Butterfly Studios

The rooms are small but nicely equipped, and for the price I was completely satisfied. The staff were friendly too. A small tip: if the hot water seems cold, leave it running for a bit. Like many small hotels and households in Greece, this one uses its own heating solution.

The location is the one reasonably good thing about this place. The booking listing said the air conditioning was included, but it costs an extra 7 euro per day, making the room far too expensive for what you get. Without it, the room would be at least 40 degrees in June. At night, if you leave the door open, mosquitoes get in. We counted at least 25. The bathroom wasn’t clean, the wifi was terrible, and the pool wasn’t very clean either. We stayed seven nights, and the pool area wasn’t cleaned during that time.

Don’t trust the high ratings. I’m not usually fussy, and I’ve even shared a room with a cockroach family in Africa without AC, wifi, or hot water, but the price there was low enough to match. This review is about what we paid and what we got in return. We were there in high season and paid 51 euros. Given how poor the hotel and rooms were, especially the wifi, that was far too much. It’s easily the worst hotel we’ve ever stayed in at this price, and it had a very negative effect on our holiday. We booked through zenhotels and were hit with hidden AC charges of 7 euros per day. These weren’t clearly shown during booking. Even if this is common in cheap Greek hotels, those charges should be included or displayed up front. They brought our real nightly cost to 58 euros, and we wouldn’t have stayed if we’d known. For 58 euros, the wifi barely opened a webpage, in the room or by the pool. We had to use our own data and leave a smartphone on the balcony as an extender, worrying someone might steal it since our room was by the pool. Decent wifi wouldn’t break your bankaccount. The bathroom and shower were tiny and basic, and using them flooded the room. Sometimes there was no warm water. The toilet flush kept running if you pressed too hard, and stopping it meant pulling the button out with your nails, which got tiring. The room and furniture were old, and the mattresses were extremely hard and uncomfortable. I think they might have been the same ones from when the hotel opened in Anno 1620. We booked a double room but got twin beds. The AC sits right under the bed and blows in your face while you sleep, enough to make you sick. Service was nothing special. Some staff were friendlier than others. The location was okay but nothing special. The first beach is about 7 minutes away, but “downtown” is a 15-minute walk with no shade, which feels long and painful in 35 degrees heat. We’re now in a 4 star hotel in ialyssos for less money. It has a bigger room, 2 terrasses, a double bad instead of twin beds, a bigger and prettier pool, working wifi, its own restaurant, and better service.

The owner was very friendly, and we went out on his boat for what we thought would be an hour or so of “fishing.” It turned into a full day! The pool was great too. I can’t comment on the complaints about air conditioning, ours worked fine. We didn’t spend long in the room, and when we did, we were mashed. We had a good week. Yes, it’s a bit of a dump, but it has what you need. The location is great, with a good restaurant behind it and a convenience store nearby, and it’s about a ten-minute wall along the beach to faliraki centre. As for the shower complaints, grow a pair and take a cold shower, or don’t book a budget hotel expecting the Ritz.