BRIEF GUIDE TO THE KORINTHIA

  INTRODUCTION:

  Welcome to the Korinthia and to ROOMS MARINOS.  The Korinthia is one of the most interesting areas of Greece and it has something for everyone: antiquities, beautiful beaches, lively night life or peaceful evenings, rich agricultural areas, and remote mountain tops.  We are only an hour and a half from Athens, yet we are also a world away, and Ancient Korinth is an ideal base from which to explore the whole of the Northeast Peloponnesos.

Although many tourists pass through the village and most modern amenities are available here, Ancient Korinth retains its own character and a life of its own: from 9:00 AM, when the first tourist bus roars into the village, Ancient Korinth is filled with tourists; yet, by late afternoon most of the tourists are gone and the village turns in on itself once again.  While you are here, be sure to take a walk through the village, through its winding streets, and stop for a coffee in the central plateia (or the agora as the villagers call it, using the ancient word for a market place).  You won't find the discos or cheap bars that have ruined Mykonos and most of the islands; in the evening at least--and for much of the year in any case--the village belongs to the villagers, and you will see the "real" Greece, not something trotted out for the foreigners.

And ROOMS MARINOS is certainly the most interesting place to stay in Ancient Korinth.  Spyro and Elizabeth Marinos are devoting all their energies to create a unique institution here: as you will already have noticed, the place has a homey atmosphere and everything is personal and of the highest quality.  The Marinos' pride themselves on the  fact that they do most of the work themselves and they take especial care about the food: much of it is home-made or even home-grown and the rest is selected specially for its quality and freshness.

Spyro is retired from the Greek Archaeological Service.  He excavated with many of the great names in archaeology, Greeks and foreigners alike, and he was for many years Chief Guard at the Korinth Museum.  Besides his work on the hotel, Spyro has fields where he raises peaches, apricots, and the mysterious "mousmoula."  Spyro never seems to run out of energy and his special dream is to build a hotel where he can show guests something of traditional Greek life.

Mama Elizabeth is retired from the Korinth Court House where she was for many years the Chief Legal Clerk.  She is now the main cook and the "heart" of ROOMS MARINOS.  Elizabeth's uncle was a famous cook in Nafplion and she has many specialties all her own.  Most guests agree that they have rarely had better (or more!) food.

Vasili (the son of the family) has just recently retired from the Korinth Museum, where he was a specialist in mosaic restoration.  He is also an artist in his own right and makes mosaics of his own, as well as working in the fields, selling the produce in Athens, and working at the hotel.  He is married to Chrysa, from the town of Astros south of Argos where Chrysa has a gift-shop.  Vasili and Chrysa have a daughter named Elisavet (Elizabeth), born in 1992, and a son, named Spyro, born in December 1998.  It may seem odd to you that someone in the “prime of life” would retire from a civil service job--but the situation in Greece is different from what you may be used to.  People commonly work two or three jobs and Vasili finally found that he could not manage his museum responsibilities while looking toward more and more responsibilities in the hotel.  We hope, however, that he will be able to continue his work with us in the restoration of the mosaic at Isthmia.

Maria (the daughter) is married to Yanni (a doctor from Klenies) and she has two children, a son named Andreas (after Yannis' father), born on 1 May 1988, and a daughter, Sophia, named after Yanni’s mother, born in July of 1990.  Maria lives in Korinth with the children, but Yianni and Maria are now separated, and Yanni now has a place of his own.  You will undoubtedly see some evidence of the tension in this situation, since the Marinos family had invested enormous amounts of money in Yianni's medical practice, and now he has "run off."  Maria will be around the hotel many evenings and you will see the children a lot.  We can only hope they find some good solution to their problems.

The land the hotel is built on is actually part of Elisavet's (Sofou) family property.  Sypro's family holdings were farther south in the village, and in the plain north of the village.  Spyro and Elisavet's courtship was a matter of considerable interest in the 1950's when they were both considered two of the most "eligible" young people in the village.  Spyro was in the army--working with specialized ski troops in the Agrafa mountainous area of the country--and Elisavet was thought to be the most beautiful young woman in all the country (you can still see that in her face!!).  Their story is one of real romance and daring--defying families and conventions to make a match that still continues today.

Nonetheless, there have certainly been tragedies in the family, and you will see some evidence of this.  Two of  Spyro's younger brothers died about 10 years ago from lung cancer--and Spyro stopped smoking from that day--although you will see him hold a cigarette, it is never lit!  Spyro's father died long ago, but his mother was a fixture around the hotel until about two years ago (when she was 101!!!!).  After that she declined, and she died in March of 1999, at the age of 103.