Only a few meters before the walls of the Castle, is the hotel "Lazareto", a building which at the 18th century was used as a jailhouse and as a sanatorium. The history says that Monemvasia was created after a tremendous earthquake that cut off a huge rock and kept it connected to the main land with a narrow string of land, from which it took the name (moni emvasis which means single entrance). Through the pass of time, Monomania took all the characteristics by its various conquerors and habitants. Byzantines, Franks, Venetians, Turks, even the Vatican, added a little something to the red rock, the Meeks Kales (castle of the flowers). Today, free from the conquerors and the battles, it opens its heavy iron gate to hundreds of visitors who are seeking for a journey back to time, a gate that hides behind it so much poetry. It is a big building with wide stone walls and small wooden windows, according to the traditional architecture of the region, literally built on a rock, which was restored with total respect to its history and architect figures. Behind the stone walls are 14 modern rooms with air condition, mini bar, television and telephone, with view to the new city of Monemvasia and the absolute blue of the sea. The green gardens are a contradiction to the rocky environment of the castle, while its rooms combine the modern living with the poetry of the past.