We spent 3 nights here on a recent tour around Attica. We chose the hotel for its proximity to Vouliagmeni beach. Its star rating varies between 3 and 4 stars depending on which website you consult, but it’s fair to say that 3 star is nearer the mark. With hindsight, we think we should have paid more and gone for something like The Margi, which is next door. However, we enjoyed our stay and can recommend the hotel as a mid-range hotel which will meet but not exceed your needs.
The big plus point was the staff. The reception staff was excellent. Their English was embarrassingly good - far superior to our Greek! Nothing was too much trouble for them, whether it was two extra pillows for our bed, towels for the beach (they have a free hire service) or having a member of their staff drive us to the nearest bus stop at no charge to allow us to catch a bus to the airport. (They offer a transfer service to the airport but at Euro30 a go. Given that you can get to the airport by public bus for Euro2.90, it is crazy to waste your money on the transfer service.)
Breakfast was very good. Unlike other places in Greece, the milk here was real milk not that awful UHT rubbish. The fruit juice, however, was watered down and awful and the muesli was poor quality, almost inedible. But don’t be put off: the cakes, fruit, meats, bread, etc, that were also on offer were fresh and very good.
The air conditioning works well and is very welcome in the summer heat, but it is noisy and, unlike larger hotels, each room has an independent unit. This means that the unit has to sit outside on your balcony blowing warm air at you as you sit relaxing out there. Not ideal! The balcony was small anyway and looked out onto the side of an apartment block. It got sun for only half the day and you had to manoeuvre yourself skilfully to catch the rays!
The room décor leaves a lot to be desired. In fact it was pretty tatty. Having arrived there from a 5-star hotel in Athens (Electra Palace), the surroundings here were decidedly drab and shoddy. The old wallpaper was peeling off the walls in several places and looked to have been damp underneath at some point. However, it was kept clean by our excellent maid, whose little touches of a couple of jelly sweeties left on your bed at night with a note of the weather forecast for the following day was a welcome touch.
As seems to be the way in Greece, there was no tea and coffee making facilities in the room. Perhaps that’s just an English thing, but it would have been welcome here, especially given the price we were paying per night, which wasn’t cheap - but then Vouliagmeni is considered chic and upmarket, not cheap!
An outdoor pool would have been very welcome but is sadly missing from this property. It makes up for this in other ways though - for one thing, the view from the sixth floor bar is beautiful and the plaza where breakfast is served is cool, classy and perfect for easing you into the morning. The musak, though, is somewhat repetitive. I think we all know the words to Bob Marley’s Greatest Hits at this stage!
The property is close to the beach, as it says, but the one good beach nearby charges you Euro4 each for entry (two beds and an umbrella). The beach closest to the hotel is free but is small, very crowded in the summer and, frankly, filthy with cigarette buts and discarded rubbish. Trust me: pay the money!
In summary, don’t pay over the odds to stay here. There are better properties. It may say 4 star but it isn’t. If 4 star is what you’re looking for, go for 5 star in Vouliagmeni.
