Two days ago, my wife and I returned from a trip to Greece, and while my impressions were still fresh, I decided to write a review that might help someone plan their vacation, evaluate all the pros and cons. I'll try to be objective.
Generally gathered with his wife to visit Greece. Previously, they were only in Turkey (Kemer) in the 4th and in Croatia (Porecha district) in the 3rd. We chose for a long time where we would go, I shoveled a bunch of information on the Internet, including a wide variety of reviews, often not objective and capricious. At first we planned to go to Crete, but it was important for us not only to bask on the beach, but also, if possible, visit some historical places, make interesting excursions. The island therefore did not suit us, because. you get limited in space by the territory of the island, and on the mainland there are more opportunities to see the sights. We were advised to purchase a tour from the tour operator Mouzenidis Travel. We decided to choose a hotel on the peninsula of Halkidiki in the north-eastern part of Greece. We stopped at the first finger - Kassandra peninsula, guided by the fact that it is closer to all excursion routes, which directly affects the price of the excursion and travel time, as well as the fact that, judging by the reviews, sandy beaches on Kassandra and the Greeks rest there . We considered the 4-ku, focusing on the level of service in Croatia, after all, Europe. We chose several hotels where we would like to go, but there were no places there. We were offered the Ammon Zeus 4 * hotel, half board . . There were not very many recent reviews on the Internet, but we did not find much negativity in them, and given that time was running out, we agreed.
They arrived in Greece from Moscow on 18.06. On comfortable buses "Mouzenidis Travel" we arrived from the airport to the village of Kalithea (about 70 km from Thessaloniki), where we were transferred to a taxi, which at first caused surprise. The village is located on a mountain, and the hotel is on the seashore at the foot of the mountain, the bus, due to the narrow road, cannot get there, so the travel agency staff provides for this moment and tourists are brought to the hotel by taxi.
The first impression of the hotel did not delight us, I clarify that I always started comparing everything with Croatia. The hotel consists of 6 floors, the 1st floor is a dining room, a hall and administrative premises. It is located no more than 30 meters from the sea. The beach is fine white sand, as indicated on the hotel website (usually it turns out to be pebbles with sand). The entrance to the sea is gentle, which is good for children. After 25-30 meters from the shore, you will still touch the bottom with your feet. Even when the sea is rough near the coast, the water is not muddy, as, for example, in Turkey, but transparent. You can see a lot of fish. We did not meet hedgehogs. In general, the main thing we came for is the beach, its proximity to the hotel and the sea in this hotel deserve 5+ ratings. There was no entertainment on the water except for a jet ski and a catamaran.
We got a room on the third floor without a sea view, which, in general, did not matter much, but if someone is lucky, take it with a sea view: the sun shines towards the room only until noon, so the room is not hot, but the view the sea is beautiful. We had a standard room, in the room: TV, refrigerator, air conditioning, bath, hair dryer, bathrobes, telephone, 2 chairs, a table and a clothes dryer on the balcony. Separately, it is worth mentioning the bathroom, in the reviews they really wrote a lot about it. The bathtub is small and sit-down, i. e. there is something like a step in it, and when you try to wash yourself there is a high probability of slipping and falling. All this is very inconvenient. In addition, there is no elementary curtain, so all the water pours onto the floor. The hair dryer is located high, and its design is such that when the hose is lowered from the hair dryer down, it turns off. Therefore, I had to hold the hose in a raised position when my wife used it, although it also turned off for me (I am 180 cm tall). The room has individual air conditioning, BUT! It is programmed for 24 degrees and no more no less, you must admit that this is not cool at all. We got out of the situation as follows, I was able to adjust the intensity of the air supply on the remote control, which is wired and located on the wall, after which it became much cooler. We did not open the doors at night, because. we were afraid of mosquitoes, especially since in the evening and at night it is not cool outside - 28-30 degrees Celsius.
The hotel staff does not speak Russian, except for the maids (Greek women who previously lived in Georgia). There are no complaints about the cleaning of the room: towels were changed daily and the room was cleaned, bedding was changed every 3 days. There were small tubes of shower gel and soap.
The hotel has 3 bars, by the pool, in the lobby and on the terrace overlooking the sea. Restaurant in the hotel indoor and outdoor overlooking the sea. Breakfasts are monotonous: eggs, scrambled eggs, sausages, potatoes, a couple of times there were mushrooms, tea, coffee, yupi-type juices, cookies and various jams. Of the fruits, there were only apricots alternating with unripe nectarines and oranges. Dinner was not similar to one another, but the choice of dishes was not particularly pleasing, but everything was very tasty and we never left hungry. Sometimes, usually with the opening of the restaurant, a queue was created, because. not a lot of space. On this tour, it was agreed that drinks at dinner were for a fee, but we did not assume that even water, tea and juice, not to mention alcohol, were worth the money. Water 0.5 - 1 euro. Beer 1 bottle 2.5-3 euros, glass of red wine 3 euros. A bottle of Coca-Cola 0.2 - 1.5 euros. The waiters, exclusively men, filled the order quickly. Bar prices are about the same. In general, the food disappointed us, because, I repeat, we compare everything with Croatia (Hotel Laguna Istra 3 *). But judging by the reviews of other tourists, this is a normal situation for inexpensive Greek hotels.
About 200 meters from the hotel, climbing rather steep steps or along the road, there is the village of Kallithea, where there are many taverns, coffee houses, shops. There are a couple of supermarkets where we bought food and alcohol. Beer 0.5 costs about 0.5-1.2 euros, cognac "Metaxa" 5 stars (0.7) - about 10 euros, 7 stars. – 15 euros. By the way, in "Duty Free" at Thessaloniki airport, everything is much more expensive and there is no choice. Wine in the shops is very good, the choice is large and at attractive prices. Fruits in stores are the same as in Russia, or more expensive. Almost none of the packages of Greek products contain information at least in English, only in Greek. In a cafe in the village, a lunch for two with wine or beer will cost about 18-20 euros, it can be cheaper, but we fit into this amount. The portions are huge, so sometimes it's worth taking one dish for two. The Greeks please with their hospitality, they can treat you with wine and desserts for free, especially if you come not for the first time. Not all cafes have a Russian menu, but many do. They make delicious coffee, especially liked the frappe iced coffee. There are discos in the village, but we didn’t get to them, because. they are a little further away, but there is no noise from them at all.
The main reason why you came to Greece, besides a beach holiday, is of course sightseeing. We decided that we would go on 2 excursions - to Meteora and to Thessaloniki. I read a lot about excursions on the Internet and our choice was already formed before the trip. It takes 9 hours to go to Athens one way (cost 95 euros), it's tiring, only men are allowed to go to St. Athos (50-70 euros) after applying for an additional ticket. visas. A trip to Kastoria for fur coat factories cost 15 euros.
A trip to Meteora (65 euros) on comfortable excursions takes about 4-5 hours, BUT! If you have a guide named Panagiotis, the time will fly by. The best guide I have ever seen. He lived and studied in Russia, a historian by education, speaks fluent Russian. When Vladimir Putin arrived, he was his translator. He tells a lot of interesting things along the way, jokes. Meteora is an impressive excursion to high sheer cliffs, on top of which there are monasteries. The view from such a height against the backdrop of the monasteries is impressive and breathtaking. Be sure to take a photo or video camera with you. It is not possible to shoot everywhere in the monastery. If women in skirts, at the entrance to the monastery (entrance costs 2 euros, preferably with a coin), women were given special clothes, but it is better to take care of this in advance. On the way to this excursion, we stopped by the village of Kalambaki, where we visited an icon production workshop, many of them bought icons that are present for different tastes and price categories. We didn't regret this tour at all.
Another excursion was to Thessaloniki. The guide began to accompany us only from the middle of the way, she spoke Russian in such a way that an interpreter was also needed for her. It was a very big minus. But in general, we were brought and dropped off near some park and for 4 hours we were left to our own devices. The only useful activity in a city where there are no signs even in English is shopping. There are many shops, prices are sometimes surprising, there are excellent things for 8-10 euros. Lots of cafes. But it's still nice to walk around. In some places there were excavations in the city center. There is a small market where we bought different fruits at ridiculous prices, unlike the resort area. And in the center of the market is much cheaper. Souvenirs in Thessaloniki are also, sometimes more expensive than in the resort area, so there is no point in buying there. After 4 hours of walking around the city in 30-degree heat, we came to the bus to the symbol of Thessaloniki - the White Tower. She is nothing special. In general, everyone was already tired by lunchtime.
After collecting on the bus through city traffic jams, we arrived at the temple, where, in general, it was interesting (if the guide spoke well) and beautiful. Then we climbed the mountain by bus, to the fortress from where a beautiful view of the city and the Thermal Bay opened. On the way back we stopped at the Tsantali wine factory, where there was a tasting and the opportunity to purchase wine. This ended the tour. For themselves, they concluded that it was possible to see all this for less money by buying a tour in a resort travel agency 2 times cheaper, I think it would be no worse, given the quality of this tour.
At the end of our trip, Mouzenidis forgot to pick us up from the hotel, despite the fact that I repeatedly reminded the travel agency staff who were at the hotel during the day. They were not allowed to call the reception, although I explained the problem, in response I heard only one no problem no stress... When I tried to call the local branch of “mouzenidis”..... not a single phone worked... however, after an hour of stress, we managed to get through and came to us a taxi car, in which we overtook the bus for 50 kilometers.
Generally gathered with his wife to visit Greece. Previously, they were only in Turkey (Kemer) in the 4th and in Croatia (Porecha district) in the 3rd. We chose for a long time where we would go, I shoveled a bunch of information on the Internet, including a wide variety of reviews, often not objective and capricious. At first we planned to go to Crete, but it was important for us not only to bask on the beach, but also, if possible, visit some historical places, make interesting excursions. The island therefore did not suit us, because. you get limited in space by the territory of the island, and on the mainland there are more opportunities to see the sights. We were advised to purchase a tour from the tour operator Mouzenidis Travel. We decided to choose a hotel on the peninsula of Halkidiki in the north-eastern part of Greece. We stopped at the first finger - Kassandra peninsula, guided by the fact that it is closer to all excursion routes, which directly affects the price of the excursion and travel time, as well as the fact that, judging by the reviews, sandy beaches on Kassandra and the Greeks rest there . We considered the 4-ku, focusing on the level of service in Croatia, after all, Europe. We chose several hotels where we would like to go, but there were no places there. We were offered the Ammon Zeus 4 * hotel, half board . . There were not very many recent reviews on the Internet, but we did not find much negativity in them, and given that time was running out, we agreed.
They arrived in Greece from Moscow on 18.06. On comfortable buses "Mouzenidis Travel" we arrived from the airport to the village of Kalithea (about 70 km from Thessaloniki), where we were transferred to a taxi, which at first caused surprise. The village is located on a mountain, and the hotel is on the seashore at the foot of the mountain, the bus, due to the narrow road, cannot get there, so the travel agency staff provides for this moment and tourists are brought to the hotel by taxi.
The first impression of the hotel did not delight us, I clarify that I always started comparing everything with Croatia. The hotel consists of 6 floors, the 1st floor is a dining room, a hall and administrative premises. It is located no more than 30 meters from the sea. The beach is fine white sand, as indicated on the hotel website (usually it turns out to be pebbles with sand). The entrance to the sea is gentle, which is good for children. After 25-30 meters from the shore, you will still touch the bottom with your feet. Even when the sea is rough near the coast, the water is not muddy, as, for example, in Turkey, but transparent. You can see a lot of fish. We did not meet hedgehogs. In general, the main thing we came for is the beach, its proximity to the hotel and the sea in this hotel deserve 5+ ratings. There was no entertainment on the water except for a jet ski and a catamaran.
We got a room on the third floor without a sea view, which, in general, did not matter much, but if someone is lucky, take it with a sea view: the sun shines towards the room only until noon, so the room is not hot, but the view the sea is beautiful. We had a standard room, in the room: TV, refrigerator, air conditioning, bath, hair dryer, bathrobes, telephone, 2 chairs, a table and a clothes dryer on the balcony. Separately, it is worth mentioning the bathroom, in the reviews they really wrote a lot about it. The bathtub is small and sit-down, i. e. there is something like a step in it, and when you try to wash yourself there is a high probability of slipping and falling. All this is very inconvenient. In addition, there is no elementary curtain, so all the water pours onto the floor. The hair dryer is located high, and its design is such that when the hose is lowered from the hair dryer down, it turns off. Therefore, I had to hold the hose in a raised position when my wife used it, although it also turned off for me (I am 180 cm tall). The room has individual air conditioning, BUT! It is programmed for 24 degrees and no more no less, you must admit that this is not cool at all. We got out of the situation as follows, I was able to adjust the intensity of the air supply on the remote control, which is wired and located on the wall, after which it became much cooler. We did not open the doors at night, because. we were afraid of mosquitoes, especially since in the evening and at night it is not cool outside - 28-30 degrees Celsius.
The hotel staff does not speak Russian, except for the maids (Greek women who previously lived in Georgia). There are no complaints about the cleaning of the room: towels were changed daily and the room was cleaned, bedding was changed every 3 days. There were small tubes of shower gel and soap.
The hotel has 3 bars, by the pool, in the lobby and on the terrace overlooking the sea. Restaurant in the hotel indoor and outdoor overlooking the sea. Breakfasts are monotonous: eggs, scrambled eggs, sausages, potatoes, a couple of times there were mushrooms, tea, coffee, yupi-type juices, cookies and various jams. Of the fruits, there were only apricots alternating with unripe nectarines and oranges. Dinner was not similar to one another, but the choice of dishes was not particularly pleasing, but everything was very tasty and we never left hungry. Sometimes, usually with the opening of the restaurant, a queue was created, because. not a lot of space. On this tour, it was agreed that drinks at dinner were for a fee, but we did not assume that even water, tea and juice, not to mention alcohol, were worth the money. Water 0.5 - 1 euro. Beer 1 bottle 2.5-3 euros, glass of red wine 3 euros. A bottle of Coca-Cola 0.2 - 1.5 euros. The waiters, exclusively men, filled the order quickly. Bar prices are about the same. In general, the food disappointed us, because, I repeat, we compare everything with Croatia (Hotel Laguna Istra 3 *). But judging by the reviews of other tourists, this is a normal situation for inexpensive Greek hotels.
About 200 meters from the hotel, climbing rather steep steps or along the road, there is the village of Kallithea, where there are many taverns, coffee houses, shops. There are a couple of supermarkets where we bought food and alcohol. Beer 0.5 costs about 0.5-1.2 euros, cognac "Metaxa" 5 stars (0.7) - about 10 euros, 7 stars. – 15 euros. By the way, in "Duty Free" at Thessaloniki airport, everything is much more expensive and there is no choice. Wine in the shops is very good, the choice is large and at attractive prices. Fruits in stores are the same as in Russia, or more expensive. Almost none of the packages of Greek products contain information at least in English, only in Greek. In a cafe in the village, a lunch for two with wine or beer will cost about 18-20 euros, it can be cheaper, but we fit into this amount. The portions are huge, so sometimes it's worth taking one dish for two. The Greeks please with their hospitality, they can treat you with wine and desserts for free, especially if you come not for the first time. Not all cafes have a Russian menu, but many do. They make delicious coffee, especially liked the frappe iced coffee. There are discos in the village, but we didn’t get to them, because. they are a little further away, but there is no noise from them at all.
The main reason why you came to Greece, besides a beach holiday, is of course sightseeing. We decided that we would go on 2 excursions - to Meteora and to Thessaloniki. I read a lot about excursions on the Internet and our choice was already formed before the trip. It takes 9 hours to go to Athens one way (cost 95 euros), it's tiring, only men are allowed to go to St. Athos (50-70 euros) after applying for an additional ticket. visas. A trip to Kastoria for fur coat factories cost 15 euros.
A trip to Meteora (65 euros) on comfortable excursions takes about 4-5 hours, BUT! If you have a guide named Panagiotis, the time will fly by. The best guide I have ever seen. He lived and studied in Russia, a historian by education, speaks fluent Russian. When Vladimir Putin arrived, he was his translator. He tells a lot of interesting things along the way, jokes. Meteora is an impressive excursion to high sheer cliffs, on top of which there are monasteries. The view from such a height against the backdrop of the monasteries is impressive and breathtaking. Be sure to take a photo or video camera with you. It is not possible to shoot everywhere in the monastery. If women in skirts, at the entrance to the monastery (entrance costs 2 euros, preferably with a coin), women were given special clothes, but it is better to take care of this in advance. On the way to this excursion, we stopped by the village of Kalambaki, where we visited an icon production workshop, many of them bought icons that are present for different tastes and price categories. We didn't regret this tour at all.
Another excursion was to Thessaloniki. The guide began to accompany us only from the middle of the way, she spoke Russian in such a way that an interpreter was also needed for her. It was a very big minus. But in general, we were brought and dropped off near some park and for 4 hours we were left to our own devices. The only useful activity in a city where there are no signs even in English is shopping. There are many shops, prices are sometimes surprising, there are excellent things for 8-10 euros. Lots of cafes. But it's still nice to walk around. In some places there were excavations in the city center. There is a small market where we bought different fruits at ridiculous prices, unlike the resort area. And in the center of the market is much cheaper. Souvenirs in Thessaloniki are also, sometimes more expensive than in the resort area, so there is no point in buying there. After 4 hours of walking around the city in 30-degree heat, we came to the bus to the symbol of Thessaloniki - the White Tower. She is nothing special. In general, everyone was already tired by lunchtime.
After collecting on the bus through city traffic jams, we arrived at the temple, where, in general, it was interesting (if the guide spoke well) and beautiful. Then we climbed the mountain by bus, to the fortress from where a beautiful view of the city and the Thermal Bay opened. On the way back we stopped at the Tsantali wine factory, where there was a tasting and the opportunity to purchase wine. This ended the tour. For themselves, they concluded that it was possible to see all this for less money by buying a tour in a resort travel agency 2 times cheaper, I think it would be no worse, given the quality of this tour.
At the end of our trip, Mouzenidis forgot to pick us up from the hotel, despite the fact that I repeatedly reminded the travel agency staff who were at the hotel during the day. They were not allowed to call the reception, although I explained the problem, in response I heard only one no problem no stress... When I tried to call the local branch of “mouzenidis”..... not a single phone worked... however, after an hour of stress, we managed to get through and came to us a taxi car, in which we overtook the bus for 50 kilometers.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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OTHER REVIEWS ABOUT THE HOTEL
- All is well, BUT....
- The only good thing is the beach
- Good hotel for its category
- good hotel but not four stars
- Solid three
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