Athina Palace Resort and Spa

"Never been a one for leaving a bad review but after the stay we had i just feel we need to. My poor partner had surprised me to what was supposed to be a holiday of our dreams for my 25th birthday present pushing the boat out a little more than he probably normally would and honestly I feel so sorry for him and just want to warn people of what they will be receiving if you do book this hotel. This hotel for reference is supposed to be a 5 star resort and honestly I’d rate it no higher than 2.5/3 stars at an absolute max. When we arrived we where shown to our rooms and although we cannot comment on rooms being bad as they where satisfactory what I can say is that if you have a disability or are elderly this is not the place for you. We were staying in room 121 which was approximately 5 floors down . Breakfast Lunch and dinner is served in the main dining room so to get to you needed to do about 5k steps . Not ideal when you wake up and are still half asleep jumping straight onto the stair master . Or vice versa if you need to go back to the room after eating. No lifts at all to accommodate for those that needed them. The “snack” area had cake, biscuits and very small pastries so hardly snacks .. Secondly, for a 5 star resort I’ve never seen such poor quality when it comes to the food . The meals throughout the day were served buffet style and honestly was a 4/10 and that’s at a push the food did not change and was the same thing day in day out. There where no nets on the food so I witnessed constant flies landing on food , children sticking there fingers in desserts then other people taking them away and not even realising . The food was cold on several occasions and absolutely lacked flavour . There were no alternative options for milk for people with allergies or intolerances and was warm when served so absolutely horrendous when paired with Cereal(which was also stale) a lot of the time people would just push in Infront of you which I thought was so rude. The drinks menu had no more than 5 options on and for alcoholic drinks you’d expect more. When flickering onto the next pages there where more drinks but you had to pay premium prices (2 pages included - there where 6 pages after for reference) my partner paid over 2 thousand pound for two people for 4 nights which is very very expensive in our opinion so to pay for other drinks should not be needed in anyway shape or form . Bottles of water and coffee also not available . The bars half the time were not open in certain places so you had to walk to other open bars just to get a drink. The cups they were served in where something you’d get from McDonald’s and when you did get drinks on a night they would come in the smallest cups the simplest of touches can make the world the difference . The staff half of the time had faces so miserable you felt sorry for them. There where a couple that where lovely however . I cannot stress enough how much me and my partner are so easily pleased so so so upsetting . We then asked for an iron and we were told an iron was not provided but a laundrette could do it for an extra charge!!! Wow by this point we couldn’t believe it and for the pure principle we lived on the same clothes we could get away with so we didn’t have to pay prices, again something you would NOT expect in a “5 star resort” . Aesthetically the place was stunning so maybe that’s where they get the figures from. The only stunning thing was the aesthetics and the weather there .. the only things between us we did happen to get right. 2 nights before the end of our stay we read up on the restaurants that where included with your stay and to switch it up we thought we would try them then having the same boring food on repeat. Upon asking reception they said “unfortunately we cannot book you in the soonest we have got is a day after you leave and normally you need at-least 7 days notice” just no consideration at all for people that have spent so much to be there just honestly wish we went somewhere else . Sometimes you switch things up to try but no wonder half the time people with what they know meaning if you go for a shorter period you will not be able to use these options . We ended up spending so much more money outside of the hotel which should not have even been needed in an all inclusive resort ?! We never go all inclusive as is as we like to move around and try places .. We did however find some amazing spots so we were glad as this saved the holiday . There is absolutely nothing near by this hotel entertainment wise so we were travelling out to try and find something to do. The majority of people were French and no one cared for the English or tried to even put anything in place . The “entertainment” hall is a small dark room with about 5 people in or less each night . Pools freezing cold. Even the small games they did have pool etc were out of order . This hotel had so much potential so was unbelievably sad that they had done nothing with the space as it did have beautiful grounds. We have stayed in places with less stars and honestly has been a better experience. Me and my partner ended up having an incredible time as I was extremely grateful either way and we made the best of our company with each other but I’d hate to think this happens to anyone else especially in the summer when the price doubles how?! I’ll never know . Very misleading please be careful . We would never go anywhere now without reading the reviews which we sharpish found . Every review has been 1 star for the last 2/3 weeks."

"Absolutely don't go here, you will need a holiday after staying here, we did a week and walked 51,000 just on the hotel area absolutely not suitable for anyone with any pain below the heart area, we booked for a relaxing holiday, we certainly did not get this"

"First this Hotel makes it clear that it is on the side of a hill and not suitable for people with walking difficulties. That being said I must make it clear that it is an extremely step and very of steps everywhere. I will simply list my observations and allow you to see the pros and cons regarding this Hotel. PROS: 1. It is a very beautiful Hotel 2. There are lovely views. 3. The rooms are a nice size. 4. There are lots of space and some facilities 5. Some of the Waitresses are helpful and friendly. 6. There is an ATM on site. 7. Plenty of free car parking. 8. The Lady in the restaurants everyday who wore a beige truser suite was very helpful and friendly. CONS: 1. The floors are sweep then wet mopped as the dining room opens for Breakfast, not only causing dust during breakfast, but also the wet floors are very slippery when walking with plates of food in both hands. 2. The shuttle bus that according to hotel information runs every 20 minutes, can mean a wait of up to 45 minutes whilst we were there. 3. Lunch is served at the Active pool, which is halfway down the site, meaning you have to walk halfway down the hill for lunch and then back up again afterwards, so if you are at the upper pool, you have to go down the hill for lunch and then back up the hill back to the upper pool. 4. The Parasols at the upper pool ate bolted to the floor, so you cannot move them to give you shade. 5. There is only toilets in the basement area under receiption, so a bit of a distance from the dining room, At the Lower pool bar and at the beach bar. So allow plenty of time. 6, The all inclusive is only from 10am to 11pm, the hotel info says the pool bars are open from 10am until 11pm, but the active bar closes when the pool closes. 7, The Main bar opens at 5.30pm so no drinks are available around the Library, Lounge or receiption areas unless you carry it from the adults only poolside bar. 8. The Hotel info says mini bars restoked daily with water and soft drinks, however ours only ever had water. 9, There is nowhere to get drinks before 10am except for Breakfast room, Coffee and tea facilities are in the bedrooms, but no milk or whitener. 10. The snacks at the pools are the same every day mini croissants, apple pastry rolls, pizza, ham and cheese sandwiches, orange slices and bread. 11. Window cills in Dining rooms are dusty, probably from the sweeping in the mornings. 12. The staff do not wear name badges, so I cannot personally thank any member of staff. 13. Very few drinks on All Inclusive. The pink headed bar maid at the Quiet adult pool bar questioned my wife about drinking a Gin and tonic so early in the morning (10.20am when the bar eventually opened instead of 10am when it should have opened). and asked, do you drink at 10am at home? Needless to say we will not be returning."