"We are a middle-aged couple who stayed at the Akti Beach Hotel for 7 nights. Although we had a pleasant holiday overall, this hotel is nowhere near the 5-star standard it's advertised as.
The location is excellent. Kardamena is around a 45-minute walk away, and the hotel provides a free shuttle bus throughout the day and into the evening, which is a great service. Kardamena itself is a lovely town with a beautiful harbour, plenty of bars, restaurants and shops.
Our room was clean, comfortable and the air conditioning worked brilliantly, which was very welcome in the heat. The rooms could do with a little refurbishment, but overall we were happy with the accommodation. The reception area is also large, clean and welcoming.
The hotel has two large family pools as well as an adults-only section with its own pool, bar and restaurant, which was a nice feature.
Unfortunately, this is where the positives begin to fade.
The main restaurant is simply too busy for the number of guests. The staff work incredibly hard, but they just can't keep up with demand. There were often long queues for freshly grilled meats and pizzas, leaving guests standing with empty plates waiting for food to be cooked. We also regularly saw unaccompanied children pushing in, touching food and generally running around the restaurant, which made meal times feel chaotic rather than enjoyable.
Everything is completely self-service, from finding your own table to collecting your own drinks, which isn't what many people would expect from a hotel marketed as 5-star.
After a couple of visits, we chose to eat in the adults-only restaurant instead. It was much calmer, the staff provided a far better service and the overall experience was more relaxing. However, the food choice was much more limited, and breakfast, lunch and dinner were all fairly average. The coffee from the machines was poor, the food selection wasn't what we'd expect from a 5-star hotel, and much of the food in both restaurants was only ever lukewarm.
One thing that didn't create a great impression was seeing groups of staff regularly taking cigarette and mobile phone breaks on the wall directly outside the adults-only restaurant, in full view of guests.
The adults-only Asian restaurant also had an active swallow's nest built inside the dining area above the serving counter. While it's lovely to see wildlife, it doesn't really belong inside a restaurant serving food. There were visible bird droppings beneath the nest and we also noticed bird droppings on a number of the dining chairs, which wasn't particularly hygienic and certainly isn't what we'd expect from a hotel marketed as a 5-star resort.
The adults-only pool itself was peaceful, but many of the sunbeds were old, worn and in need of replacing. They were often covered in bird droppings, while the family pool area had noticeably newer, better-quality loungers, which seemed an odd choice.
The beach is easy to access and convenient, but again it feels neglected. The same ageing sunbeds and lack of upkeep make it much less inviting than it could be.
One highlight was the beach snack bar. As the food is cooked to order, everything arrived fresh, hot and tasty. The menu is simple—burgers, hot dogs, souvlaki and chips—but it was consistently one of the better food options available.
Overall, we enjoyed our week because we made the most of it, and every member of staff we encountered was friendly, polite and hardworking. However, the hotel itself falls well short of a genuine 5-star experience. In our opinion, it is closer to a good 3-star or perhaps a modest 4-star hotel. There are simply too many issues—lukewarm food, overcrowded dining, tired facilities, poor maintenance and basic hygiene concerns—for this to justify a 5-star rating.
With improvements to the food quality, restaurant organisation, maintenance and attention to detail, this hotel could be much better. Until then, the 5-star rating feels very misleading.
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)"
