Vasilikos Beach

I appreciated the quiet atmosphere, with no music or forced entertainment. If you need that kind of thing, this probably isn’t the place for you. Reception staff were helpful and friendly. I barely saw the owners, which was fine by me. It must get tiring having thousands of guests expect to be best friends with everyone. The hotel is run with care and attention to detail. It was very clean, and the rooms were cleaned daily whether you wanted them to be or not. Outside was thoroughly cleaned as well, so there wasn’t sand anywhere. A lovely touch was the fresh basil sprigs, each with a different scent, on the breakfast tables. The small shop almost next door was handy and had anything you might have forgotten to pack. There are plenty of different beach bars and tavernas to try. The local food was okay, nothing special, but there was plenty to eat. St Nicholas Beach is only 300 meters from the Hotel. Swimming and snorkelling felt very safe on one side, while on the other you could try scary speedboat-towed activities. Ask Reception to book excursions with a local operator. Don’t count on your tour operator, they may give you a glossy brochure and then say the trips aren’t available. My only small complaint was waking with a slightly sore back every day, as the mattress was harder than I like.

The grounds are lovely, especially at night, and the setting is quiet and very pretty. Without a car, bus or taxi, there isn’t much to do, though. There’s no nightlife or entertainment of any kind. The owners and management felt distant, with no warm welcome or sincere goodbye, and sometimes seemed to look straight through you. Roxanna was brilliant, genuinely happy to see us and ready to help. She took the time to make us feel welcome. I hope Hilary & Ria look after her and value her, she’s a huge asset to the team.

The garden is spacious and full of lovely trees and greenery, which gives the place a relaxing feel. The hotel has recently been renovated, with clean, roomy rooms and a large swimming pool that’s well maintained. The beach is a short walk away, or even closer if you use the shortcut through the garden. Several nearby tavernas serve authentic Greek food, and I especially recommend Taverna Familia. The staff were warm, welcoming and very helpful with information and reservations. We really enjoyed our stay and would gladly return!

We spent 10 days here and absolutely loved it. There were no sunbed wars, and the pool was great. The area was very quiet, with a couple of tavernas and shops, just what we wanted. The whole hotel was clean, and we loved the decor and atmosphere. We got a lovely welcome, all the staff were excellent, the rooms were lovely and breakfast was good. A fantastic holiday, and we’d love to come back!