"My wife and I recently stayed at Alia Palace Hotel in Pefkohori and had a wonderful holiday. Overall, we were extremely impressed with the hotel and thoroughly enjoyed our stay.
The hotel itself is beautifully maintained and spotlessly clean throughout. The three pools – the main pool, spa pool and infinity pool – were all immaculate and provided stunning views over Pefkohori and the surrounding area. Although the hotel is situated at the top of a hill, the elevated position offers breathtaking views and never felt like a major inconvenience.
The food was one of the highlights of our stay. Breakfast, lunch and dinner all offered a great variety of choices, with plenty of options available every day. The quality was consistently high, and there was always something new to try. The all-inclusive drinks package was also excellent, with a vast selection available. While premium brands were not included, this wasn't an issue for us as there was still more than enough choice.
The staff worked incredibly hard throughout our stay. The restaurant team were always attentive, friendly and efficient, ensuring guests were well looked after. The bellboys deserve special recognition. Our room was located towards the top of the hill and they were always happy to provide lifts when needed. They were genuinely friendly, helpful and a real credit to the hotel. Reception staff were mostly helpful too, although a few occasionally came across as a little grumpy.
The hotel amenities are excellent, with a gym and spa on site, and the Wi-Fi signal was exceptional throughout the property.
The entertainment was enjoyable at times but could benefit from a little more variety. During our stay, two evenings featured a violinist performing along to backing tracks, and another two evenings featured a saxophonist doing something very similar. Thursday was karaoke night, while Friday's entertainment consisted of a guitarist and violinist performing traditional Greek music, which was excellent and one of the highlights of the week. While all of the performers were talented, a wider range of entertainment throughout the week would make the evenings feel a little fresher for guests staying longer.
The hourly shuttle bus service into Pefkohori and to the beach is a great addition. It has two drop-off points, one in the centre of town and another further along at the beach. However, with only 16 seats available it can become very busy, and there doesn't appear to be a clear queuing system. At times it felt like a bit of a free-for-all, so a fairer system would be welcome.
One area that could be improved is communication before arrival. We emailed the hotel on three separate occasions in the weeks leading up to our holiday with a few questions, but unfortunately never received a response to any of them. This wasn't a major issue once we arrived, as most staff were helpful and accommodating, but better pre-arrival communication would certainly enhance the overall guest experience.
There are only a couple of other areas where improvements could be made. We felt the hotel would benefit from having a small on-site shop for essentials and holiday items, something we've found useful at many other hotels.
Our main criticism concerns the beach towel policy. Towels are generally only replaced by housekeeping if left in your room. If you spend the day by the pool and head out early the next morning, you're often expected to continue using the same towel. Reception kindly exchanged them for us once, but a second request was refused. A dedicated towel exchange service would be a simple improvement and would make things much more convenient for guests.
Overall, however, these are relatively minor points. The fantastic food, beautiful pools, spotless facilities, excellent Wi-Fi, stunning views and hardworking staff made this a truly enjoyable and relaxing holiday.
We would 100% recommend Alia Palace to anyone considering a stay in Pefkohori and would not hesitate to return ourselves in the future. Thank you to everyone at the hotel for helping make our holiday so memorable."
