31 Doors Hotel

This was our fifth stay, but the first with our 11 month old baby. I was worried about preparing food for my son, and the staff were unexpectedly helpful. Nicos did a lot for us, even trying to find softer bananas. I won't forget how supportive everyone was, from the receptionists to the lady in the kitchen. Thanks so much! If you're coming with a baby, don't hesitate.

Never again. I was going to leave a polite review, but what happened made me so angry. We were away at the beach all day, and when we came back in the evening our room was unbearably hot, like stepping into a fully heated oven. They'd left the window open on a 42°C day, which switched off the air-conditioning. It took four hours to cool the room enough to sleep, even though it was already getting cooler outside. Other than that, the hotel wasn't bad for our short two-night stay. The staff were good, breakfast was nice, especially the white frappe, and the room was relatively clean, though our towels weren't changed. The pillows were overrated, and it's too far from the beach without a car. We knew about the distance in advance. That window and air-conditioning situation was not okay. Be careful with the windows if you stay.

We were surprised by how lively the seafront area gets in the evening, when the road becomes pedestrian-only and fills with restaurants and cafés. The hotel is on a main road, close to the beach and port of Alexandroupoli. It's renovated and feels fresh and modern. Our room was spacious, clean, nicely designed, and had a large comfortable bed. The bathroom was roomy and functional, and the shower was a treat. Breakfast was simple but good, with enough to start the day. Service was pleasant, especially the receptionist, who shared useful tips about the pedestrian area and nearby restaurants. Breakfast staff were friendly too, and the price is reasonable. Parking needs a bit of planning if you arrive by car. There are only 3 or 4 spots beside the building, and street parking isn't allowed. We stopped outside briefly to check in and unload, then moved the car to a public lot about a 7-10 minute walk away.

Our stay was a nightmare. We were traveling with a disabled family member and couldn't find another available hotel in the area with accessible rooms, so we paid the full amount and stayed. Before arrival, the hotel said our card couldn't be pre-authorized and demanded full payment or threatened that we'd lose the reservation. Our bank said it hadn't received an authorization request. When I called, they told me to pay or lose the booking, then hung up. Later they accepted that the payment system had blocked the request as a “Duplicate Request,” because the card had already been pre-authorized on our first booking. After that first booking, they had messaged us to say that room type wasn't suitable for a disabled guest, so we canceled and booked a different room. The pre-authorization problem happened on the second booking. My complaint was never about the payment policy. I told them to check with their payment provider, and what I described is accurate. The parking situation was just as bad. They advertise parking, but the spot they use belongs to the hotel building and isn't licensed as a car park. The receptionist acknowledged that parking horizontally on the pavement was illegal, but said it was the only option they could offer. We had requested a disabled parking spot for our guest in advance, and they hadn't reserved one. When we complained, the receptionist, Christine, was indifferent and said we could park illegally on the pavement or go three blocks away. She was rude and said it wasn't her problem that another guest had taken the spot. When I said I'd report the issue to Booking.com, she grinned and said, “You can do whatever you want but it will not change anything.” The other guest said no one had warned him and there were no signs that the spot was reserved. Thankfully he was nice and agreed to give it to us. We had also booked two rooms with separate beds, but one room had a double bed. The replacement had one bed and a sofa, not two separate beds. There were no pillows, sheets or blankets for the sofa, and the reception was closed. I spent three hours at the reception waiting for the other guest to arrive, trying to sort out the parking, moving our car from three blocks away, and then ended up sleeping awkwardly on the sofa covered with beach towels. We got pillows and blankets only the next morning when Housekeeping came. The room facing the main road was also quite noisy all night, with trucks and motorcycles passing or stopping at the Shell station next door. The hotel isn't suitable for disabled guests: the lift at the main entrance can't be accessed from outside without someone at Reception operating it with a control device, and Reception closes at 11 PM. If you're traveling alone in a wheelchair, how are you supposed to get in after that?