Наш отдых в Esperides beach. Our holiday in Esperides beach.

Finally, I got used to the Russian countryside a bit, got involved again in Russian life, and now I can write a review about our unforgettable vacation at the Esperides beach hotel.
I’ll start from the beginning, dear friends, remembering that I myself, surfing the Internet in search of a suitable hotel, searched in every possible way and, having found it, was very happy about the full-fledged widespread reviews.
For almost three weeks, while our Russian Federal Migration Service was publishing our foreigners, my wife and I spent sleepless nights on the Internet, looking for something the most wonderful, comfortable and beautiful for our vacation. Fundamentally necessary conditions were the hotel's focus on family holidays, so that there was a place for children to play, the absence of conflicts in the country, a sandy beach, a budget of 150.000 and all inclusive. Secretly, I also peeped that the hotel was not focused exclusively on children's recreation, so that my wife and I could do something there. And so, we stumbled upon Esperides.

We looked at photos, reviews, videos on youtube, in principle - we liked it. Left as one of the main options and continued the search. We searched and searched, looked at different countries, hundreds, if not thousands of different hotels, but something still drew us to Esperides. Although we have never been to Greece, we were attracted by a separate children's area, and the cheerful multi-coloredness of the building itself with the standard architecture, and, in many ways, the friendliness and closeness of Greece to an Orthodox Russian person.
When we finally took our passports, we had literally two weeks left before the vacation, and we rushed at full speed to the travel agency. I was seduced by the "antiquity" of the Biblio-globe, and the constant shopping in the store of the same name. We barely had time to get visas, it was no longer possible to get travel insurance, the confirmation from the hotel was in question - in general, everyone was on pins and needles.
Everything was at stake - both money and the first two-week vacation that was barely torn out among the busy work schedule over the past 2.5 years. Finally, the long-awaited calls came from the tour operator - at first they confirmed the hotel for us, and then they issued visas for everyone. There was a lot of joy! ! ! Already forgotten those long hours of doubt, the opposite of reviews ...We are still going! Documents were ready a day before departure. We issued a ticket in the office on Lubyanka, in our favorite bookstore. And there we made our first mistake - we decided to buy a guidebook. Of course, three hundred rubles is not a pity, but, as it turned out later, we were immediately given a similar guidebook from the Biblio-globe upon arrival at the airport. So do not take any maps and guides with you - everything will be provided for you there and for free.
Transaero Airlines took us safely to the airport, taking our children with gift sets with coloring books and pencils along the way (for some reason they were not on the return flight). At the airport, we were met by representatives of the tour operator - Beleon tours, seated us in a large bus with tinted windows and air conditioning, and after a short lecture by the guide accompanying us, about half an hour later we arrived at our Esperides beach family resort.

We had an hour before the official check-in (14-00), which we were offered to spend at dinner. We were immediately put on bracelets and, having strengthened our strength with a difficult lunch (as they say, it is impossible to eat so much, but it is so tasty that it is also impossible not to eat), and went to explore the territory.
At 14:00 we checked into our family room.
Clean, tidy, not very large room, consisting of a corridor-entrance hall with a closet (with many drawers, which is very convenient), a separate bathroom, further than our bedroom and, behind a screen (which, unlike written in the reviews, closes from the floor to the ceiling), a children's bedroom with a balcony. The door to the balcony is quite tight (moves to the side), which eliminates the possibility of “unauthorized” children entering the balcony. A trifle - but necessary))).
We will describe in detail every day of our stay in letters to our grandmothers, and we will tell you essentially about all the advantages and disadvantages of the hotel. So, in order.

Nutrition

Breakfasts are always the same, which is compensated by lunch and dinner in full, but it still gets a little boring in 14 days) Although, you get used to good things quickly.
Breakfasts always include fried eggs, fried bacon, fried potatoes, beans stewed in sauce, scrambled eggs with something (2-3 types), plain pancakes and pancakes with cheese and ham under alternating sauces, a couple of vegetable dishes for vegetarians, four to six types of cold cuts, four types of cheese, butter, margarine, three to five types of muesli, two types (each time different) of homemade yogurt, milk shakes, fresh fruits, canned fruits, a huge selection of jams and jams - from the standard strawberry and apricot to fig jam, walnuts and...! ! ! cucumbers! ! ! , well, of course, milk, cream, tea, coffee, puffs, croissants, an endless selection of all kinds of cookies and awesome muffins (15-20 pieces), baby food (because I didn’t use it - I don’t remember the company) and some kind of porridge - semolina is not good for anything - only milk, sometimes there is “pasta porridge”, called milk noodles in Russian, you can eat it))).
The choice of bread is always huge, I assume that from my own bakery. There are 8-10 varieties and in different forms - both buns and loaves.

It is useless to describe lunches and dinners, I’ll just say that each time there is a choice of 20 hot dishes, both meat, fish and vegetables. Every other day there are seafood - mussels in shells, octopuses, squids and so on.
Juices from concentrates, but there are plenty of fresh fruits - apples, pears, oranges, grapefruits and kiwi do not dry out, and watermelons, melons and, a little less often, mangoes are added to them in turn.
You can write a whole treatise about desserts that are at lunch-dinners - here there are three to five varieties of jelly, and the most delicate endless cakes, and custard a la “rum women”, and simply creamy lightweight desserts and magnificent oriental sweets, unauthorized sent home , and with appetite gobbled up by me now))).
Unlimited ice cream of five varieties brings considerable joy to children, and adults - beer (by the way, surprisingly tasty and undiluted) and three types of wine - white, rose and red.
I have never seen a single queue of more than four people, and trays of food are changed to full ones before they run out. So what is written about the queues and the lack of food is complete nonsense. The only queue was for lamb baked whole (big feet) in herbs. It smelled amazingly delicious and was the most tender, and the chef simply did not have time to cut it - it was the only queue, as I said earlier, of four people. Waiters work differently, due to age and ability. Each of the waiters is assigned certain tables and, if you like prompt service, on the second day you will already find your place, served by a young efficient waitress.
The waiters are older - more sociable, next to them in a completely different way, somehow at home. In general, the waiters always serve on time, during the stay they become very good friends and are always glad to see you.

Beach


The beach is clean sandy, rarely where there are pebbles. Sunset in the sea, and sometimes a small strip in front of the sea (washed by a wave) - small pebbles, and then sand. Concrete slabs are found only near the pier. I have never met sea urchins, jellyfish and other filth and have not heard from others. There are a lot of umbrellas and sunbeds on the beach, there are always a lot of free places, but, of course, if you want to take the best place right opposite the central exit to the beach and in the first row, you need to come early))). The beach has a toilet, shower and changing rooms, as well as a volleyball field and rental of water sports and extreme sports. The level of extreme on inflatable things is easily regulated by a conversation with the boat driver))).
As I was told, there are some subjects where, while riding, "you must pray for your life"))). My wife and I relaxed on a parachute (bring a camera and a camera with you! ! with zero contact with water! ), pleased the children with a banana ride and also had fun on a crazy sofa. There are bananas, ufa, sofas, skis and other crazy water food from about 15 to 25 euros per person. In group swims, it is NECESSARY to bargain))). Esperides beach guests have free catamaran and canoe - 30 minutes daily on a first-come, first-served basis, which never happens).
Little tricks: flocks of small sardines (sprat) are baited at the pier of the neighboring hotel on the right. We fed them with great pleasure in the morning two or three loaves of bread, impudently taken out from breakfast).
A little further, behind the beach of the Blue sea hotel there is a boat rental where you can independently ride a motorboat to the neighboring beaches of Anthony Queen & Ladico bay. Map, control methods, vests, etc. attached. There is no license.
Everything she does is not only delicious, but also filled with warmth and kindness, her sincere love for everyone. God bless her!
the third - between the pool and the amphitheater, at the exit to the sea. The most popular bar - there are a lot of people here all the time ...The speed and patience of the bartenders is surprising - everyone has time to instantly, it’s impossible to wait in any way))).
Alcohol is an order of magnitude better and better than in Turkey and Egypt. Good brandy, good tequila and lots of other things.
- cafe with electronic games,
so familiar to us from our children's centers. Billiards (American), a bunch of different devices for 1-2 euros.
- 3 outdoor swimming pools (with fresh water;
- climbing slide with a pool 2 m deep underneath
- car rental

At the hotel on the side of the road. Prices in 2013 - from 30 to 110 euros per day (micro fawn and convertible Mercedes). If not a convertible, the insurance is full, you pay only the rent + fuel and lubricants at your expense.
If you have a convertible, you leave a deposit of 200 euros or they freeze it on your credit card in case of scratches or other troubles. Fuel and lubricants: before your departure, they fill you up with a full tank (be sure to CHECK!!!!! ! ! ) at their gas station here. Arriving, they also fill you up with a full tank - you pay the difference at 1.74 euros per liter. It’s a little cheaper at gas stations around the island - you can refuel there at the end of the day. In addition to cars, there are micro and minivans (seven-seater and minibuses). Ride, as elsewhere, you need to be careful. We took a Lancia Epsilon for 40 euros - we traveled the whole island in a circle (another 35 euros were spent on gasoline) - so we didn’t meet a single traffic cop ...But cars on the island - 70% rented - are driven by tourists and tourists in unusual cars for them. The roads are narrow but good. The rights are quite new Russian (where the surname and name are duplicated in Latin) and a minimum of one year of experience.
- cinema
Once a week - a Russian cartoon.
And so - every day from 18 to 20 - a cartoon in one language with subtitles in another, and also a film from 20 to 22. Only no one goes there, because everyone goes to the evening show. But more about animation later.
- sunbeds and walkways
There are always a lot of sunbeds, you can sit on any lawn and on large areas with and without awnings near the pools.
The paths are planted along the edges with greenery and flowers, always clean.
The TERRITORY of the hotel is neither large nor small - everything is so conveniently and concisely located. It seems that there were a lot of people in the hotel, but there is no feeling of population density.

For kids

For children of preschool and primary school age, this hotel is a paradise.

There is everything for them here: a trampoline, a carousel with horses, electric cars (as in our amusement parks), the Flying Ship attraction, a children's playroom in the main building, two children's pools (quite a "splash pool") with fountain frogs and a large pool with different depths (in my opinion, up to 90 cm, I don’t remember exactly, and with all sorts of fungi-slides and fountains), two water slides (my wife also chose a large one), children's clubs (German, French, Russian and Italian; the Russian has the largest room, just renovated), a children's bar with cotton candy and popcorn in unlimited quantities, though only from 16 to 18 (this is for the best, otherwise something would stick together), a children's disco, a children's menu and mini golf. Our two already on the fourth or fifth day formed a schedule for themselves, following which they barely had time to visit everything.
And then the children's club was already opened (it opens in the first days of June, but due to problems with visas (as we were told), it opened only on the 7th). In the children's club, we were immediately presented with a bright T-shirt, in which they asked (if possible) to bring children to the club. Only the parent brings and takes away and under the signature. Two little girls worked with children - Anya and Ira. I am glad that they have been engaged in children's animation for more than a year - their professionalism can be seen after the very first day - the children do not want to leave and are happy to run on the trail. day. The club has outdoor games, and exercises, and dancing, and themed games, games in the pool, drawing, face painting and much more. I have listed only what we managed to try on ourselves during the three days of visiting the children's club. So the children are at home there, thanks to which the parents also have time to relax.

Animation

Exercise, water basketball, boccia, darts, ping-pong, beach volleyball, cocktail game, water gymnastics, dancing, fitness, water polo, football...And all this among both adults and children. No time to be bored. The animators these days have become almost like a family - Luca, Martina, Emmanuel, Claudio, Philip, Kasha, Uschi, Anna, Christina, Vika, Fabian, Aleisha and, of course, DJ Dado. Everyone is cool individually, and all of them together - this is generally an explosion of fun and activity. And everything is presented not rudely, but so easily and cheerfully that you forget about everything - about weight, lack of practice of the game, and so on, and you go into battle. On the very first evening after the show, I thought - I broke my head - how is it that all the animators from different countries say that they first met here, but they put on such well-coordinated, cool shows without a single hesitation. And every day we admired the talent of the guys and the crazy energy and originality of their chief animator Lucas more and more.
After the evening competitive programs, we "creeped", holding our stomachs with laughter. And colorful dance shows, whole scenes from musicals, acrobatic numbers were just fantastic. True, some moments were a little vulgar, but. if you think about it, you still need to be able to interest an audience so different in culture, sense of humor and temperament. And judging by the fact that a considerable number of people gathered at the show, they did it with success. I participated in many things, which I am very happy about - very satisfied and a lot of impressions. Many thanks to all the animators and especially to their boss LUCA! ! ! ! And from the children who are still dancing all the songs from the children's disco, thanks to all the animators who participated in the children's disco!

And a little more

Our guides Liana and Elena are very nice and friendly girls. They do their job great.
But: excursions from Beleon are safe and reliable, but very expensive, and in Rhodes or even just on the beach the same excursions without a license (no one complained about the dangers) are half the price.
If something broke in your room, you can tell the guide, she will report to the reception, but practice has shown that it is more reliable to tell the maid on the floor - everything will return to normal instantly.
We rented a safe, for two weeks it came out a little less than thirty euros (I could be wrong, because I don’t remember exactly).
In the neighboring hotel on the left (Esperos palace) there is an a-la-carte restaurant, which is open from 10 to 22, if my memory serves me right. There, they say, everything is cooked well from vegetables to meat and lobsters, but the need for it is zero, because from lunches, as well as from dinners, you “crawl away” only after trying a little bit, and even then not all ...
Opposite the hotel there is a supermarket, which is much cheaper than the supermarket in the hotel.

A little to the right of the supermarket, which is opposite the hotel, near the entrance to Esperos village, there is a road down to the right.
It leads to the zoo, Walk uphill and far, it is better to leave this walk for a day when you rent a car. But you need to get to the peacocks, as arrogant as chickens, because they are very close. Do not go without bread and a camera - you will have to go again.
Naturally, the ratio of nationalities always fluctuates. But basically something like this: 40% Germans, 35% Russians, 10% British, 15% Italians, Poles and French.
Children in the hotel of all ages - from six months to eighty, small children are given a crib in the room and a high chair in the restaurant and tavern free of charge

To be honest, we are just happy that we discovered Esperides beach. I don’t want to make anti-advertising for neighboring hotels in this review, but one morning I went through all the hotels from Calypso beach to Louis Colossos with my wife, looking at their territories, beaches and animation, we realized that we had chosen the best. And, the best by a huge margin.
And I’ll also speak for all those Russians whom I met during my vacation, who, perhaps, simply have no time or are too lazy to write reviews, but who unanimously said that the hotel is cool, and for families with children it’s the best! . During our stay, out of 10 visiting families, 9 were with children. Children are everywhere, and not just children, but happy, constantly busy children. Next year, wait for us in an extended line-up, Esperides! ! !

Nikita.
Traveled from 28.05. 13 to 9.06. thirteen
2 adults and 2 children - 4 and 6 years old.