Bella Vista Hotel "by Checkin"

VERY BAD EXPERIENCE! We booked a 3 night stay at the Bella Vista Hotel in old Chersonissos through booking agent Agoda and paid the full amount on booking, 4 days in advance. The hotel had good reviews so we were looking forward to a nice stay. We got to the hotel using their own directions and address. When we arrived at the hotel it was the exact hotel we saw on the pictures when we booked. The same phone number too. We were met at reception by the female manager who when we tried to book in seemed agitated and unsettled. She proceeded to give a lengthy explanation that our booking was wrong and for a hotel in Sisi with the same name even though our booking clearly showed her hotel with the correct address, pictures and phone number. She then proceeded to tell us they were fully booked and they had no room for us. Absolutely no effort was made to help us or give a good and honest explanation as to why the room we booked and paid for was now unavailable. We contacted Agoda who contacted the hotel on our behalf to try to resolve the issue. They said the hotel manager gave very little information. The most likely conclusion was the Bella Vista Hotel had upsold our room for a better price and blamed it on a booking error. Completely unacceptable behaviour and really bad customer care. I would never book this hotel again and would advise caution if you book here, you may well be sent away. Regarding the hotel, we didn't make it to the room as stated already but we saw the pool next to reception and it was small, grubby and somewhat claustrophobic. The loungers crowded close together. There was also a pervading strong unpleasant drain smell around the building. Go elsewhere, there are many lovely hotels around that actually care about customer service.

Lovely family run hotel. Lovely room with plenty of space. Food and service was great and the staff really friendly. A small walk away from old Hersonissos which has a great ice-cream shop and some lovely restaurants. We would definitely visit again

The positives: always someone available if there is a problem, the people running it are lovely. The cleaning staff are exceptional and go above and beyond - obviously very kind and hard working people. Spotless. The location is good too, for lazy evening walks into the very atmospheric old town, which in the day is ok but not particularly picturesque, but in the evening with the lights it all comes alive with rustic places to eat and drink. One place, we just had amazing desserts amongst lemon trees and lights. There are lots of restaurants to choose, but it all adds up in euros! We stayed half board... it was far cheaper for a family, but not nearly as good and atmospheric as eating in the Old Town. However, the hotel food served was all fresh and well done, with good servings: and they will do a Greek Salad if you are wanting light things, and adapt the menu if you need to. Very kind and accommodating. Drinks are extra. I can recommend Mythos beer! We rented a car the whole time for our week, which I think is a must. But if you intend to stay local the whole time, taking a taxi will be cheaper. I can recommend Auto Candia for car rental... the cheap Panda could take all our luggage. They were straightforward to deal with, and great value. Get your excess insurance via a specialist website, rather than their own. Much cheaper. When we were at the apartment, the aircon was included in the price. Had to pay the usual "hotel tax" that everyone has to pay. So, be prepared for that. We didn't use the pool. It was small. We didn't sunbathe either... it's a compact complex of apartments and the balconies look over it. So, to the negatives, which I think people should know about: Having read all the reviews, I thought this would be a quiet family atmosphere in August. Somewhere quiet was super important for us, to get rest. Seeing the reviews (at that time) and being located away from the night club hotspots, in the Old Town I thought I found the right place for us as a sanctuary of rest. Wrong. As others pointed out, it felt the entire complex was overrun by young people. Arriving, we had loudspeakers set up and blaring right outside our door step at 10.00pm, and because we had a shared balcony, with two beds next to the balcony window, our children couldn't sleep almost the entire night. It was awful. The problem was, the youth sleep in the day, and party through the night. They only go to bed at 6.00am. And they crowd the balconies, literally right outside your room and laugh and chat loudly throughout ALL the night! It puts you in the position of being forced to complain... which we did once and was kindly acted on. The youth were told, and there was some improvement (they weren't happy with us!), but it didn't last. Another group came in, and started all over again - cooking on our balcony. It just really spoilt our stay, and ruined any sense of hotel rest. It was stressful, as we were shattered and kids upset. Great for youth... just don'