There are a lot of impressions from staying at the hotel. Perhaps a description of some of the hotel's features will be useful, because there are few Russian-language reviews about the hotel on the Internet. However, it is obvious that Russian tourists are not the target audience of the hotel.
So, the hotel positions itself as a family hotel, people come here with small children. However, there is no doctor, no perimeter security, no lifeguard on the beach, no children's menu and children's area in the restaurant. Although it should be noted the excellent work of children's animation. By the way, the children's animator Anna is the ONLY person in the hotel who speaks and understands Russian. No one else from the staff understands Russian, a representative of our travel agency was also at the hotel only occasionally. Where did the wonderful Benjamin go from the reviews of 2017 and earlier is a mystery. The hotel is focused on the Balkan countries, mostly Romanians, Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, many Ukrainians. There are practically no Russians.
The most negative moment of our entire stay was the check-in at the hotel (we arrived with two children at six in the morning), but they didn’t put on a bracelet on us until twelve, so that we couldn’t have breakfast or just drink coffee at the bar, and they didn’t check into the room either, although obviously the room is free. Similarly, when checking out, at 12, we, including children, cut off our bracelets, and until seven in the evening, until the bus picked us up, we spent without access to the restaurant, which is not important, but very unpleasant. Well, at least they didn’t take me out of the hotel on the road))
Despite the fact that under the all-inclusive system, much more food is thrown away than we could potentially eat) Under us, several families fought to win the right to feed the children from the administration. And is it a family hotel and 4 stars? When checking into the room, the first thing we saw on the table was the price list of fines for breaking furniture and furnishings.
Territory: small, according to the set and condition of the plants, it is clear that there is no permanent gardener and no special care for the garden. Just lawn and olive trees. A small playground for kids up to three years old, without swings. The hotel is located in a very secluded place, there are only a few houses of local residents and apart-hotels nearby, there is also a large Blue Dolphin hotel nearby (where they go for a walk and watch the show, however, it was perfectly audible from our room).
Further camping, more reminiscent of a gypsy camp, then a children's camp and half an hour's walk - a village on three Metamorfosi streets, where, for example, there is a pharmacy (which does not understand how it works, siesta). There is nowhere to go out and there is nothing special to do if you do not know how to entertain yourself. Our neighbors from Croatia had fun, for example, by sitting on the balcony until three in the morning, drinking, smoking and laughing, it was impossible to sleep. In general, tourists from the Balkan countries smoke a lot, especially girls, everywhere and without paying attention to others, including children.
Animation: I already wrote about the nursery, the animators are calm and friendly, the children's animation program is very unobtrusive, mini-disco three times a week, open at 10, close at 21.00. They draw, dance, games and competitions in the pool, coloring, face painting. There are also two tables for billiards and air hockey, a tiny supermarket (all stores in Metamorfosi). There is no adult animation in the hotel at all. Once a week, something like a Greek evening, two couples dance. Our windows overlook the Blue Dolphin, where the fun did not subside until eleven. There are two TVs in the room, one showed everything in green, but on the other hand, three Russian channels and a connector for a flash drive were found on it))
Swimming pool: one adult (depth 160 cm), one round about a meter deep and a large knee-deep plunge pool. Please note that the hotel does not provide towels. Places by the pool were taken in advance, but in principle there were always enough places. A bored lifeguard walks around the pool)
Rooms: we had a family room with a mezzanine Maisonette A, in fact it is one large room (with one bathroom! ), Under the roof there is a suspended floor for the parents' bed, but you won't be able to retire there). And under the roof it is very hot, the second air conditioner is buzzing very loudly. Cleaning every day, change of linen and towels every three days, no complaints about cleaning. I was very pleased with the presence of a clothes dryer with clothespins in each room.
Beach: sand and small stones, several large boulders in the sea. Under which stones are sea urchins and other living creatures. But mostly the bottom is sandy, the entrance is gentle, perfect for children. There are practically no waves, because. beach in a small bay surrounded by pine trees. The road to the beach is about five minutes along a country dirt road. The beach is small, there are always enough sunbeds, payment in the morning is three euros for two sunbeds and an umbrella. On the beach there is a shower on a tree)) and the lack of a toilet, guess where everyone goes who urgently needs it? On the third day, my daughter stepped on an octopus and he grabbed her leg). There are shrimp and hermit crabs in the water. The sea is clean and very warm, swimming is a pleasure.
Restaurant: there were no complaints about the adult kitchen, but the lack of self-service for drinks, as well as the absence of a boiler, created a huge inconvenience. In order to ask for a glass of water in a restaurant, you need to call the waiter. The waiters are very busy and sometimes do not have time to serve everyone. Coffee is a rare muck, for the first time such rubbish was tried, while there is no boiler available to make normal coffee for yourself. It’s a little more decent to order mono coffee in a bar and a restaurant in a coffee machine for 2.5 euros / cup, but immediately after our arrival, the coffee machine in the restaurant broke down ((what people feed small children here is a mystery to me, I have never seen it here porridge, for example, everything fried and salty for children.
More about the surroundings for information: In order not to die of boredom, we took a car for three days, went to the thermal springs of Loutra Pozar almost on the border with Macedonia, to the waterfalls of Edessa, to Thessaloniki, to the cave of Petralona, and also on an excursion to Meteora. Renting a car with full insurance cost about 70 euros per day without gasoline (mechanics will be a little cheaper), a liter of diesel fuel on the road 1.6 euros.
In general, we will not return to the hotel and will not recommend to friends.
2. Food: the menu is quite varied. Fruits: watermelon, lemon, orange, apple, pear, banana, kiwi, peach, apricot. Seafood: shrimp (boiled and in pancakes), octopus (in rice), fish. There is always meat (chicken, pork, beef tongue, lamb and all this in different versions). A lot of vegetables, both raw and grilled, baked, in sauces. Drinks: in the dining room there are 3 types of "juice" - orange, cherry and apple (juice does not smell here). For breakfast, you can order coffee from the machine (if IT can be called “coffee”). I drank coffee at the bar near the pool, but the bartender should order coffee not from the Jacobs machine, but from the coffee machine. After a week of our vacation (after the Russians arrived at the hotel), the drinks in the bar began to be heavily diluted. Color - juice, taste - water. In the dining room, pay attention to the "cleanliness" of the glasses.
3. Number: three of us went
(me, husband and 7 year old daughter). We booked a DUBL room but were upgraded to a superior room (bungalow). By the way, #312. The hotel was half empty and we were lucky… Now about the room: the plumbing is old, the faucets are peeling. There is no shower or bathtub. There was a curtain and a side 10 cm high on the floor. No matter how you curtain it, after taking a shower, the entire floor was wet. Water seeped even into the hallway. The drain, which should receive the remaining water, is made without a slope and the water in the bathroom stays until it dries. And it dries up badly, because. there is no ventilation in the bathroom. Instead, a small window opens, which does not ventilate the room at all. The water in the shower is cold, but if you drain it for 5 minutes (without exaggeration), it will go hot. After such a bath, the smell of dampness is especially annoying. There are also wood lice crawling in the bathroom. Spectacle - atas!! ! I forgot to say that this room is a bunk. Downstairs is a bathroom, children's bedroom-living room. From the furniture here: a wardrobe, a dressing table with a pouffe, a bunk bed (for children), a sofa, a mini-fridge, a coffee table. On the floor - ceramic tiles. From the living room there is access to the backyard, where there is wicker furniture. On the second tier: chest of drawers, dressing table and double bed. On the floor - carpet. Now about the furniture: all old, falling apart (no exaggeration). On the children's bed, instead of slats, there are boards on which the mattress is. The stairs to the second tier creak terribly. Probably because it's made of wood. The armrests on the sofa just fall off. Yes, I completely forgot that there are 2 TVs in the room, but there is only one remote control... if you turn off the TV on the second tier, it turns on on the first. Fun! By the way, about fun: there are no animators, even for children, just as there are no playgrounds. There is one faded hill, and even then a crowd of kids ruined it in our presence. 2 swings for one-year-old children hang on a tree. And that's it! In short, the rest here does not provide for children.
4. Territory: green. There are fountains, but they don't work. In the evenings, in the pools, you can see the garbage of vegetable "production", and the bird's too. The pool is not cleaned, and at 18.30 a man comes with a bucket of bleach. And pours it into the pool.
5. And finally, the beach. We were told that our bungalow, like the rest of the hotel, is on the first line. Yes, indeed, nothing separated us from the beach, except for a distance of 150 meters, which must be overcome along a dirt broken road. Then you cross the paved road and you are on the beach. On the way we came across a swamp where frogs croak at night. A sheepfold is located 200 meters from the territory. And the shepherd often grazes his pets here. But from the beach they are almost invisible. Oh yes, the beach here is urban. That is, umbrellas, sun loungers are free of charge, but they do not clean the beach. Dry algae, overflowing trash cans… There are no locker rooms, let alone toilets. Another nuisance is sea urchins. They nest on rocks and between them. I advise you to buy special shoes for swimming. The nearest civilization is 2 km away. It's called Metamorphosis. It took us 40 minutes to get there on foot. But, before you go down this path, look at your watch to see if you are in for a siesta (a kind of break during the heat for coffee drinking). During the siesta, most shops are closed.
6. Excursions: we went to Thessaloniki, to Kastoria. In Thessaloniki we were accompanied by a guide Victoria. A little about her: in Victoria's speech there were parasitic words that slightly "cut" the ear. Provided little information. And all this could be read in the booklet about Thessaloniki. Switched from topic to topic. In short, you be the judge. Oranges were bought at the market in Thessaloniki for 0.69 €/kg. Delicious, ripe. . . We don't have those. Strawberries at 1.5€/kg. Choice, ripe. We visited the church of St. Demetrius. Very nice. We visited the observation deck at the walls of Thessaloniki. Then we went to the White Tower.
The second excursion is Kastoria… the city of private factories for tailoring fur coats, and that says it all… The PKZ factory made a huge impression. When you tell the consultant that this fur coat is expensive for you, he offers to try on another - much more expensive. I was struck by the owner of the factory, Signor Popadopolos. The old man is still the same! Together with the consultant, he did not let me out of the room. Everyone was talking and talking. Then they waited until I got out of the WC to try on another expensive fur coat (and this after I said that I had not found anything suitable for me). Then he threw away an expensive blackglama mink coat and began to trample it (and his shoes cost, I think, no less than a fur coat). After that, the consultant picked up a fur coat from the floor and demonstrated its impeccable appearance after trampling. But I was never persuaded. There are a lot of impressions after Kastoria. The only annoying thing is the road. Drive there 3 hours. In short, even late for dinner. But on the way, the driver called the hotel back and ordered dinner in the room. Have brought. Yes, if you are going on a tour, you can take a lunch pack. Some snack + water. The lunch package is ordered until 20.00 at the reception the day before the trip. The morning after breakfast, tell the waiter that you want to take a lunch package, room number and get it.
Cost of excursions: Thessaloniki – 35 €
Kastoria – 20 €
7. Service: I'll start with the number plate. When changing towels they are taken away and brought the next day. The room is cleaned daily. Now the bar: the service is normal if you know which bartender to contact. We preferred Robert. Very friendly little guy. There was a local clown bartender there. Didn't recognize the name. Small and full. He played the fool and went too far with his jokes. At the reception of the two young ladies, only one speaks Russian. She also offered us a bungalow instead of the ordered standard. Said this number was better. We agreed. But then it turned out that we were settled in a bungalow with an old renovation, and the declared room, from which we were dissuaded, was a much better bungalow (recently built, with a brand new renovation and larger). We saw this with our own eyes, having met the Germans who lived in the standard. Our guide was Ruslan. The boy is absolutely purple, what is happening to you. If you ask a question, he reads the information from the booklet. If the question is not about excursions, he runs to find out at the reception. There was not enough sense from him. After the rest, on the way to the airport, the escort gave me to fill out a questionnaire about the time spent in Greece. There are a lot of grammatical errors in the questionnaire. But it was the road home, and mistakes only cheered me up. And I wanted to go home!
8. ATTENTION! This hotel is listed as a 4 star hotel. But this is according to local regulations. In fact (according to European standards) it is a 3-star hotel.
Well, that's all I would like to tell you. Have a nice holiday!! !
The water is very clean, full of fish and sea urchins around; ). Entry into the water is gravelly, so it is better to go to a local store and buy swimming slippers.
There is nowhere to have fun, nothing to look at (I don't mean excursions).
On TV, the 1st channel of the Russian Federation in the recording of the "chosen ones" and the debate and again the debate of the Greeks. There is no music channel as such, but a whole channel is devoted to advertising prostitutes, although there are only about 5 videos for children, so it's also boring to watch. You can rent a car. Maybe a moped. But, as we were assured, even a moped needs a license, category A, in case of a meeting with traffic police, and the fines are immeasurable.
About the hotel itself:
1. The water in the pool was not changed with us (7 days). They just dumped a bucket of bleach every evening. . . : (
2. Breakfast (eggs, sausages, toast, coffee) got tired of the third day, but it's like that almost everywhere.
3. Dinners in this hotel are simply amazing! Those. at least fall from hunger. Thanks to the neighboring Blue Dolphin Hotel! Thank you very much! Lunches there are excellent, restaurant, buffet, and for only 250 rubles per person! In St. Petersburg, such a lunch in a cafe will cost from 1000 rubles to 1500 rubles!
4. For dinner we went for watermelon and the food was not very interested in healthy food after a hearty lunch. Sometimes it was that tourists didn’t eat at lunch, sometimes something edible came across.
5. The hotel has a stall (pepsicol-cigarette). The minimum set of non-perishable goods. Price 2l. Pepsi bottles - 2.3 Euro. The Blue Dolphin Hotel has a mini market with a good range of goods - everything a tourist needs on the beach. Price 2l. Pepsi bottles - 1.8 Euro.
6. The room is not bad, but a bed of two mattresses, from which a large sheet constantly peels off at night, sticking to the body and not sticking to the mattress, and which part, forming an abyss between you, does not inspire like that. Cleaned in the room weakly, superficially.