Porto Koukla Beach

There's a lot about this hotel I liked but a lot that needs improvement. We left on the final day of the season, and by the end of the last day, we very much got that vibe from the staff.

When we arrived we were told that the family room we had originally booked was unavailable (I see other reviews seem to think the hotel overbooks) so we were given two adjacent double rooms which actually worked out better for our family (double the bathroom facilities and space etc).

The rooms were okay but not amazing. They had been recently painted and the mattresses felt firm and were nice to sleep on. The room had basic but adequate furnishings and lighting. As we had two double rooms, we realised there were some discrepancies between the consumables in each room. Only one room had: a kettle (but no drink making stuff, perhaps a kettle left by previous guests?), a bottle of shampoo/ body wash in the shower, glasses. The key cards to the room didn't make a difference to the electricity supply when removed, our air conditioning remote didn't work and the door handle to our balcony was almost coming off by the time we left and only had 2 of the 4 screws holding it in. There were no locks on the balcony doors which, despite the area feeling very safe, may be a concern for families and female only guests. Our room door handle was broken and hung straight down but the door did open and close fine. The outside air conditioning unit is situated on the balcony so is very loud and hot to be next to.

The hotel staff were mostly pleasant and helpful but not all were necessarily what I would call "welcoming". One young blonde woman could not seem to have hated her job more and would wordlessly and coldly serve us, and I dreaded having to speak to her. If not for her, I would give the hotel four stars - I hope they feedback to her that her attitude was awful. However, the older woman who ran the dinner service was very nice and the lady at the front desk was very helpful.

The dinner they cooked was certainly one of the better hotel features, with good variety of hot food and sides and salad bits, with one dessert option. The breakfast was a typical continental breakfast spread, although I am not sure if the meat slices and cheeses on display were kept cool and were regularly besieged by wasps. The bread and pastry items were very fresh and tasty.

The pool was not heated or chlorinated and you had to avoid a lot of dead bugs on the surface but it provided a lot of entertainment and opportunity to cool off. The bar and pool area was quite pleasant if a little quiet staff-wise

I also have to add something about the wildlife. Wasps were prevalent at the time of year we went, and mosquitoes were unbearable in the evening on the balcony. This isn't the hotel's fault but they could take more measures toward this (maybe providing mosquito nets for beds, installing hooks in ceilings for the nets) as we got eaten alive. There is also a significant feral/ stray cat colony at the hotel so if you do not like cats this is not the place for you. They mainly stay in the outdoor dining area, winding around your feet and sometimes jumping onto the table. I will keep my opinions about Greek animal welfare to myself, but they would benefit from being neutered as at least one was pregnant and many were very small and skinny kittens. I think the hotel will need to address this in the future as the condition of some of the cats may cause some guests to feel uneasy.

We were able to arrange car hire through the hotel at a reasonable price and it was delivered to the hotel within two hours.

Some parts of the hotel feel as though they have been recently redecorated and improved but some parts are evidently in need of that upgrade and feel vaguely dilapidated (housekeeping supply cupboard doors for example, handles are falling off and not locked, COSHH supplies are accessible). The walls feel like they're made of paper and you can hear other guests quite clearly so ear plugs are advised. Overall, I liked this hotel but I didn't love it. Rooms 213, 215.

What I liked most about this hotel was the fact that I had the sea and a very lovely swimming pool right there. I also enjoyed the breakfast on the terrasse by the sea, the dinners at the restaurant with an amazing view over the sea and the city lights, the live concerts twice a week, the spacious balcony of my room with sea view, the beautiful garden, the friendly staff. The fact that they organize sunset boat cruises with their own boats and other sport activities is definitely a plus!