We (family of 4) spent the last week of August 2007 here. In some ways this has 4+ star qualities, in other 2 star (my wife actually said she could understand if one person slated the place, while the next raved about it). First the disappointing bits.
The room was very basic with only one wardrobe between the four of us. Not such a problem as we only had a week, but any longer would have been a struggle. The décor is very dour, although we had plenty of room (we had separate bedroom) and it was clean. The beds were firm bordering on concrete; both my wife and I woke at least once every night. The air con was very effective, although only worked if you inserted the room key fob in the switch, which made the room very hot on return from the day or after the evening. The fob does detach from the key, so we ended up leaving it in the switch for the evenings. One good thing is that towels and bed linen can be changed on request as often as required.
The restaurant food was ok, but only ok, although perfectly edible; although the Chef station was good with freshly cooked meats (we had Roast Chicken and Lamb to name but two, both of which were lovely). There seemed to be a lack of staff as most days I had to ask for a table to be laid up and also cleared plates myself as the service was not quick enough. The actual room itself was about the right size, and is light and airy, plus the balcony with the views over the sea was a bonus (although there were a few wasps about and the usual cats).
The reception staff were adequate, nice and smiley when all ok, but not so helpful with problems. My son bought 30 minutes on the PC, but couldn’t get logged in. The lady behind reception told us we must be doing something wrong as it was very simple, and no we couldn’t have a refund, and then started talking to the next guest. When I went to see her, she reluctantly agreed to get someone to come down. Not sure who he was, but when he arrived (20 minutes later) he didn’t seem to impressed to be bothered with such a trivial matter, except the PC had gone wrong and he had to re-boot to get it going correctly. He then left without an apology or smile!
One other thing that was an annoyance was no ‘diet’ drinks in the hotel.
The good bits.
Although the climb from the beach to the room was steep (110 steps got us half way – we were right at the top) the setting is pretty spectacular. As mentioned above the views from the restaurant terrace were great, and the bar on the next level up, were similarly good. The reception area and bar were very pleasant, and the atrium was a nice place to sit for half an hour after dinner. Most of the staff were friendly and did as much as they could to help bearing in mind their lack of numbers. Most of the usual alcoholic drinks were available and there were a few cocktails included in the AI deal. The international brands were a bit restricted in their numbers, but at EUR 3 each, not overly expensive.
The main pool is situated on the hill side and over looks the sea. Plenty of beds and umbrellas and it was well kept in terms of tidiness and cleanliness. There was no music playing, but the bar was good with decent snacks throughout most of the day, and freshly cooked chips to order.
The beach was very good. Nice sand with stones at the waters edge. The water was exceptionally clear and nice and warm, even at 150 meters out from the shore, the seabed was visible. The waterslide into the sea is good fun (kids only though). The landing area is a little on the shallow side and there is no real supervision, but otherwise our two loved it. The beach bar is fantastic!! All the same AI facilities, excellent pizza and chips, fresh fruit, plus fresh pasta cooked to order while you waited. At all the bars, free beach towels are available (after a EUR 1O deposit per towel is paid at reception (voucher system)) and can be exchanged for clean towels as often as you like.
Not much around the hotel, Benitsis is really a cab/bus ride away (the road is not easily walked) Cab was EUR 8, the bus EUR 0.75 each. There is a supermarket opposite the main entrance, get your water here, EUR 0.60 vs EUR 2.00 in the hotel.
Despite everything, I think I’d give the holiday itself proberbly 6 and a bit/10, and if asked I’d genuinely say we had a nice time. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, although it was considerably cheaper that other hotels we looked at, so I guess you pay your money and make your choice.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
probably not
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Young singles
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Beach / Sun