"We recently stayed at Akti Beach Club in Kardamena with family and friends and, whilst we had some lovely moments during our holiday, we left feeling that the hotel falls well short of its advertised 5-star rating.
Arrival & Location
We booked a private transfer from the airport, which took only around 15 minutes and was hassle-free. However, the hotel is quite isolated from Kardamena town, with no nearby shops, bars or restaurants within walking distance.
The roads leading to the hotel appeared rundown and neglected in places, which wasn't the best first impression.
The hotel does provide a regular shuttle bus service into Kardamena, but unfortunately this became an ordeal in itself. There was no queueing system whatsoever. Every time the bus arrived, it became a free-for-all to get on, both at the hotel and when returning from town. The queues were often ridiculous, and on the occasions we could find a taxi, we happily paid for one instead. Implementing a simple queueing system would make things much fairer and less stressful for everyone.
Check-In & Rooms
On arrival, the reception staff were quite vague and we received very little information about the hotel, facilities or entertainment programme.
Our room was on the first floor overlooking the car park. Thankfully, the stunning mountain backdrop more than made up for the uninspiring view. The mountains surrounding the resort are absolutely breathtaking.
The balcony was tiny and the furniture had definitely seen better days. Whilst the room was clean, it was extremely basic. There was no complimentary water in the fridge, the safe looked like it belonged in the 1980s, and the shower was a daily challenge.
We travelled with family and friends, and our daughter struggled with the shower in her room throughout the week as well and her room was just as basic.
Considering the price we paid for a week's stay, we expected much better accommodation.
As regular travellers throughout Europe, we would personally rate this hotel as a 3-4 star property rather than the advertised 5-star.
Pools & Facilities
On our second day we discovered the children's pool area with slides, and this became our base for the remainder of the holiday. The children absolutely loved the slides, and the pool's proximity to the snack bar, pool bar and ice cream station made it very convenient.
The main pool near the restaurant was far too deep for younger children, making the smaller pool area the obvious choice for families.
There are toilets close to the amphitheatre, but we eventually started returning to our room instead. They often smelled unpleasant and didn't appear particularly clean. On one occasion there were ants crawling all over the ladies' toilet door.
Entertainment
The entertainment team seemed friendly enough and we joined in with some activities during the day. However, because we spent most of our time around the children's pool, we had very little interaction with them.
Evening entertainment was disappointing. We attended the pool party after being directed to the wrong pool by reception, which meant we arrived late. When we did find it, it seemed to consist mainly of adults drinking, dancing and lounging around the pool. It certainly wasn't somewhere we felt comfortable taking three children under the age of nine.
We also attended the Greek Night later in the week, but again found it underwhelming and not what we would expect from a hotel promoted as 5-star.
Food & Drinks
The food was acceptable and we always found something to eat, but there was never a "wow" factor. Much of the dining area is outdoors and, during the hottest parts of the day, the heat could be quite uncomfortable.
Drinks were self-service, including soft drinks, and there was no waiter service. We travelled as a group of 11 and often struggled to find tables together, as pre-booking is not permitted.
The cocktails were perhaps the biggest disappointment. Most appeared to be poured from ready-made bottles and simply thrown into a glass with no presentation whatsoever. They tasted poor and certainly weren't what we'd expect from a luxury all-inclusive resort. The self-service soft drink and juice stations were convenient for the children, who enjoyed helping themselves throughout the day.
Beach
The beach is made up of pebbles and coarse sand, and both the sun loungers and beach towels have seen better days. However, this was also where we experienced some of the most beautiful moments of our holiday.
I visited the beach several mornings to watch the sunrise, and the views across the sea towards the mountains were absolutely incredible. The resort has placed sandbags into the water to create an easier pathway to a sandy swimming area. Just remember to return via the same route, unless you enjoy walking on sharp stones!
Kardamena Town
Kardamena itself was the highlight of the holiday.
The seafront is beautiful and lined with restaurants, bars and cafés. The harbour area is particularly picturesque, and behind it you'll find a lovely square surrounded by shops, bars and restaurants.
A special mention goes to Stone Roses Bar and the bar opposite on the seafront, both serving excellent cocktails.
If you turn left from the square along the seafront and walk for around 15-20 minutes, you'll reach East Coast, which quickly became one of our favourite places. We visited several times for food, drinks and fantastic cocktails, and the family who run it were incredibly welcoming. The walk-in sea access was also brilliant.
Another recommendation is Starlight, located around 10 minutes to the right of the square. Sunbeds are free if you spend €50 between two people, which was very easy to do with the food and cocktails on offer. We spent an entire day there and even returned for breakfast another morning, which was delicious.
Overall
Akti Beach Club has some positives, particularly the stunning scenery, family-friendly children's pool and beautiful beach sunrises. However, the accommodation, friendliness of some staff, entertainment, drinks, facilities and overall service do not justify its advertised 5-star status.
That said, Kardamena itself is a charming, family-friendly resort with plenty to offer. We would happily return to Kardamena in the future, but would most likely choose accommodation in the town itself rather than staying at Akti Beach Club again.
Overall rating: 3/5
Hotel rating (in our opinion): 3-star rather than 5-star
Would return to Kardamena? Yes.
Would return to Akti Beach Club? Probably not."
