Blue Sky Beach Hotel

Yria Beach Hotel sits right on a beautiful beach, and it's spotless and well looked after. Breakfast was delicious, and being able to get to the beach at any hour, day or night, is amazing. Just watch out when it's windy, as the waves can get strong. I also want to thank Katerina, the wonderful assistant who really feels like the heart of the place. Her welcoming smile, energy, and kind spirit make guests feel at home, and she keeps everything clean, organized, and upbeat. She's a single mom of two boys and still puts so much love and energy into making the hotel special. If you visit, take a moment to thank her, or maybe bring her a small gift. She loves colas!

The replacement rooms were adequate, and the staff took extra care cleaning them, but I’d rate them three stars at best. The sub-basement room was so bad I wouldn’t give it even one. I wouldn’t recommend it to my worst enemy. The only reason this review is two stars is that we were eventually moved. Our group of friends checked in on the 20th August for six nights in a sub-basement room. We expected basic comfort and cleanliness from a place advertised as four star, but the room was filthy. It smelled horribly damp and mouldy, even with the door left open all day. The shower had no door, so water flooded the bathroom, which had no ventilation or sunlight to dry it. It became mouldy and dirty. On the first night, one bed had ripped, stained sheets, and there was sand under the sheets on the other bed. That made me think the room hadn't been cleaned properly. We told reception the next morning, and they changed the sheets. Reception staff were friendly enough, but it was hit or miss whether anyone was there. When we had a problem, we had to wait for someone to arrive. On day two, we asked for a shower curtain or something to stop the flooding. A handyman knocked while my friend was showering, so I asked him to come back in ten minutes. Thirty minutes later, the receptionist told me he'd gone home. The communication was poor. We got extra towels and made do. The handyman came on the third day, but all he did was put a toilet roll holder on the wall, which was completely useless. That evening we found worms or larvae on the bathroom floor and demanded another room. Reception couldn't move us until the following day, so we had a restless night knowing how unsanitary the room was. When we checked out, we weren't offered anything for what we'd endured, not even free drinks or a partial refund. The room seriously affected our holiday, and I spent hours waiting around and talking to reception about hotel problems. There were also rusty flecks around the sink, a torn mosquito net, and WiFi that didn't work in the room, but those were minor beside the filth we slept in. The beach loungers belong to the hotel, but you have to spend at least 6 euro per umbrella per day to use them. That felt cheeky when we were already paying a lot for a below-average hotel.

The breakfast was a big disappointment. The food was barely edible, so we ate out most mornings, and the staff member there kept giving us unfriendly, almost hostile looks even though we greeted her with a smile. We also found squashed mosquito stains on the walls in several places, and the windows were so dirty we could hardly see outside. The whole place felt neglected and unclean. On departure day, there was even a small uninvited guest in our room (see photo). We can't relate to all the glowing Google reviews. It seems many may have been written by friends or acquaintances of the staff, which would explain the overly positive praise. This is nowhere near four-star quality, two stars at best. If you're expecting a proper four-star stay, you'll be disappointed. There are better options at the same price, and we won't be back.

The staff made our stay: Alchemini, Emanuela, Ethimanaous, Petras, and Katarina looked after us so well and made us feel like family. Yria Beach Hotel is lovely, with a wonderful beach atmosphere, a fantastic pool, and a spotless room with comfortable beds. The bathroom was small but worked fine. It's on a small stretch of sandy beach, with 7 or 8 fantastic restaurants within walking distance. The loungers with umbrellas were comfy, music was playing, and attentive servers brought delicious snacks and drinks. Come for the view and stay for the hospitality.