It looks like a forgotten pirate fortress, straight out of The Count of Monte Cristo or Game of Thrones: a stone stronghold perched on the sea, complete with a lookout tower, private island, and a nearby lighthouse.

Known as Teloneio, “the customs house,” this 18th-century outpost has been transformed by a family into a dream island hideaway.

On Greece’s wild Mani Peninsula — a rugged land so fierce that even the Ottomans never conquered it — the customs house once guarded the coast against pirates and rival clans. Decades of neglect left it half-buried in concrete and battered by Aegean storms, a ghost of its former strength.

Now, subterranean, crypt-like storage rooms that once protected goods from raiders have become cozy bedrooms, while the defensive barracks above have been converted into a kitchen, living room, and a tower bedroom surrounded on all sides by sea and sky.

The renovation was as much archaeology as construction. Layers of concrete were carefully removed to reveal the original 18th-century stonework, connecting rooms and introducing keyhole windows that bring in light and air.

Every choice — from limestone mortar to olive wood and local marble — preserves the spirit of Mani, blending history and home in a fortress reborn.