Hotel Athina

First impressions were that this is a very traditional ,small Greek hotel. This was true but any downsides (small room and basic bathroom) were immediately changed with the service delivered by the owner Makis and his team . He is a larger than life character totally focused on giving his guests ( and many long time returning friends) the best possible holiday . His ability to remember everyones' names is amazing . His greetings every morning and evening were genuine and everyone had a smile around the hotel. 😃 He will fix anything that you ask for. Room facilities are basic in the 2 bed rooms and recognising we were there for 2 weeks,Makis moved us to a larger studio room just around the corner from the main hotel without us having to ask. There are a range of room sizes and sea views , but not all offered by Jet2. Can be booked directly by contacting Makis . The pool area is located right next door at the 5 * hotel that is also run by Makis's family . Excellent pool area , pool bar with good meals, fresh towels and small beach with sunbeds that were always available. Proof of how much people value their holidays here is evident from the many guests who have returned multiple times - some over 27 years! TIP: Want larger , modern rooms then stay next door at the Ionian Emerald resort - you can still visit Makis's bar in the evening🤣. Sami Town is an easy 15 min walk along the seafront, there is a local bakery and a very good local restaurant ( Kokopa) and Vitosquared an excellent breakfast and snack coffee shop just 5 min walk . We had a great relaxing holiday that had a lot of true ,genuine Greek hospitality !

Whilst the hotel staff are very friendly and efficient and the owner Makis is extremely friendly and helpful, the hotel was a bit of a let down. The room we had was a bit dingy and the beds weren’t particularly comfortable, however the pillows certainly were good. The bathroom was very small and badly in need of an update: small shower tray (which had clearly cracked and been poorly repaired) with a shower curtain. The shower head hooked onto the wall but didn’t stay upright so mostly the water ran down the wall. That said, the water was always hot and the water pressure good. We were at the back of the hotel and unfortunately the view wasn’t great. Breakfast was very basic and the same every day: 2 types of cereal and 1 muesli; yoghurt and honey; orange juice (not fresh); sliced ham and sliced cheese; hard boiled eggs; brown or white bread; apples, sometimes bananas and sometimes melon; hot drinks machine. On the plus side, the rooms were cleaned and fresh towels provided every day. The hotel does not have its own pool but we had use of the pool at the hotel next door which was lovely. There were 2 decent restaurants within a 5 and 10 min walk but mostly the restaurants are a good 20/25 min walk into Sami. If you’re looking for a ‘cheap and cheerful’ break where you can make lots of friends, this is a great Side note: I hate to leave such a negative review as Makis had been very helpful, going above and beyond with transport to and from a restaurant during a downpour and giving us a room to use for a late checkout, but it’s my honest review.