Sochi in Greece. Hanioti Grand Hotel 4*
Visiting time: 04.06. 2007 - 10.06. 2007
Tour operator Vilar-tours (rest after the excursion tour “In the footsteps of Alexander the Great”).
In general, I liked the Hanioti Grandotel 4 * hotel, the main reproaches of Russian tourists against him boiled down to: “Beach hotels in Turkey are better! ". This is not Turkey, this is mainland Greece, however: ). The base hotel of the tour operator Vilar-tours.
In the restaurant, on the beach, in the buildings there are no areas / rooms for smokers and non-smokers - the Greeks smoke a lot, it is smoky.
The hotel stands in the center of Hanioti village, on the first line. On the one hand, the Sousouras 3 * hotel adjoins it, on the other - a park, restaurants and a "wild" beach, on which, however, a few sun loungers have also been installed (for a fee). Outside the gates of the hotel, in addition to the already mentioned park, streets begin, completely built up with shops, cafes, restaurants, car rental offices and apartment rentals, “super” markets, etc.
The streets converge like a "star" to the central square with fountains, which serves as the main landmark. Behind the village (7-10 minutes walk) there is a highway, there is a bus stop.
In cafes and restaurants you can find: Internet terminals (30 minutes included for customers), minigolf, live music on certain days. There are no discos and clubs directly in Hanioti, you have to go to Pefkohori (taxi 5 euros).
Corps and rooms.
The hotel has 2 buildings. One is located practically on the beach, the windows of half of the rooms overlook the sea and the pool (but also the bar, where the music rattles until half past midnight! ). There is a reception, a lobby with a large plasma TV, adjoining the restaurant and the main bar. There is no elevator in this building.
The second building is bigger and newer, stands 20 meters behind the first one, it has an elevator. Between the buildings there is a small paved courtyard.
The rooms in the hotel are small, SNL is generally the size of a matchbox)).
But everything you need is there: a wardrobe, a table, a minibar (the contents are paid), a safe (for a fee), a TV (I counted 5 Russian channels), air conditioning, a bathroom with a shower, a hairdryer. Everything works fine, I have never heard any complaints about this. Each room has a balcony with furniture and a towel dryer. If there is no drying, you can ask at the reception. Windows - double-glazed windows, of course. Lighting and air conditioning only work when the key card is placed in the holder by the door.
The cleaning of the rooms is so-so, but it cannot be said that it was dirty. For a week, the linen was changed 1 time, towels (5 pcs per one) 2 times.
The whole territory is strictly functional: parking, swimming pool (small, interesting for children), bars (3 bar areas are equipped, there is only one counter with a bartender - at the restaurant), stairs to the beach. Everything. Walk - in the park and in the village, or along the coast barefoot)).
The beach is rented by the hotel, equipped with sunbeds, mattresses, umbrellas, changing cabins (2 pcs) and a boss who collects 6 euros for a pair of sun loungers with an umbrella. For those who bought AllIncl - for nothing. Towel rental - 3 euros per day + deposit (I don't remember how much). The shower is not installed on the beach, but at the stairs to the restaurant and the main building. The closest toilet is in the lobby. The beach is sandy, quite clean (the boss cleans it), not particularly big (again - hello to Turkey! ). The entrance to the sea is convenient, waist-deep water near the shore.
At the edge of the beach there is a zone of water entertainment: rental of jet skis, water bikes, riding on "tires", etc. Occasionally, donut vendors and, for some reason, bags pass along the beach.
The water at the beginning of June could not be called warm, but it was wonderful for swimming.
Entertainment.
It rained for two days and all entertainment was reduced to loud music in the bar. When the rain stopped, the downstairs open bar had live music daily (various bands).
The people danced vigorously. The format of music, both live and recorded, is a cross between Retro FM and Police Wave. A special delicacy is modern Greek performers.
On Saturday - "Greek evening", for a fee! For ALL guests - 15 euros, HB - 25, brought from other hotels - 35. Dinner (this is after the regular dinner at the hotel restaurant) with a grill on the street, wine without restrictions, 4 dancers-singers, a musician with a bouzouki. From the upper bar you can see and hear it all for nothing.
There is no animation for children, teenagers chase the ball around the parking lot, jump into the pool, hang out in the lobby, watch TV. In my opinion, children from 5 years old to the age that allows you to drink alcohol have nothing to do there.
Sport. We did not notice any sports; ).
Restaurant and bar.
The hotel has two types of boarding: HB (breakfast-dinner, drinks at dinner for a fee) and AlIncl (breakfast-lunch-dinner). Feature: on request, in half board, you can replace dinner with lunch.
A good buffet: vegetables, salads (Greek, of course), olives, feta, beans, pasta, casseroles, some. freshly roasted meat, chicken, sth. stew, fish, watermelon, apples, cherries, apricots, kiwi, oranges (delicious! ), nuts, jelly, soufflé , etc. In the evening, some. a special dish is prepared / displayed on a table at the entrance: sushi, gazpacho, etc. Drinks are served by waiters. Beer is good, wine is okay.
For breakfast, traditional muesli, omelettes, fried eggs, bacon, vegetables, jams, honey, milk, tea. Waiters serve coffee.
Everything is as usual in the bar: for AlIncl, coffee, juices, beer, wine, local tequila, rum, ouzo, whiskey and mixtures of them, proudly called cocktails, are a gift. A decent paid cocktail is Campari with freshly squeezed orange juice.
A peculiar spectacle, mostly Greek repatriates from the USSR or their children.
They speak Russian fluently, they can easily switch to “you” without an invitation, they relax with clients (in the evening at the bar, at dances, on the beach), managers can sit down to dine with guests. Every evening we watched the “dance of the little cleaners” - a belly dance performed by the maids from our building, combined with the lezginka of waiters and security guards (repatriates are mainly from the Caucasus). A young waiter with a fabulous name Radomir and no less fabulous conceit is distinguished by a special skill in performing lezginka)).
The other part of the staff are "local" Greeks, you need to contact them in English.
These Greek Greeks work in a European style, quickly and clearly solve everyday difficulties (I changed the room on their shift, the “Russian-speaking” administrator explained to me for a long time and in Russian why she couldn’t do anything), respond to every request or complaint, provide a clear work of staff in the restaurant and bar. The head waiter is very strict and energetic, his waiters run around like electric brooms.
Vilar hotel guides.
Lovely charming Russian girls, polite and friendly. Nice to see and chat. Clearly scribble by heart a booklet on excursions. Everything. They are completely unable to resolve issues with accommodation, transfer, domestic conflicts. They don't know any answers unless they are in the Vilar booklet. They do not call the office if you want to find out another issue that is too much for them. They are smiling.
I think Vilar needs to somehow expand its training program for hotel and accompanying guides, one smile is still not enough for the tourism industry. And ignorance of what Delphi, Macedonian and other Mycenae are is somewhat shocking for tourists.
Everything is clear here. Although there were also Germans, Poles, Serbs. Well, the Greeks themselves, of course. Many of us were with children, despite the completely unsuitable conditions (see above).
