Need to know
Rooms
62 suites.
Check–Out
11am. Check-in 3pm. Early check-in and late check-out are accommodated where possible, though extra charges may apply. If rooms aren’t available, guests can store their luggage and make use of the changing rooms and shower in the spa.
More details
Rates include breakfast in the restaurant, with buffet and à la carte options. Guests receive 30 minutes’ free use of the spa’s hydrotherapy pool, too.
At the hotel
Spa with hammam, sauna, hydrotherapy pool and massage-treatment area. Outdoor infinity pool (June-September). Restaurant and bar. Gym with some of the world’s best treadmill views. Free WiFi. In rooms: Nespresso coffee maker and pods, kettle, minibar, flatscreen TV. Carrera marble bathroom with dual sinks, bathtub, walk-in shower, bathrobes, slippers and organic Pure Herbs toiletries.
Our favourite rooms
Dark woods, soft muted tones and rustic handwoven rugs inspired by the landscape and local Metsovo culture lend a natural feel to all 62 suites, each with a terrace or balcony from which to admire views of the great outdoors. The clue’s in the name of the Panorama Suite though. Here’s where you’ll get the clearest, most interrupted view of the mountains from your private balcony. The only things to break the silence here, as the sun retreats behind the mountains, are the distant whistle of a Balkan chamois, the clink of the ice in your single malt from the Lobby Bar’s extensive whisky collection and the crackle of winter logs in your open fire.
Poolside
Sip herby signature cocktails by the rooftop infinity pool and challenge yourself to remain unmoved by the hypnotic vistas. The pool is open June to September and towels are provided.
Spa
Cocoon yourself inside the Fontus Spa’s treatment rooms, where subdued lighting and a wild variety of relaxing massage treatments, facials and scrubs may well render you horizontal for the rest of the day. The spa uses natural products with herbs and scents that evoke the pine forests just beyond the walls. The hydrotherapy pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and hammam are free for spa guests but a fee (€20 a day) applies for use by anyone not booked in for treatments; you'll also need to book treatments and spa entry in advance. Kids can use the indoor pool until 12 noon.
Packing tips
You’re quite a schlep from civilisation here, so avoid packers’ regret by remembering you’ll need suitable footwear for all eventualities: flip-flops by the pool, smart shoes and strappy sandals in the restaurant, hiking boots for the forest. Likewise a small backpack is recommended if you want to make the best of the great outdoors. How else do you expect to get all those foraged truffles and pine cones back to the hotel?
Also
If you ever required motivation to get in the gym, perhaps the mountain views from the treadmills at the Grand Forest Metsovo may finally persuade you to dig out those fetching spandex shorts and moth-eaten running shoes of yours.
Children
There’s a kids’ area where parents can get creative and play with their little ones using the variety of toys, drawing materials and board games available. A babysitting service is available on request (72 hours advance notice required) at a rate of €20 a
Sustainability efforts
Grand Forest Metsovo’s clever amphitheatrical design achieves two things: a seamless blend with its tumbledown mountain landscape and uninterrupted views from pool to restaurant to suite. Heck, even the interconnecting corridors have mountain views. But the hotel’s eco credentials don’t stop there. All of the restaurant ingredients are sourced from local farmers, and over 90 per cent are organic. Bespoke furniture throughout the hotel is handmade by local craftsmen, and handwoven Greek rugs grace bedrooms and hallways. All lighting is LED, all water is low-flow and bedding and towels are changed only on request. Grand Forest Metsovo is also working towards a no-plastic policy: you’ll notice there are only glass bottles in your minibar.