Olympia has more than 20 hotels, which means that you can almost always find a room -- although if you arrive without a reservation in July or August, you probably won't get your first choice. As is often the case in major tourist centers, hotels here often raise or lower rates depending on the kind of season they're having. In winter, many hotels are closed. If you want to have the best of both worlds and stay by the sea, you can, but you will have to do some nasty driving on truck-infested main roads to get back and forth to Olympia. If this does not deter you, try the elegant Grecotel Olympia Riviera Resort (www.grecotel.gr), 45 minutes away on its own beach in Kyllini, with three hotel complexes (Mandola Rosa is the fanciest), 200 hectares (500 acres) of gardens, six restaurants (one entirely organic), seven pools, and just about everything else you'd want. If it's full, try the seaside 288-room Olympian Village Royal Olympian Spa and Thalasso (www.aldemarhotels.com) in Skaridia; it has extensive spa facilities.
