We stayed at the Lydia Hotel when we visited the ruins of Philippi, Greece recently.
We could see a church not far away from our hotel room balcony. To our great pleasant surprise this church right beside our hotel is indeed the Saint Lydia Church (often called “St. Lydia” or “Church of Saint Lydia of Philippi”) which commmorates Lydia who met St. Paul and was baptised in a nearby river.
We were actually staying in a historically significant spot — not just a hotel stop, but a key location in early European Christianity! How blessed were we!
The hotel, located in a rural village, has a rustic feel to it. It is a family run business. The front desk was staffed by an elderly couple after 8p.m. Though unable to communicate in English with us, they were very helpful when we needed assistance with our TV channels. There was no English TV service in our hotel room. Though a little outdated in its decor, our room was clean and comfortable.
But the view from our room was beautiful, peaceful and tranquil.
Breakfast was included with our room. We were served a basic breakfast in the dining room - a spacious and inviting place with a fireplace in the middle and a TV watching area at one side of the room. Guests could hang out and chill in the dining room, around the bar or TV area.
The elderly lady tried her best to help ordering a cab for us going to the archaeological site. However, we couldn't understand her instructions of where the bus stop was, hence, we waited at the wrong bus stop going to town and missed the earlier bus for Kavala, our next destination.
Overall, the room at the Lydia Hotel was clean, pleasant and affordable but lacking some amenities such as English TV channes for news; more clear directions in English for bus stops into town and close by villages would have helped a lot.
The location was excellent! Just a short walk from where we were - the Philippi Archaeological Site, where Paul preached — one of the most important early Christian locations in Europe.
I would give it a score 8 / 10
RT, Lydia Hotel, near the Achaeological Site of Philippi
Greece, 042026
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