This website is the result of a long journey which started when I moved to Greece with my husband and two young children. I am originally from the Netherlands and, in a 'previous' life, I used to be a (somewhat frustrated!) economist working for international organisations in Paris.

When in 1998 we came to live in Athens, we started taking every opportunity to hit the road (or sea) and explore different parts of the country. Some (lucky) times we stayed in wonderful hotels, but we also spent a few too many nights in absolutely dreadful ones. Finding the perfect little place to stay became sort of a hobby, which developed into something more when I started writing about them.

In 2002, I published the guidebook “Great Small Hotels in Greece”. Four years later my second book came out: “Around Greece in 80 Stays”, a coffee table-cum-guidebook I made together with photographer André Bakker. 

This website is here to complement my books. You will find additional pictures and (continuously) updated information about many of the hotels and guesthouses that featured in my two books, as well as presentations of new finds. I still regularly travel around in Greece, and discover newly opened great small hotels, inns and guesthouses as I go along. Thanks to this site, I won't have to wait until my next book comes out to share these with you.

You can also make bookings through this website. The system I have developed is nothing like the on-line booking facilities used by booking engines or bigger hotels. I simply don’t believe that at small hotels where every room is different you should make bookings the way you buy air tickets on-line, without any personal contact.  If you book at a hotel through my site, you are in direct contact with the owner or manager, who will help you help you make your choice and answer any questions you may have. The hotels are bound by contract to give the best available rate for bookings made through this website, and there are no booking fees. 

You might think, why don’t I go to the hotel’s own website and book directly? The answer is simple. First of all, you are booking directly with the hotel (or guesthouse). There is no difference for you. You communicate directly with the owner or manager of the hotel, and you will get the same prices. There are no additional booking fees. I will, however, oversee what is going on, contact the hotel with reminders if for some reason they are slow to respond to your enquiry, and keep an eye in general to make sure things run smoothly. In exchange, I will get a very small commission on the bookings. I have travelled to all hotels and guesthouses on this site without asking the hotels for financial contributions, and I have run this website for almost three years as a free service. I’ve been visiting small hotels in Greece and writing about them for over ten years (and I will continue to do so), simply because it’s a passion. The positive feedback I am getting from ‘happy users’ of the site keeps me going. But at the end of the day, I also have the rent to pay. Rather than asking hotels for fees to be on the site, I decided to do it through small commissions. It’s a fair deal for everybody. I am asking for very little from the hotels, so that I can focus on their charm and quality and include only those that I love, rather than having to negotiate with them and getting those who are willing to pay. So, by booking through the site, without paying any extra, you will help me, and I will be able to continue exploring more small charming hotels and guesthouses in Greece and presenting them to you. 

Once more, it goes without saying that I have visited each hotel and guesthouse featuring on this website personally. I have stayed in almost all of them. At the very few places where I did not spend the night, I did spend the day, trying breakfast, checking the rooms, feeling the atmosphere, etc.

My search for wonderful small hotels, guesthouses and other kinds of nice places to stay in Greece continues, and if you know of any place you think I should go and try out, please do tell me about it! And if you want to be the first to know about my travels and new discoveries, visit and "like" my page on Facebook.

Jacoline Vinke 

Photographer and friend André Bakker graciously provided many of the pictures on this website. You can see more of his work on his website www.andrebakker.com.