Nefeli Wind Club Apartments

The pool looked smaller in person than it did in the Booking photos, and breakfast was disappointing. There were only a few dishes, and after about an hour they were running short of forks, coffee cups, and teaspoons. I had to ask for things each time. We also had a day without power. We booked a sea-view studio for 10 nights, but spent the first two in a temporary street-facing room. It was noisy, the AC was broken, and so was the hair dryer. The room we had for the remaining eight nights was okay. We won't return.

I booked through the Airbnb app for one night. The host read my messages but never replied or rejected the reservation. When we arrived, we were told we couldn't stay because changing the sheets the next day for a one-night booking was a problem for them. That restriction had never been mentioned to us.

Booking eventually handled it and refunded us, but the whole thing was stressful. We had paid in advance on May 6. After we arrived in June, the hotel told Booking that the card had been refused. My card had enough credit, but the island's internet connection was awful, I couldn't access my account, and I hadn't brought the card with me. So my partner paid with his credit card at their beach bar, since there was no reception, and we weren't given a hotel receipt. Once home, I checked with my bank and confirmed the payment had gone through on May 9. I contacted Booking, and Nefeli hotel claimed we'd rented two accommodations because the payment receipt said “local purchase.” I'm still waiting for my bank to explain who sets that status. We also showed proof that we weren't in Greece in May. We asked the hotel for a receipt for the supposed second accommodation, but they had none. They could have checked the payment, which was made more than a month earlier, but instead tried to persuade Booking that we had another booking. Given the circumstances, it seemed clear this wasn't just a mistake, especially since the reservation was non-refundable and a month is plenty of time for a bank payment to clear. On Booking.com they use photos of other Nefeli accommodations, then dismiss criticism by saying it's not the same hotel, though the owners are the same. Think it over, and if you don't think this could happen to you, take the risk.

The shower was awful, and with no curtain it was really uncomfortable. We also found trash under the bed, despite the place being described as clean. The rooms were tiny, right at street level, with barely enough room to move or breathe comfortably. They show a waterfront building in the photos, then put you in a different one. They cancelled our Booking reservation so we couldn't leave a negative review. The place and the people were terrible. They should be fined for these illegal practices.