Odysseus

The staff were always helpful and super friendly, and the location is great for getting to the beaches in Paleokastritsa, with stunning views all around. I had a really pleasant stay at Odysseus Hotel. My room was clean and comfortable, with an amazing sea view. The big, quiet pool was perfect for unwinding after the beach, and breakfast was included, tasty, and had plenty of options.

The pool was amazing, with sunbeds always available, and the pool cafe served sandwiches, drinks, coffee, and meals with good service. Rooms were cleaned very well every day, and the large balconies were comfortable. The rooms themselves were spacious, with very comfortable beds. Beach towels are available with a 10€ deposit plus 1€ for laundry. Breakfast was nice, though I would have preferred fresh juice. A very nice hotel in Paleokastritsa.

The views and location in Paleokastritsa are beautiful, and the bar was pleasant with a friendly bartender. Even so, our stay was disappointing, and I wouldn't recommend the hotel. A three-star rating feels generous because the property is dated and needs significant updates. The noise made it hard to sleep. The walls and doors are paper-thin: around midnight on the first night, a neighbour's shower sounded like a plane taking off in our room. Every flush, tap, and shower next door carried loudly, even in daytime, and hallway conversations sounded like they were right beside the bed. The air conditioner was noisy too. We left the AC on during the day, but came back to find the cleaning staff had taken our room fob away with them. The room had no electricity and was stuffy. Reception told us to look for it ourselves. After 20 minutes we got a replacement, plus a remark that the room temperature was “cool.” As paying guests, we should decide that for ourselves. The TV was unusable for our purposes. The source and settings buttons on the remote were disabled, so we couldn't use HDMI. The only options were Greek and German channels or BBC News. We'd checked the room photos to make sure HDMI was available, so this was frustrating. We watched everything on a small iPad instead, and couldn't see a logical security reason for the restriction. Other problems included very firm beds, blackout curtains that didn't cover the whole window, and a smoke alarm flashing brightly every 30 seconds all night. Staff talked on their phones in the hallways, where poor soundproofing made it audible. There was a kettle but no tea, coffee, or even water, and the shower curtains were heavily yellowed with age. The constant noise, poor sleep, and all these frustrations made the stay genuinely unpleasant. We checked out disappointed and won't return.

The staff were excellent. They helped me get to a chemist on a Sunday and arranged for clothes I'd left behind to be returned. It's a magical hotel, within walking distance of lots of good restaurants and beaches. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast on the veranda with beautiful views. I'd definitely recommend it, and hope we can come back soon!