Ayía Varvára Vacations from $451

Close to the main old town (5-7 min walking distance). Cute boutique hotel close to Herakilon Port. Breakfast was simple but nice.

I told my daughters to europe as a graduation present and our 1st stop at Athina Palace Resort and Spa was amazing. When we checked in after midnight, they had a light dinner and wine waiting for us. The staff was responsive, helpful, friendly and professional. The resort was clean and the food was delicious. My only small complaint is a more consistent schedule for the shuttle service around the resort. Other than that, everything was perfect!

This was one of the most disappointing hotel experiences I’ve had. The Hotels.com listing is misleading and materially inaccurate. Its advertised the hotel as being on a white sandy beach with an exclusive beach bar, complete with photos suggesting exactly that. In reality, there is no exclusive beach bar and the nearest beach is public, rocky and nothing like the images or description (it’s a vile beach). Had the listing been accurate, I would never have booked this hotel. The problems didn’t end there. The blonde concierge was extremely unhelpful and refused to assist with booking restaurants or beach clubs. The hot water remained lukewarm throughout our stay and the manager shrugged his shoulders and refused to investigate. Towels were stained, had holes in them and are used interchangeably for both the bathrooms and the beach. The patio door regularly got stuck creating a safety concern. Housekeeping removed bedding from our room and failed to replace it, and when we raised it with the manager, he accused us of stealing it. The plunge pools are also very misleading in the marketing photos. Rather than overlooking a luxury setting, ours looked directly onto a car park and supermarket/high street. The location itself was also a huge disappointment.

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