Olive Press Hotel
Visitors say
Being here is an extraordinary experience — surrounded by the clean sea and fresh air… I’ve been coming for two years, and it’s a hotel I’ll always want to return to.
Central location, friendly staff, clean rooms. I felt very comfortable. See you next year 👋
About
The Olive Press Hotel sits in Molyvos, one of Lesvos's most celebrated medieval villages, where a hilltop Genoese castle presides over a cascade of stone houses tumbling down to a small fishing harbor. The hotel's name speaks to the island's deep olive-growing heritage — Lesvos is home to some eleven million olive trees and has pressed oil here for millennia — and properties of this kind typically occupy atmospheric stone buildings that once formed part of the island's working agricultural life, lending them a texture and character that purpose-built hotels rarely match.
Guests staying here are placed at the heart of Molyvos, within easy reach of the harbor's waterfront tavernas, the cobbled lanes lined with bougainvillea, and the Byzantine-era castle that rewards those who climb to it with sweeping views across the Aegean toward the Turkish coastline. Whether the hotel offers a pool courtyard shaded by mature trees, traditionally furnished rooms with arched ceilings, or simply a terrace where breakfast arrives with local honey and Lesvian olive oil, the combination of stone architecture and village setting creates the kind of unhurried atmosphere that draws visitors back to this corner of the northern Aegean year after year. For travelers who want to explore Lesvos's beaches, villages, and petrified forest from a base that feels genuinely rooted in the island rather than merely located on it, the Olive Press Hotel offers exactly that kind of foothold.
Before you go
What to expect
Thick stone walls keep the rooms naturally cool even in midsummer, and the lanes of Molyvos pass close enough that you can hear the village waking up each morning. The rhythm here is unhurried: coffee on a terrace with the castle's outline sharpening in the early light, then evenings pulling you downhill toward the harbor's lit tavernas and the smell of the sea. A building with a former agricultural life carries a texture — low vaults, worn thresholds, the weight of old walls — that purpose-built hotels simply don't have.
Best time to visit
Late May through September is the main season; June and September give you warm, swimmable weather with noticeably fewer visitors than the July–August peak.
How to get there
From Mytilene, follow the main road north — the drive takes just over an hour, passing through Kalloni before climbing into the northern hills where Molyvos appears terraced on its hillside above the Aegean.
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Visitor Reviews
Ece Vurucu
September 2025
Central location, friendly staff, clean rooms. I felt very comfortable. See you next year 👋
Zeynep Özlem Doğan Şığva
August 2025
Being here is an extraordinary experience — surrounded by the clean sea and fresh air… I’ve been coming for two years, and it’s a hotel I’ll always want to return to.
Ania Hindmark
August 2025
The hotel is partly outdated and it needs renovation. Great view and location. I would like to suggest vegan milk for the breakfast!
Dr.Ozan Kocakaya
July 2025
Family rooms are terribly outdated (bathroom, sink-stand-toilet) and uncomfortable (furnlture and bedding). It is very noisy, starting with the garbage truck every morning at 8, continuing with ongoing new room construction sounds, and ending with street sounds. Never again.
Mahmut Cinci
August 2024
The location of the hotel is perfect. It is by the sea and within walking distance to the old town. It was converted from an old olive factory into hotel. After having your breakfast by the sea, you can swim in the sea or in the pool at the hotel's beach bar. The staff is attentive but we were most impressed by the smiling face of the young lady in the breakfast room, we thank you to her. Our room was nice but the sink tap was problematic, the water was not flowing well. In addition, although we asked for an iron from the reception, they could not find one for two days. @mahmutcinci_photographer
Matthew Barber
July 2024
We stayed here for a week in late July, we booked through Jet2 quite last minute and I believe that we got a fairly good deal. The hotel is listed by Jet2 as 3 stars which I believe is accurate. It is in a really good location on the seafront and walking distance to the local bars, restaurants, and local supermarkets. It is a good base to explore the island from for those on a bit of a budget who don't plan to spend all week in their room. Others have mentioned issues with cleanliness, size of rooms and issues with the beds. We personally didn't have any of these issues, the rooms are small but there's not much that can be done about that given the layout of the buildings. The bathrooms are a little small and dated but not any worse than anywhere else I've stayed in Greece for a similar price. The beds were fine for us comfort-wise, our only issue was that we had two singles pushed together rather than the double that we booked but this was not the end of the world. Most importantly in July the A/C worked well! The breakfast is a pretty standard buffet for a small family run hotel. It has most of the things you could want to set you up for the day, and the staff were always on hand topping things up and clearing plates etc. The pool area is large, we never had any issues getting a sunbed even in the high season. There were a few broken beds but these were removed during the duration of our stay. We found the pool area to be clean and saw the pool being cleaned every morning. You can get food and drink delivered to your sunbed from the little beach bar which is very convenient if you just want to chill. If you plan to swim in the sea then consider some water shoes as the beach is pebbles not sand. All the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful. The front desk staff were happy to suggest local places to hire a car and to book a boat trip. The bar staff by the pool were friendly and efficient.
Victoria Williams
July 2024
Wonderful location and amazing views. We purposly chose a sea-front room with a balcony and weren't disappointed. Breakfast is more than enough and by the sea but beware they literally close the doors at 10.30. The fridge was a little noisy and not very cold. Would be great if they offered drinks in the wonderful reception or breakfast area after breakfast time.
Stephen Ellwood
October 2023
Perfect location on the edge of Molyvos. Rooms are typical Greek style. We had one perched on top of the sea wall which was fab. Room was small and sparsely furnished. The fridge was barely usable. There was no water or glasses in the room which was disappointing since we were told not to drink the tap water. The cleaner was fantastic but the man on reception was quite reluctant to engage with us. The breakfast buffet was ok. Not great, but good. The best part of breakfast was being able to sit at the waters edge while you eat.
Lydia Schleinitz
September 2023
We didn't stay here but stumbled into the cafe/restaurant for breakfast as it was idyllic right by the sea. Didn't realize it was a hotel until afterwards. But we had an amazing buffet breakfast for 9 euros each. The lady who was running the place was so happy and lovely.
fijolnatalia
July 2022
Excellent 3* hotel! You get what you pay for; so don’t expect luxurious interiors or elaborated breakfast buffet, yet still the room is cleaned daily and the staff is extremely friendly and welcoming. Interior is simple, yet functional. We got a room with a balcony with an amazing view on a castle. The breakfast was quite basic, but the dining area was with a direct view on the sea, which was so nicely relaxing. Generally, we really enjoyed our stay and would recommend it!
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