Asterias Village

First time here, last month and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The staff were lovely and helpful and we enjoyed evenings in the pool bar with barman Nikos, watching World Cup games. On arrival we were given Apartment 64, which has its sea view somewhat spoilt by a significant piece of electrical hardware mounted on two telegraph poles, directly in front of the balcony. We asked if we could change apartments and this happened at lunchtime the next day (as the apartment we were moving to was being vacated that day and needed to be cleaned first). The staff were brilliant about this and there was no fuss or bother. Our replacement apartment (77) had a lovely view across the wooded valley that leads down to the sea. The pool area was lovely, with a number of different areas offering sun and shade options and a variety of styles of sun beds, beanbags etc. The pool itself was clean, warm and plenty big enough to do a bit of swimming. As previous reviewers have pointed out, the complex is on a slope, so 60 steps take you down to the reception, pool and pool bar, from the road. There are further slopes/steps to access apartments at the lower end of the site. So not ideal, if such terrain is likely to be problematic, but otherwise not a bother if you're reasonably mobile. There is a three times/day free courtesy bus that drops you off on the outskirts of Hersonissos, which is worth a visit. We walked down a couple of times, which takes about 25 mins, maybe a bit longer coming back as it's all up hill. There is a fairly large two story supermarket there, which offers much more choice and reasonable pricing, when compared to the mini-markets close to the resort complex. There is also a Lidl, which we walked to one day, which is about 15-20 minutes walk out from the centre of Hersonissos. The Asteria is located in between the two villages of Piskopiano and Koutoulafari. Both are quite attractive with some traditional buildings and plenty of restaurants and one or two bars. Five minutes walk in either direction offers you enough options to eat in a different place every night for two weeks! There are also several mini-markets including one that is diectly opposite the complex. About 15 minutes walk beyound the centre of Piskopiano is the old village of Hersonissos, which has a pleasant square in the middle, with a selection of restauarants on either side. This is a pleasant alternative to the more local restauarnts, perhaps for lunch one day.

We arrived home yesterday from 10 days at the Asterias Village. The positives are many. Firstly the staff are lovely. Very helpful and friendly. They even carry your cases up all the stairs if you need help (we didn't). The hotel and pool area are kept very clean. The atmosphere is great around the pool. It isn't dead like some pool/bar areas but not rowdy either. Nice music playing in the background. The bar is well staffed and the food is nice and reasonably priced. The pool table needs attention. It's on a slope and the white ball is damaged. My young adult son and teenage son only played once because of this. The hotel is in a great location. On the edge of two lovely villages. Prime location really. If you go right out of the hotel you come to a quaint village with a church and some old tavernas. If you go left you come to another more upmarket village with beautiful restaurants and trendy bars. There are authentic Greek Tavernas there too. There is a scattering of shops in both villages. Souvenir shops, mini markets plus clothes and jewellery shops. Just a pity the beach is such a long walk away. There is a shuttle bus from the hotel 3 times a day but u still need to walk quite a bit from where it drops off. The walk back is uphill and hard work. If you get a taxi to Hellonisos it's 10 euro even though it's only about 1.5/2km away. The only draw back was the room was a bit basic. Not 4 star really more 3 star. The balcony had no privacy either. The rooms should be decorated to keep up with the surrounding/communal areas. The beds were very comfortable though and the maids came in every day. Also the air con was very effective. The stairs were manageable for us but would be an issue for some older people or those with a disability. I was told they had a slope though. I didn't personally see this. I would definitely return. All in all an 8 out of 10 from me.

Highly recommend a pool side massage with Nautilus Spa hosted by Michael. Relaxing, professional and good value for money. Not to be missed!! Rooms clean, good variety of breakfast choices and ideal location.