"It was our first Greece vacation and we spent a week at the Hersonissos Village. We were there as a family with three children aged 12 to 18 and had a total of three rooms.
The complex is located slightly above Hersonissos and therefore offers a really great view of the sea. We found the location very beautiful, especially in the morning and evening. However, anyone who constantly wants to be right in the middle of the hustle and bustle or directly on the beach should know that you stay here somewhat elevated and a bit outside.
The hotel complex itself is generally well-maintained. The pools were just okay for our children – jumping from the edge of the pool, for example, is not allowed. Overall, however, we never had the feeling that it was overcrowded, neither at the pool nor in the restaurant. The staff was really friendly and helpful.
Our opinion on the food was somewhat mixed. The selection was generally good and you actually always found something. After several days, some things naturally repeat themselves, and some things were rather average. We would have liked significantly more variety, especially with dessert – it felt like there was buttercream in various forms at almost every meal.
Overall, the food was fine for an all-inclusive hotel. Anyone expecting a great deal of culinary variety or distinctly local cuisine will certainly experience more outside the hotel.
Unfortunately, two family members had an extremely severe gastrointestinal reaction at different times during our stay. Fortunately, the whole thing was over after about twelve hours in each case. We personally had a strong suspicion that there might have been a connection to the food. Of course, this cannot be proven in retrospect, so we would like to explicitly state this only as our personal assessment.
We found the drinks took some getting used to. Practically everything was served very chilled; only the red wine was at room temperature. Especially with an all-inclusive offer, we would have expected a bit more overall in terms of the selection and quality of the drinks.
The rooms were functional, although there were minor to major defects in all three rooms. There was some mold in the bathrooms. In one room, there was no really hot water at the sink, and in another, the toilet flush was running slightly. In addition, the floor drain in the bathroom smelled unpleasant in all three rooms at times.
According to our information from the staff, the tap water should be used at most for brushing teeth. We therefore bought drinking water at Lidl, which is only about a two-minute drive or around 20 minutes away on foot.
However, this raised the question for us:
What is the salad washed with and what water goes into the drinks? We do not know!
Also important for German vacationers to know: The very thin, single-ply toilet paper should not be thrown into the toilet, but into the trash can next to it. This is common in many places in Greece, but for us in a hotel complex, it took some getting used to at first.
In all three rooms, the air conditioning only worked for cooling, not for heating, even though the units were basically designed for it. Whether this was due to technical reasons or simply not enabled, we cannot judge. Especially in October, that was a shame. With nighttime temperatures around 11 degrees, some heating in the evening would have been quite pleasant.
Essentially, only a sheet was available as a bed cover. An additional wool blanket was available, but we did not use it for hygienic reasons.
Overall, one should not expect luxury, but basically everything was available for the basics. However, the safe is subject to a fee.
A clear negative point for us was the lack of soundproofing in the rooms. You can really hear a lot from the neighboring rooms at times... from snoring and conversations to other interpersonal noises. Even moving a chair, for example, could be heard clearly.
Some recreational facilities also seemed clearly dated. The volleyball court and the mini-golf course made a rather dilapidated impression on us.
On the other hand, we really liked the location as a starting point for excursions. Hersonissos, the surrounding beaches, Agios Nikolaos, and many other destinations are easily accessible by rental car. We would definitely recommend a rental car. That was exactly what was important to us because we did not want to stay exclusively in the hotel complex. Personally, we would find it a shame to spend seven days only within the complex – but that is, of course, a matter of taste.
In our view, the fitness room is rightly barely advertised. During our stay, five out of eight machines were broken, and the remaining three also seemed quite dated. Unfortunately, a distinct drain odor was noticeable there as well.
If the wind is blowing the wrong way, you can also hear the music from the party strip in Hersonissos quite clearly at times.
On the other hand, we found the small beach below the hotel to be very nice. The lounge chairs are free as long as you also order drinks at the attached bar. It is a fine pebble beach with beautiful water. We would definitely recommend water shoes, not least because of the sea urchins – we unfortunately had a painful experience with that.
The path to the beach leads along a small dirt trail and takes about five minutes. In our opinion, this path is rather unsuitable for people with limited mobility. It is not particularly well-landscaped, but is actually more of a simple dirt trail. Unfortunately, an unpleasant drain odor was noticeable there again at times.
Our conclusion: A solid, beautifully situated hotel with a truly great view, which overall, however, has clearly aged. Especially regarding the rooms and bathrooms, the noise levels, the fitness room, and some leisure facilities, there is, in our view, a clear need for improvement.
Also regarding the topic of food or hygiene, we were left with an uneasy feeling due to the two gastrointestinal cases, although we explicitly cannot prove that the hotel food was actually the cause.
Anyone looking for a luxurious hotel directly on the beach is probably not in the right place here. Anyone who, on the other hand, is looking for a beautiful view, a relaxed complex, and a good starting point for excursions, and can make certain compromises regarding the rooms and some details, can still spend a nice vacation here."
