Kyrimai

Kyrimai – Mani’s foremost historic hotel

Housed in a fully restored nineteenth-century building complex, just off the southernmost tip of Mani, in rural Greece, Kyrimai Hotel combines traditional architecture with modern comfort. Its rooms face Mani’s crystal-blue sea as well as its glorious landscape, while its one-of-a-kind menu embraces local elements that have stood the test of time, but with a modern twist.

The complex that houses Kyrimai is elegantly built and restored according to the owners’ personal taste – but it also carries a long history. Proudly standing on the port of Gerolimenas since the 1870s, the complex is rich in history, in archives and artefacts but also in the stories of the people that have stayed and worked in it through the decades. Visiting Kyrimai is like traversing its 140-year history.

These days, the old store, the residence, the warehouse and the imposing tower have been restored and converted into a hotel run by the Kyrimis family. The name Kyrimai is derived from the Byzantine root of the Kyrimis surname, that is to say, the biblical phrase “Kyrie imon” (our Lord).

The old wine storage room, with its impressive arch and antique safe, now forms the reception area. Next to it, the old wood storage room is home to numerous exhibits, mainly records and other documents as well as hundreds of old books, which were brought to light when these old buildings were cleared – a veritable treasure trove the perusal of which takes us back to the era of glory, commercial and otherwise, that Greece experienced in the late nineteenth century.

The buildings that now comprise Kyrimai hotel have been restored by the Kyrimis family with the utmost care and respect for tradition. The original materials, mainly stone and wood, have been used throughout and the whole process has been carried out in strict accordance with the architecture and measurements of the buildings.

The result is unique – a complex of stairways, arches and inner yards situated in an enviable position, on the edge of the sea, with a breathtaking view of the natural Gerolimenas bay.

Mani never tasted better

Kyrimai – Mani’s foremost historic hotel  – our menu is among the things that the Kyrimai team takes the most pride in. Combining familiar, traditional tastes with a sense of innovation, our dishes aim to please the modern visitor, but also give him or her an authentic experience of Mani’s joys and culture.

Mani’s gastronomic history contains much more than one might think. There are still numerous aspects that are worth discovering and tasting. Both the hillside and the seaside settlements, which had remained cut off from each other for years, developed their own special, autonomous gastronomic cultures, that effortlessly impress today’s visitors with their unexpectedly modern and unusual character. That’s exactly the kind of character that we want to bring to light again. We believe that the only way to understand and appreciate the cuisine of such a special place is by following your instinct and your feelings. By discovering our own past we are able to offer new visitors culinary experiences unlike anything before.

Therefore, the Kyrimai chefs’ decision to readopt the Maniot sofra – the low, round table around which Maniot families used to prepare and eat their dinner – can only be the starting point of a continuing effort to bring out the region’s gastronomic uniqueness – so that Mani will taste better than ever.