Epano Vathia Vacations from $1,698

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!

Beautiful Hotel in a Great Location, But Some Details Let It Down We recently stayed at Castello Boutique Suites in Sissi, Crete to celebrate our anniversary, and overall, we had a very good holiday. The hotel made a wonderful gesture by upgrading us to a larger suite with a private side pool, which felt so special and really set the tone for our stay. The suite itself was stylish and comfortable, the breakfast was excellent every morning, and the staff were consistently warm, welcoming, and genuinely kind. The location couldn’t be better — just a 2-minute walk from the charming port of Sissi, with plenty of tavernas and shops nearby. That said, as this is marketed as a five-star hotel, we were a little disappointed by some details. Positives: – Thoughtful anniversary upgrade to a suite with private pool. – Beautiful, modern, and spacious room. – Fantastic location (2 minutes from Sissi port). – Excellent breakfast with plenty of choice and quality. – Friendly, professional, and welcoming staff. – Relaxed, peaceful atmosphere throughout. Negatives: – Private pool jets and lights didn’t work; nothing was fixed during our stay. – Pool needed topping up and sides had algae. – No towel hooks in the bathroom; “do not disturb” system broken. – Daily housekeeping, but balcony wasn’t cleaned in 8 nights. – Cups and glasses not refreshed — had to wash them ourselves. No blinds/curtains: poolside window let in sun at 5am, back window was lit at night, affecting sleep and

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.

Hotel was lovely, staff were really friendly and very helpful nothing was too much trouble. Check in was seamless with a welcome drink and hot towels upon arrival. Rooms were spotless and a nice size many with a sea view. The sun beds were very comfortable and plenty for everyone even though some people still felt the need to reserve first thing in the morning. A big shout out to Aphrodite in the restaurant in the evenings she was so friendly and went out of her way to assist with menu and gluten free options. All in all a lovely stay and would recommend to stay here for a lovely relaxing break.