100 euros per night even in low season. Still, this isn't the place that's aiming for the average package holiday maker, so it would be absurd to try to compare it to places I normally stay at in terms of value for money.
An infinity swimming pool and sun terrace sits in between the two main buildings with a wonderful view down the valley to Parga's cove, where, on the right day, you can watch beautiful red sunsets over the hills.
We were lucky enough to be treated to an evening meal up at the hotel as a birthday gift to my wife from friends, and I have to say we loved every minute of it. The Italian chef as yet hasn't got the a la carte menu going yet (but promised soon) but at present presents a different set menu each night with a choice of two offerings for each of four courses. The food was absolutely delicious! And there is an extremely extensive wine list to complement it which I was happy to note started at a humble 12 or so euros a bottle, rising to 100 euros (for those that know what they are looking at) with everything in between.
We also tried out the spa with my wife enjoying a hydrating facial treatment and I had a much needed neck and back massage (Nicoletta commented on the knots in my back for which any girl guide would have gained her badge 100 times over), which cost about 60 and 30 euros respectively.
So if you are in Parga for a week of two, I could thoroughly recommend a pamper afternoon spent up at the spa followed by an evening of very fine dining at The Salvatore.
Can I find a fault with the the place (if you have the money that is)? Well, I don't like to give out A+ grades, but here I am struggling. So to be incredibly nit picking, I thought it would have been better to ensure you always have stock in of your lowest price wine - the Boutari Rose was out of stock (it's one of my wife's favourites - I'm not just a stingy git, honest!).
The only other minor niggle I might have is that in the rooms we were shown there is no real dressing table with a mirror and close by power sockets for the ladies. There is a power socket in the bathroom, so it wouldn't have given us any grief, but at the price level of the hotel, I don't think it can really be forgiven on the grounds of 'minimalist design'.
So I'm saved from having to dole out a plus mark but the place still gets a very solid A grade..... if money is no object, that is. If, however, you do bring "value for money" into the equation, it's still OK as a place to go to eat and drink, but I think probably not as a place to stay (a stay in June via Thomas Cook was coming in as £2000 per person half board for a fortnight)
May 2011
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