Hotel Du Lac

Most Greek luxury looks out to sea. This one looks at a lake, and is the better for it. Du Lac stands on the green edge of Pamvotida, gardens running down to the water and an arcaded outdoor pool at its heart. Inside, what stayed with me first was the immaculate upkeep. The reception areas are unusually generous, opening into an enormous lobby whose deep, comfortable sofas make arrival feel easy rather than ceremonial. The building leans contemporary-colonial, classic bones dressed in present-day comfort. After dark the facade lights up and doubles in the still water.

The table

The lake changes the rhythm of the morning. I stepped outside soon after waking and walked beside the water before returning for breakfast. The buffet is excellent, with properly made Epirot pies and a particularly strong cooked section of omelettes and eggs. Then came coffee and a piece of Ioannina baklava, rich, crisp and memorable enough to prolong breakfast well beyond the practical need for it.

Why it's in VANE

Ioannina is the most underrated city in Greece, a lakefront old town under a castle, an hour from Zagori and the Vikos gorge. Du Lac owns the best of its waterfront, runs a serious kitchen and a real spa, and gives you Epirus from a balcony over the water. It is a large hotel that also hosts congresses, and we will not pretend otherwise. Take a lake-view room, keep to the garden side, and it becomes something quieter than its size.