CHC Athina Palace Resort & Spa

This review of Athina Palace in Agia Pelagia is based on several details that made a significant difference to the quality of the hotel service and, unfortunately, affected our overall holiday experience. It was written by someone who has spent every summer vacation in Turkey, staying at all-inclusive hotels, and decided to try Greece for the first time this year — and probably the last time for this type of holiday. !!! If you have limited mobility or any health problems that affect your ability to walk, this hotel may not be the most convenient choice for you. The resort is spread across a very large, hilly and beautifully green area, so getting from one point to another — for example, from your room to the restaurant or from the sea to the lobby — often involves climbing stairs or walking uphill. We booked a sea-view room, and honestly, the view from our balcony was STUNNING and incredibly beautiful but we had to climb up like 7 floors of stairs to reach to the pool or to the restaurant . ROOM: *As described above we stayed in a Family Room with a sea view. Unfortunately, the electricity went out in our room four times during our stay, and we had to call an electrician each time. This was extremely inconvenient and, in our opinion, showed a lack of proper maintenance.The room was equipped with towels, a hairdryer, a TV and shower gel. However, there was no shampoo, toothpaste, soap, slippers or bathrobes provided.On the positive side, the mattress was very comfortable and of good quality, as were the pillows. Unfortunately, the bed linen had stains, and the towels also seemed quite old and had stains that could not be washed out. FOOD: It was great, although there wasn’t a very wide variety, it was a normal, standard buffet with no specialities or surprises. Breakfast and dinner are mainly located in the main building, you could dine either inside or outside at the terrace, and by the end of the evening, the sunset accompanied a very nice, summer-vibe atmosphere. About lunch, here was a little disappointment. Lunch is located near the Active Pool, outside, being insulated with a roof. It was very, very noisy, little space for the amount of people, you could have stayed 10 minutes in a queue to get some meat because meat and grilled food are put together and there WAS ALWAYS a big queue. Some days, there were no available plates, so I had to wait around 10–15 minutes to get a plate. The variety of fruits is very limited: only apples, kiwi, oranges, watermelon, **unripe melon** / No peaches, grapes, apricots, strawberries, pineapples, bananas, figs. A La Carte restaurant( free): is mainly based on molecular cuisine, it was relatively good Greek taverna (free): also, good amount and quality of food, really liked; DRINKS: You better bring your drinks from home because here the QUALITY of drinks is miserable. There are free drinks which are included in the all-inclusive services, and there are extra-payment drinks for which you pay at the bar. The lobby is working only in the evening, only on Sunday is it working all day. SO shortly: Free drinks * Coffee: AWFUL, you don’t even get coffee from a coffee machine, you get it from a dispenser through a hose connected to some kind of machine. The taste was really unpleasant and nothing like proper coffee. At the adult pool bar, they don’t have any kind of alternative milk, but simple milk (no coconut, soya, banana, rice). At the beach bar, they have soya milk, although. I got cappuccino like 3 times and iced coffee 2 times, and every time I got stomachaches. * WINE: from the bar - bad, the white wine is tasteless, bland; Rose and Red wine are… better but still had a very strong acidic taste. * Ouzo, Gin Tonic, Sex on the Beach: OKAY (7/10) * Tequila wasn’t even served with lemon and salt. Extra drinks: There is a very wide variety of cocktails you could get (around 30 cocktails), which are prepared with a lot of carefulness and by a professional. The average price of a cocktail is 10–12 euro (Aperol was 8), and they were very good, with great attention to detail, beautifully presented, aesthetically pleasing, and had a well-balanced taste. BEACH: Horrible condition, you could feel that there is a lack of proper management because of a shortage of staff. They were poorly maintained, with uneven, unraked sand, an unclean wooden walkway to the sea, and litter scattered around the beach. ADULT AND ACTIVE POOL: great, the water in all the pools wasn’t really warm actually, but… you could have an average nice time. SERVICES: The housekeeping staff were kind, respectful and responsible. The reception staff were generally helpful, but they could become irritated quite quickly and sometimes seemed bothered if you asked more than two questions. The waiters were attentive, polite and careful. However, there was one female waiter who was quite aggressive and would often clear your plate before you had even finished eating. Her manners were also rather abrupt and unprofessional. ACTIVITIES: There was a disco indoors, as well as shows held in the conference room, yoga and other activities. However, the entertainment team seemed rather absent and not very involved. CONCLUSION: this 7-day holiday felt like 1 month, we got bored around the hotel and didn’t feel the comfort we expected to see at a 5-star hotel. After this unpleasant experience, we will go to another place on holiday because this didn’t feel like it.

The most amazing location one can ask for! a warm atmosphere, fine rooms, a very good value for money, best service of all staff! Sofia and Carmen from the reseption are so professional in giving service! so nice and warm! every hotel needs workers like them! also the food was great, the pools, the spa and their treatments there. perfect! thank you! from: Dalit Satubi

Far from a 5-star experience Unfortunately, our stay at Athina Palace Resort & Spa was very disappointing. The hotel is advertised and sold as a 5-star resort, but in our experience, both the condition of the hotel and the level of service were far from what we expected for this category and price. Here are the main issues we experienced: 1. Room location – Our room was located on a lower, tunnel-like level, which felt dark and unpleasant and was not what we expected from a 5-star resort. 2. Broken entrance light – The light near the entrance to our room was not working properly. 3. Electricity problems – We experienced a power cut in the evening, which is unacceptable for a hotel of this category. 4. Dust and lack of cleanliness – There was visible dust in the room and several areas clearly needed much more attention. 5. Poor housekeeping – The overall standard of room cleaning was disappointing. The floor was not properly cleaned and there were visible stains and signs of insufficient housekeeping. 6. Uncomfortable bed and pillows – The mattress was extremely soft, while the pillows were very high and hard, making it difficult to sleep comfortably. 7. Very noisy refrigerator – The refrigerator in the room made a lot of noise, especially noticeable at night. 8. Not enough sunbeds – There were simply not enough sunbeds for the number of hotel guests. Finding a place to relax by the pool could become a challenge. 9. Condition of the sunbeds – Some sunbeds and the surrounding areas did not look properly maintained or clean, which again does not correspond to a 5-star standard. 10. Dirty water station near the central pool – The drinking-water area near the main pool was visibly dirty and poorly maintained. 11. Dirty restaurant tables – Tables in the restaurant were often not properly cleaned, and tablecloths could be visibly dirty or stained. 12. Used dishes and rubbish near guests – Used plates, glasses and rubbish could remain next to guests while they were still eating. This created a very unpleasant atmosphere. 13. Dirty plates – We encountered plates that were not properly clean, which is especially concerning in a restaurant. 14. Food quality and presentation – Some of the food, particularly in the morning, did not look fresh or appealing. The overall selection and presentation were also below what we expected from a 5-star All Inclusive resort. 15. Stomach problems during the stay – We experienced stomach problems during our holiday. I cannot and will not claim what caused them, but considering our concerns regarding cleanliness and food hygiene, this naturally made us even more uncomfortable. 16. Very limited All Inclusive snacks – The snack options between meals were surprisingly limited for an All Inclusive resort. The All Inclusive concept did not feel comparable to what we would expect from a hotel in this price and star category. 17. Uncomfortable plastic wristband – The All Inclusive wristband was made of hard plastic and scratched the skin. It was uncomfortable to wear throughout the holiday. 18. Spa concerns – Although this is advertised as a Resort & Spa, after seeing the general level of cleanliness in different areas of the hotel, we personally did not feel comfortable using the spa facilities. 19. Overall 5-star standard – This is the biggest issue. Any hotel can have an occasional problem, but here it was not one isolated incident. It was the combination of room condition, maintenance, cleanliness, restaurant hygiene, food, pool-area problems, lack of sunbeds and service standards that made the experience disappointing. The location and views are spectacular, and this is definitely one of the strongest advantages of the hotel. Unfortunately, beautiful scenery cannot compensate for problems with cleanliness, maintenance, food hygiene and basic service standards. We paid a significant amount of money for a 5-star All Inclusive holiday, and naturally expected the corresponding level of comfort, cleanliness and service. Based on our personal experience, Athina Palace Resort & Spa did not feel like a 5-star hotel, and the quality we received did not correspond to the price we paid. I am writing this detailed review because I believe future guests should know what they may encounter before booking and be able to make an informed decision.