Review: Guesthouse Varosi, Edessa

Guesthouse Varosi in Edessa, Central Macedonia, Greece

Room: The two connecting rooms on the ground floor.

One of the most beautiful trips I’ve ever made was a roadtrip through Northern Greece. During that trip we discovered the beautiful town of Edessa. Edessa is the capital of the Pella prefecture in central Macedonia. It’s about 90 km from Thessaloniki. There are pretty impressive waterfalls, an open air water museum with two crocodiles in a building (?), great Gyros, lots of Bulgarian tourists, a folklore museum and funny purple flowers which look like they were made out of paper. Do not miss out on the region around Edessa, there are some delightful sites to be discovered.

Warm and welcoming

Edessa is a quiet and safe town with a relaxed atmosphere, no tourists (well, ok, very little…) and the owners of the guesthouse are the most hospitable people ever. You know these moment in life when you meet somebody and it just feels right? It works the same with some new places you discover. Well, this holiday in Edessa had both.

The guesthouse itself is small with only 8 rooms. The house was built in the 18th century. There is a fireplace in the lobby, which doesn’t look like a lobby but more like the living room of your closest family members. Most of the furniture here is wooden and the ambiance is cosy. One evening we ordered some Gyros by phone (which the owners did not find a problem at all) and we ate our fast food dinner in front of the fireplace while having a chat with the owners.

The parents, who are absolutely charming, don’t speak English very well but one of the daughters, Eleni, speaks it perfectly (I did not meet the other daughter). She gave us valuable off the beaten path tips for visiting Edessa and the region of Macedonia. They were so friendly and made us feel really welcome. On the other hand they were discrete when you needed it.

Varosi

The Guesthouse is a family hotel located in the old neighborhood of Edessa called Varosi, it used to be the Christian quarter during the Ottoman occupation. It’s not far from the waterfalls site, about ten minutes walk. The decoration is simple, traditional and tasteful. The furniture is mostly antiques but they also have locally handmade pieces. The walls of the rooms are painted in pastel shades: green, blue, yellow and pink. They are rather tiny but then again so is the house.

The rooms are spotless clean. The bathrooms are comfortable enough. There is no luxury, but the style makes up for it . Not to mention the heavenly freshly homemade breakfast with amongst others warm pie and eggs. Seriously the best breakfast in Greece!!

Varosi Four Seasons

If you prefer a larger room with more comfort and luxury I can recommend the hotel that is run by the daughters a bit further down the street. It’s called Varosi four seasons. Even though in a whole different style than the guesthouse, it has the same warm and personal touch. The rooms are modern and the bathrooms are fancy.

The hotel has been perfectly restaured with lots of attention for details and in a very tasteful way. The daughters were directly involved in the renovation and you notice they really love their hotel.

I slept in both hotels. Three nights in Guesthouse Varosi on my way South and one night in the Varosi Four Seasons hotel on my way back North. The guesthouse is like if you were at home and really gives the feel of an old Macedonian house. The Varosi four seasons is a “real” hotel with a terrace with wonderful views of the valley. In both of those adresses you can feel and see that the family worked hard and personally for it.

All together I certainly would recommend. Guesthouse Varosi is an absolute gem and so is the town of Edessa. Staying in the guesthouse gives the opportunity to see the genuine Edessa, not as a tourist but from the inside. It has a good central location on walking distance of all the sites and the best breakfast ever. If you need more comfort the Varosi four seasons will give you just that with Wifi and all the usual hotel amenities. Don’t miss out on a chat with Eleni, she will be glad to tell you about her beautiful country.