We travelled as a family of four with two kids (aged 12 and 9) and had a lovely, relaxed stay here. The highlight for us was definitely the pool area – so peaceful and never crowded. The main pool is around 25 metres long with a shallow paddling section at one end, perfect for younger children. There’s also a second, smaller pool (approx. 10 metres) which was equally well kept. Both are deep and beautifully maintained by Nikios, the lifeguard, who is an absolute gem – always around, always helpful, and wonderfully friendly without ever being intrusive. He’s a real credit to the hotel.
One thing we really appreciated was the “no reserving sunbeds” rule. While one family seemed to try and claim their spots each morning with a towel and a drink, it wasn’t really a problem. Nikios was always on hand to help find us a bed or anything else we needed. I’m sure if it had become an issue, the friendly lifeguard would have sorted it.
Poolside service was excellent – waiters came around to take orders, and the club sandwich was so generously portioned it easily fed the whole family at lunch!
Breakfast was good overall. If you’re looking for a full English, you won’t find it here, but there was a decent selection of hot food that changed daily, plus a range of cold options. The cinnamon pastries, when available, were superb. You could also order porridge, eggs, omelettes, and various coffees – all of which were freshly made and very good. Service at breakfast was mixed – Dora was consistently fantastic and welcoming, but the rest of the team varied a bit in attentiveness. We stayed for 10 nights and if we’d stayed for less time and hit a day when Dora wasn’t at breakfast our view on breakfast might not have been so good.
Evenings are very low-key here – so if you’re looking for entertainment, this probably isn’t the place. But for us, the chilled, relaxed vibe was exactly what we were after. We only had a couple of late drinks, and sometimes we were the only ones in the bar and at others there was a healthy gathering of people.
There’s also a small on-site gym, which I used most days. More often than not, I had it to myself. It’s fully kitted out with Technogym equipment and was perfect for a holiday workout. If you’re into heavier lifting or looking to bench press, the free weights are a bit limited – but overall, no complaints.
Bar service throughout the day and evening was always decent. Amin in the afternoon/evening was great and really stood out – friendly, attentive, and took the time to chat with our son, which was a lovely touch. Cocktails were priced in line with higher-end places on the island, but perhaps could have been a bit cheaper to encourage more guests to grab a drink after a day or evening out.
We stayed in a maisonette room, which was a little smaller than we’re used to and could maybe do with a bit of a refresh, as noted in other reviews. That said, the layout worked well enough for a family, and the air conditioning was blissful. The slightly odd balcony setup, with a low wall separating neighbouring rooms, didn’t bother us at all.
We dined at the hotel twice in the evening – once straight after a late swim, and another time before heading up to the sunset lounge for a drink. The restaurant is essentially part of the pool bar and was always very quiet, which suited us fine.
Location-wise, it’s a 10-minute walk to Fira along the coast road. It’s busy, but we had no problem doing it most evenings with the kids. Yes it’s not the greatest but there’s a clear main path, and we always felt safe. Our room was set back from the road, so we didn’t hear a thing at night. Having this hotel as a base was great to be in the middle of the island. We used the local bus (from main bus station in Fira) to go to kamari beach as well as booking excursions both boat and bus around the island. Fira we preferred to Oia as it was a bit more relaxed and little less pretentious.
The only major downsides were the busy road nearby and the dated rooms – if it weren’t for these, the setting would be close to perfect. I understand and recognise the other moans on here but they didn’t detract from a five star review given the many positives.
All in all, a really enjoyable stay – relaxed, friendly, and just what we needed as a family. Big shout out to Amin for giving the best service ever received.
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