Luxury City Center Apartment

The place seemed poorly maintained. The mattresses were really uncomfortable, the TV didn't work, and the water heater was leaking into the bathroom.

The location worked well for us, on a quiet street just a three-minute walk from the central square, restaurants, food shops, and a pharmacy. There's a gym right downstairs, which can be noisy, though it closes around 10 pm. The apartment itself is clean and spacious, with three large double bedrooms, two bathrooms, an equipped kitchen, an open-plan sitting area, and a balcony. One bathroom has a spa bath. The view of the rocks from the balcony is very limited because other apartments block it.

The beds were awful, especially the mattresses. Other problems piled up too: the lift was out of order, one heater didn't work on January 1, and the others made a repetitive noise that made sleeping difficult. We had specifically booked an apartment with a washing machine because we were travelling around Greece for seven days, but that was broken too. There was a strong petrol smell throughout the building. The apartment windows were open when we arrived on January 1, apparently to air it out, but the smell was still there. The next morning some of us woke up dizzy and decided to leave. I told the owner, but got no reply. The kitchen was sticky, as if someone had just had a barbecue, and the curtains were dirty. The toilet seats were yellowed, along with plenty of other things. I also dropped a coin into the sofa and, well, what I found when I reached in was better left unsaid. A perfect Greek tourist trap.

It has good potential and sits on a quiet street in an ideal location, but after four nights we were glad to leave. A strong smell of heating fuel filled the apartment, which was alarming. We also found the washing machine still broken, even though the owner knew about the problem from an earlier review. When we asked what to do, we were told to use a laundromat next door, only to discover Meteora has no laundromat anywhere. The owner is local, so that was surprising. We spent the first day hand-washing a lot of clothes; we had chosen the place because we were travelling around Greece and needed a machine. For a group staying four days, the lack of basic cutlery, kitchen knives, and bathroom sink plugs mattered. A few small fixes could make this a great space. The plastic lavender could go, with more attention given to the practical basics.