Inside a Forgotten Greek Sanatorium Reborn as a Mountain Retreat
When Stratis Batagias was 12, he'd sneak into an abandoned tuberculosis sanatorium near his summer camp. Him and his friends would bring flashlights, explore the ruins, scare each other. Even then, he knew he wanted to own it someday.
Thirty years later, Greece's economic crisis forced the government to auction abandoned buildings. Stratis bought it in under a minute. Then spent nine years bringing it back to life.
Now it's Manna Arcadia. Sitting at 1,200 meters on Mount Mainalo, surrounded by virgin fir forest. Part Design Hotels property, part wellness sanctuary, part architectural restoration. The name honors Anna, the WWI nurse who raised funds for the original sanatorium. Soldiers called her "mother" or "mana" in Greek. Stratis combined that with her name.
When Stratis Batagias was five, he started attending summer camps in Arcadia, where his family's roots go back generations. One kilometer away sat an abandoned sanatorium built in 1929 by a nurse named Anna to treat soldiers with tuberculosis. After penicillin arrived in 1938, it sat empty for 80 years. By age 12, Stratis and the other kids would sneak over at night with torches, telling ghost stories in the ruins. Even then, he knew he wanted to buy it. Thirty years later, Greece's economic crisis put the building up for auction. He bought it in under a minute, then spent nine years restoring it with K-Studio and Monogon architects alongside archaeologists and heritage authorities. Every decision embraced the century-old patina and Swiss-influenced architecture rather than erasing it. Today, 32 rooms fill the main building and rebuilt northern wing. Attic suites have forest views through gable dormers. Some rooms have copper bathtubs or fireplaces. The cave pool spa, restaurant by chef Athinagoras Kostakos serving Arcadian cuisine, and apothecary bar with mountain herb spirits complete the experience. Just 2.5 hours from Athens, it's a place where healing still happens, just differently.
"I was 12 years old, and even back then I wanted to buy the property someday. I had to wait 30 years for it. I guess my dreams were a little bigger than my age."
The restoration embraced what took a century to create. K-Studio and Monogon architects worked with archaeologists to preserve the Swiss-influenced architecture and century-old patina rather than erasing it. Brushed timber panels echo Japanese shoji screens. Replicated terrazzo from native gravel flows across floors. Peloponnese marble frames entryways. Hand-etched room numbers guide your way through terrazzo. Stratis visits weekly from Athens, slowly adding personal touches like you would to a home. His wellness philosophy and daily meditation practice inform everything. The Arcadian region has been considered paradise since antiquity, the domain of Pan in Greek mythology. At this altitude, surrounded by ancient fir forest, your body relaxes into rhythms the ancient world understood better than we do now.
K-Studio co-founder Dimitris Karampataki explains the approach: "When we first arrived we saw something which took about a century to make. We didn't want to clean it too much, to be selective of its heritage. It was more important for us to embrace the whole story." The building's Swiss-influenced Hapsburgian grandeur stands apart from typical Greek neoclassical design. Working with Monogon Office of Architecture and Greek archaeological authorities, every material choice reinforced this. Chestnuts in custom furniture. Peloponnese marble in staircases. Native gravel in terrazzo. Rattan ceiling recesses in cocoa-brown tones. Lighting design by Eleftheria Deko, who also illuminated the Acropolis. Nothing erased, everything honored.
Arriving from Athens takes 2.5 hours. From Kalamata airport, one hour. At 1,200 meters, the air hits differently. Cleaner. Cooler. The virgin fir forest surrounds you completely. Thirty-two rooms, each with king beds, heated floors, forest views. The Elatos Spa features a subterranean cave pool where skylights create dancing light patterns. Hammam and sauna. Chef Athinagoras Kostakos sources ingredients from mountain herders and nearby dairies. The apothecary bar serves spirits infused with herbs from the Menalon highlands and local fir honey. Outside, 80 kilometers of hiking trails connect to paths used since antiquity. Mountain biking. Horse riding. In winter, skiing. The kind of place where your body remembers how to relax.
"We didn't want to clean it too much, to be selective of its heritage. It was more important for us to embrace the whole story."
Manna opened in July 2023 and quickly earned recognition from Design Hotels and Small Luxury Hotels of the World. What started as a 12-year-old's flashlight adventure became one of Europe's most compelling mountain retreats. A place where WWI soldiers once sought healing in mountain air now offers that same respite to modern travelers. Where Swiss-designed brutalist architecture meets the Arcadian ideal. Where a dream took 30 years and nine more to realize. The Travel Project specializes in Greece itineraries combining properties like Manna Arcadia with other distinctive experiences. Contact SIANA Travel to explore Manna as part of a comprehensive Peloponnese journey.
