Hotel Cokkinis

We had a lovely room facing the water at this fabulous hotel right on the waterfront. It made a great getaway from Athens, and it’s near Corinth.

The view is wonderful, and it’s a peaceful, relaxing place. Breakfast costs €10 per person and could be better. The coffee was just so-so, and I wondered if the orange juice had water added.

The restaurant is the only nearby option unless you drive elsewhere, and we found it overpriced. Some dishes were badly cooked; after checking reviews to see what to avoid, we still got undercooked chicken. They agreed to cook it again when we showed them. We had also paid for a sea-view room, but a large tree blocked more than half the view. We’d stayed before and could see nothing but blue from the window, so this wasn’t the same view. Reception gave us attitude when we raised it, saying the room was on the sea side and the view was nice in their opinion, then asking what they were supposed to do, cut the tree. Of course they shouldn’t cut trees, but they shouldn’t charge for a sea view they don’t provide. It felt borderline fraudulent and ruined our vacation. Ours wasn’t the only room like that, about half the sea-view rooms had the same issue. The trouble started before we arrived. We’d booked in advance, then a weather report came out the day before our two-night stay saying it would rain. We called politely to ask about changing dates. The person who answered said there was no availability on the first date we suggested, then immediately said no to two or three others. She told us rudely that we should have called earlier. We found another date that showed as available and called back, only to be told it was too late because the room would otherwise stay empty. I have no problem with that as a policy, but it should be stated consistently. The owners would rather have unhappy guests arrive in the rain than let them move to another low-season date. Reception was rude both times we spoke with them about a problem. The staff didn’t know how to talk to customers, and the replies matched the rest of the experience. The owners have a nice area to work with, but seem more interested in getting money from foreign customers. It looks like locals have figured out what this place is, judging by the big gap between local and foreign review ratings. I’m writing in English in the hope other tourists avoid the same experience. We’re never coming back unless the place has a different owner.

A lovely spot for relaxing, swimming and enjoying the sun, with beautiful Greek scenery and a nice, quiet feel. You’ll need a car to get around because there aren’t tourist areas nearby, though you can use the bus or train if you want.