The Place
The Hotel Kastro is one of our long-standing favourite places to stay in the Cyclades, combining island charm, friendly service, some great views and a fine location in one of the prettiest of archetypal island villages. Wear your sunglasses when approaching the Kastro on a sunny summer day, as it is tucked away in a quiet (even by Chora standards) lane, in a labyrinth of blindingly white plaster walls.
The hotel has been in the hands of the owner’s family for some five generations and was refurbished in 1993. The attractive ground-floor breakfast room has massive stone vaulting, which supports the beams and polished boards of the upper floor. Ask for a room with a sea view, and you can gaze out over the Aegean from the steep cliff on which the hotel stands. If you can’t get a sea-view room, you can still enjoy the view from the roof terrace. Breakfasts are more generous than in most island hotels, and, for other meals, the restaurants of the village are only a few steps away.
The only drawback is that the nearest beaches are a long hike, but this is unfortunately true of all the hotels in Folegandros, and the Kastro remains our firm favourite on this lovely island.