Xenios Theoxenia Hotel

Old hotel with more disadvantages than advantages. The city center is 3 km away – you can get there by bus (€2 per person) or by taxi for €8. Pros: Three seawater pools; although the food selection is not very large, there is always fish, several types of meat, and vegetables – you won’t go hungry. Cons: The transfer from the airport takes nearly two hours; pools only open at 10:00; the beaches are not cleaned; it's hard to find free sunbeds because guests leave their belongings on them overnight; there are no toilets on the beach – you have to walk all the way to the reception!!! All glasses, cups, and dishes were poorly washed (you could even see lip marks) – we had to use plastic cups, and using the cutlery and plates was just disgusting. I caught an infection from a dirty glass on the first day and was sick the whole week. The dishes, cutlery, and glasses still had visible fingerprints from previous users. During our 6-day stay, the bed linen was changed only once, and the floor was washed just once, though towels and the trash bin were replaced daily (which makes no sense). There are no shops or restaurants nearby except for one tiny place on the hotel territory. Although the city center is 3 km away, walking is not an option due to the lack of sidewalks and the dangerous traffic – it's best to go for all inclusive so you don’t have to worry about finding food

The hotel claims to have 4 stars, so here's my experience staying there: We booked a room with all-inclusive services. Once we got into the room, we realized that the hotel hasn't had any renovations since it was built in the late '70s. The air conditioning, which is over 40 years old, didn't work. I was with a young child and my pregnant wife, and we asked if we could get a room with working AC, but we were told that all the rooms were the same. Because the weather was very hot and it was impossible to sleep in the room, we were only given an extra fan. The food was terrible and the same every day. The pool is open from 10 AM to 6 PM, and the same goes for the bar on the beach, so if you need water after 6 PM, you have to go back to the hotel. There is no internet connection in the room or on the beach. If you want to get a towel from the hotel, you have to pay per day. We couldn't stay for the entire time we paid for because we all got sick and had to go to the hospital and left the hotel early. They didn't even bother to give us a refund. I strongly recommend reading the reviews and seeing pictures of the hotel before booking because they charge like a 4-star hotel when it doesn't deserve any stars.

Since I read most of the reviews before choosing the hotel, I was not expecting the experience of a lifetime. However, we chose the hotel because we knew the place, the surroundings and it was quite familiar. I would start with the very arrival to the hotel. The receptionist, Katty, is an extremely pleasant lady who explained everything in detail, and the room was ready very soon upon our arrival, immediately after lunch. She even offered to print some coloring sheets for our kids, so that they can have fun in the evening. Also, Efi who worked on the reception desk was very friendly and helpful. The furniture in the room was outdated, but the room itself was very clean. It comes with a fridge, flat TV and probably a safe, never used it :) A water heater would be excellent to be placed in the rooms, just a suggestion. Rooms are cleaned daily, towels are changed daily. In general, the furniture throughout the hotel is outdated, but other than that, I have no remarks. The food is not so various as I would expect for an All-In experience and a hotel marked 4 stars, and it is definitely not the best choice for families with kids who are picky eaters. However, it was tasty. The breakfast is same every day, lunch and dinner are varied. On few occasions, our kids missed lunch time because they were asleep, and we were allowed to take some food for them to the beach/room. The beach was not too crowded, although people have a bad habit of occupying sunbeds early in the morning, without being present at the beach, but this is also not directly related to the hotel, but to people's behavior. The entrance to the sea is rocky for the first meter or two, but the water is crystal clear, even late in the afternoon. This is the same with almost all hotels in this area, so it is not something related to this hotel only. There is a beach bar, which depending on the type of accommodation, is free of charge for coffee, juices, sodas, beer, wine. The pools are filled with salty water and are a great choice if you are into pools instead of the beach. The water is clean, the staff around the pools very polite and friendly. The hotel is on a five-minute drive to Ouranopolis, less than 10 minute drive to Tripiti (the port for taking ferry to Ammouliani). All in all, it might not be a 4 stars hotel, but it was a good experience and if you do not have the greatest expectations, I promise you will have a good time.