Astron

The free Wi-Fi in room 507 was my biggest issue. It never worked, and even after I complained several times at reception, it still wasn’t fixed. It’s about 400m to the main road, where there are a few small shops and several restaurants, and around 1.5km to Pigadia centre. That’s a serious walk in the summer. The place itself is nice and quiet, and the rooms are fairly comfortable. The kitchen is basic and not really equipped for making a full dinner. Also, the kettle got so hot when used that you couldn’t pick it up with your bare hands.

The nearest beach is less than a 5 minute walk down the road, and Karpathos city is about 15 minutes away on foot. We spent 12 days at Astron at the end of August. At check-in, we had to read and sign house rules, which felt a bit weird. Our room was okay, though the toilet and shower need renovating. We couldn’t adjust the showerhead, and several handles had some kind of debris, maybe salt, on them. The fridge was new. The pool was in good shape with enough sunbeds, so there was no need to get up early to claim one. The water tasted a little salty. We barely used the bar, as its prices seemed high compared with bars and restaurants in the city centre.

The rooms are okay, but they charge €9,- per day for air conditioning. I understand inflation and rising electricity costs, but 9,- a day is absurd. This wasn’t mentioned on the website before I booked, so a week’s stay means 63 euro extra. I was very, very, very disappointed.

The hotel has good rooms, friendly staff, and a great breakfast. Restaurants, small supermarkets, and places to rent a car, bike, or quad are an easy walk away. We walked to the centre harbour each night, about 20 minutes, and that was just fine.