Aronda Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: Independently Booked, July 2007
Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Viviene Russell - Somerset (52, 49)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We have just got back from Dassia. We had a great time at the Aronda Apartments, Kiki, Gregory and the family were fantastic and very helpful. The rooms were very clean and the linen was changed every couple of days as were the towels. The pool area was great. You can also book your Car and trips through Aronda Travel. Will certainly be going back next year.You are about 400 metres to the beach and is great for people who have walking difficulties as it is on the level to all the amenities.
Dassia has a lot of Taverna's for you to try. Just on the main Road from the Aronda turning is a lovely little Taverna called Anna's place a typical Taverna, not spoilt by Cocktails etc. Anna is a lovely lady, nothing is to much trouble for her and she will cook you a lovely meal or just serve you drinks and again anything you want to know, she will help you. Do call in and have a drink at her place. She is just on the opposite corner to The Woodpecker. Another Bar to go to is Eric's right opposite the Dassia Chandris Hotel. Also a little way up across from the Dassia Chandris on the oppoiste side of the road, you will see a Bar serving Cocktails there is a little road here that leads to the Rose Gardens Apartments if you go straight down to the end of this road you will see The Pool Bar straight in front of you called The Range. Do call in here for a Drink and if you are hungry they serve food as well, BBQ on a Friday evening, once again you will get a very warm welcome.
The Alexandros serves beautiful food all cooked by Mama. Also try The Grill Room just by the Pharmacy if you want real Grilled Food try here you will not be disappointed,
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Aronda Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: Independently Booked July/August 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Diane Paul - Essex (43, 42, 13, 11, 6)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
The Aronda apartments are very well situated being just off the main road opposite the Corfu Chandris. The pool area and pool are very nice but the actual apartment was very basic with rather grubby untensils and was expensive for what you got. The nicest bar was THE PARASOL BAR run by Costas and Suzanne who are really lovely people, very warm and welcoming. Good restaurants were Alexandros (fab grilled prawns) and Valentinos. Worst meal I've ever had abroad in 24 years was at Great Shakes, advertised as chicken and new potatoes it was actually undercooked chicken and tinned potatoes with a bit of lettace yuk.
All in all though we had a fab time in Dassia and are going back next year but will be staying in a lovely new villa.
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Artemis Studios and Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: Kosmar-July2006
Opinion submitted in November 2006 by : C.Scott and partner-Newcastle (49,44)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
I had been to Dassia about 16 years before and found that the resort had not changed that much,the way i read the brochure i thought the apartments would be in the middle of Dassia but it was at the far end of the resort
i had asked for an upstairs room and we were given a downstairs one later found out that you were given rooms by what flight you are on they never took into account what you had asked for very noisy complex we never had a good night sleep for a week asked to be moved the owners were great but i was annoyed as the rep just did not want to know we ended up getting moved but Kosmar team in Dassia just did not want to know when i got home i complaint about there lack of customer care i must say i loved the beach but you have to watch where you go as majority of the sunloungers belong to the big hotels we use to like going up to Corfu town as it was not that far away.
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Artemis Studios and Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar August 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Jan, Don, Lin, Pete
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This accomadation is superb all we could have hoped for the rooms were all cool and airy and so the air conditioning that was available was not needed although the temperature was in the 90'sWhen we arrived a bottle of water in the fridge was most welcome and this set the seal on the rest of the holiday nothing was too much trouble for Yanni and Karen the owners.The surrounding gardens were well kept and we were encouraged to help ourselves to all the many fruits and veg that were growing.The pool area was well provided with sunbeds and parasols and shade was available in the gardens.
We ate out every night and we were spoilt for choice with the nany varied tavernas to choose from my favorite I have to say was Dionyssos which is also owned by Yanni and Karen the food was excellent and whatever was choosen was a delight to eat.
The best bar we found for relaxing after a meal was The Parasol Bar owned by Suzanne and Costas who are the nicest of people and make you feel very special and welcome ,we went back every night it was the most perfect way to end an evening.
The beach opposite across the main room had something for everyone grass sand shade and the clearest of water
Corfu Town was easy to get to with a bus stopping outside Artemis on a very regular timetable for those who wish to explore a little further afield.We also had a days boat trip to two destinations from Corfu Town and I can recommend this highly it was booked in Dassia and we were collected and returned to Artemis by coach
We will definatly return to Dassia in the future and look forward to staying at Artemis and visiting The Parasol Bar
I recommend this accomadation and resort to everyone without reserve
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Artemis Studios and Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar August 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Lin and Pete Clarke 47
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
We have just returned from the Artemis and had a wonderful time. The apartments were kept very clean, the maid came nearly every day. We had a one bedroom apartment on the ground floor overlooking the pool and found that if we had just the shutters closed on both doors we didnt need air conditioning. The pool and garden areas were kept clean and tidy, there was no need to fight for a sunbed. The friendly owners Yanni and Karen came daily to check everything was ok and quickly sorted any minor problems. There was plenty of fruit in the garden for the guests to eat. When we arrived it was nice to find a bottle of water in the fridge!
The resort itself is on a very busy road not ideal for anybody with young children.
There were plenty of bars and restaurants and in the two weeks we never had a bad meal and we ate out every night. Our favourites were Dionysoss and Alexandros. For breakfast Valentinos was great. Every night on the way back we called into the Parasol bar, the owners Suzanne and Costa made us feel very welcome.
We hired a car for a few days and also went on a boat trip to Parga and Paxos a good day out!
We will definetly go back!
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Artemis Studios and Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar July / August 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Tom, Sheila- North east 45,45
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Stayed at the Artemis, Dassia July / August 2005.
The accomdation was very good, reasonable size room and very clean. Room facilities also good Clean well cared for fridge etc.Which the owners put a bottle of water in for arrivals(much needed).Pool was nice and clean with sunbeds.
The resort itself has a very busy road right through it (busy all day and night. very much a pain.
The shingle beach is approx 5 mins away and not too bad although can look a bit grubby due to weeds that come in during afternoon, this is cleaned up regularly.
Eating out is fine with quite a few decent tavernas. We found Alexandros taverna and a greek grill taverna about the best there these are located approx two thirds along the main road towards the Ipsos side of the resort. Most of the other eateries were still not bad but we liked those two a bit more. All prices for food was quite reasonable and service also generally good.
Expect to pay approx 2-4 euro for starter and 5-8 euro for main meal(More for steaks etc.)Drinks approx 1.80-2.50 euros for large beer and 8 euros up for btle wine in tavernas.
Supermarket beer is 1.00 euro bottle eine from 4 euro.
Would recommend car hire and see Island esp. Paleokastritsa and Northern areas of island very scenic and nice beaches.
Do not recommend boat trips to mainland barbecue from resort vendors stayed on boat most of time(kosmars was better).
Paxos / anti paxos was nice trip but also on boat a long time.
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Artemis Studios and Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar - August 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Susan and Ian Mclean (31,25)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We arrived in the middle of an electrical storm on a rather old Islandsflug boeing 737 plane which had seen better days and was not that clean although the staff were excellent. The Kosmar staff at the airport were great and before we knew it we were at our resort and escorted to our rooms personally, a nice touch I might add.
It was late at night there was no air conditioning as we had to pay for that and there was no one to pay it too and we did not have a key for our safety deposit box. Our apartment was lovely, roomy and a lovely view of the apartments pool which was a nice size although if I had to complain it would be a lack of pool bar.
The surroundings of the apartments were beautifully maintained and full of fruit and nice flowers and plants. It was Saturday evening before we got our air condition remote control at a cost of 40 euros and a safety deposit box key at a cost of 8 euros which meant on the Saturday we had to walk around all day with our passports and all our money on us rather than leave it unattended in the room. The air condition was a god send and occasionally too cold.
The kitchen was well equipped with everything you could ask for though we ate out most nights. There was a smashing place a couple of buildings up from the Artemis called Mr Gyros Fast Food where we had breakfast everyday. The couple who ran it his name was Spyros were absolutely lovely and so talkative and helpful. The food was gorgeous too. I must give a mention also to Great Shakes a British Bar which had quizs on in the evening and stuff and the food there was superb. Dionnysos restaurant also owned by the owners of the Artemis is fabulous and does wonderful steaks.
The beach wasnt that great although the watersports were brill though a little expensive at 40 euros for a paraglide but worth it. Corfu Town is definitely worth a visit the shops are second to none and far better variety than that in Dassia. The shops never seemed to close in Dassia sometimes midnight they were well stocked and a nice variety of them enough to be able to get your souvenirs and presents in. Aqualandia the Waterpark is a brilliant day out and I would recommend it even if you dont have kids though watch the sunburn as it is very exposed.
We booked three trips with our Kosmar rep however there were no Kosmar reps on any of the trips the first was with a 'English speaking' Greek woman who was a little hard to understand and the other two trips were without reps at all and not well organised to say the least. I would recommend booking trips at the various tourist offices in the resort as they are also a little cheaper.
All in all we had a lovely holiday in Dassia, not somewhere I would recommend with children as there is nothing for them to do on an evening but it is a lovely couples resort definitely and Ipsos is just a short bus or taxi ride away for those wanting something a little more lively.
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Artemis Studios and Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar july 2004
Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Mark Reilly - Inverness (38, 35, 11, 9)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
These apartments are brilliant, mainly due to the owners Yanni and Karen. great pool with plenty sunbeds, set in beautiful garden with fruit and vegetables growing abundantly. Which you are encouraged to help yourself to. The apartments themselves are spacious and spotlessly maintained. If you are arriving on a night flight you will find bottled water waiting for you in your room, left by Yanni, aware you are tired , hot and thirsty. Nice Touch. Yanni and Karen go out of their way to make sure you have a great holiday. They also own a restaurant called Dionyissis, trust me, you'll go back again and again.
The resort itself is straddled by a very busy road, very scary if you have kids. we did get used to it eventually. The beach is very good, lots of olive trees and parasols, big grassy area, perfect for sunbathing, stunning views. Most of the bars are much of a suchness, not too tacky. The parasol bar is great for a quiet drink after a heavy meal, again, the owners Costas and Suzanne are very friendly and helpful, just nice people. I would go to Dassia again, don't let the busy road put off.
Great apartments, great people. Enjoy
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Artemis Studios and Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar may 2004
Opinion submitted in Dec 2004 by : paul carroll plus sixothers
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
we went to dassia last year and had agreattime the appartments were first class the resort is not to lively butwe enjoyed it the advantage bar is where we went every night good music and afirst classhost katerina also went to shakes for sunday dinner first class went on boat trip from dassia to kassioppi great value only ten eurosout all day i found all theeating places good and cheap the cheapest greek island ive been to and ive been to a lot iam going back in may 05 and ive never done that beforeso ithink it is ok sorry about the typing its all new to me
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Artemis Studios and Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar - May 2004
Opinion submitted in May 2004 by : Les Cooke - Ringwood (48,47)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Artemis is an excellent accomodation set at the northern end of a good, well placed and unpretentious resort that provides all you need for your stay on the beautiful and friendly island of Corfu. The studio we had was spotless, well equipped and comfortable and the residents are encouraged to help themselves to fruit etc that grows within the property ie oranges, grapes, grapefruit, strawberries, tomatoes and courgettes (when in season of course). The resort is very well placed for touring the island, which is gloriously green and diverse.
The family who own and run the Artemis and the Dionyssos Taverna in Dassia are the loveliest people you could hope to meet, and the service and value for money at both properties I rate as second to none. They gave us a wonderful holiday along with the 'Asteras' boat trips from 2001 jetty on the beach and the excellent service from Kosmar and their reps and Excel Airways and their staff at both ends of the journey.
I would recommend this holiday if you want excellent service all round and especially for the accomodation and the restaurant run by the Tryfonas family. Thanks to all.
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Charieta Studios and Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic - September 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Ian & Sharon - Gateshead (42 & 30)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Poor
My/Our Holiday Review:
Accommodation - location good - unless in studios which face noisy main road - apartments all face the pool but do experience noise all day from the pool / bar area. the apartments appear to be popular with families even in september so not the place for a quiet break. Apartments are dated and require upgrading and modernisation. On arrival we found the apartment to be poorly cleaned - the bedrooms were musty & smelly and the kitchen was covered in chip fat grease which stank the whole apartment out. We had to clean the cooker - not that I had any intention of using it! - as well as all kithen surfaces and crockery which was layered with grease from previous occupants.
The bathroom was cramped and had not been cleaned from previous occupants - toilet and floor were filthy. the whole apartment was dusty and was never cleaned properly in the two weeks we were there. The maid service was only to empty bins and leave fresh towels / bed linen which doesn't fit the bed! Most of the sunloungers round the pool were broken and/or dirty - they were never cleaned at night and no effort made to replace any broken ones. we found we had to go out to the Malibu pool bar on the beach every day which cost 6 euro for two beds & brolly to enjoy a peaceful and comfotable sunbathe. As these apartments only open between july and september we got the impression it must have been a long season as the owner and his family did not really endeavour to make us feel welcome. they seem to go through the motions each day, sometimes not even bothering to open the bar. the only food which seemed to be provided was chips, again with smelly, dirty fat!
Resort - dassia has several large hotels which are all half board or all inclusive and tend to be popular with our european cousins who like nothing better than to indulge in an after meal game of hogging the narrow pavements and not moving when they see anyone english - this beats putting their towels on the sunbeds at six every morning! there is only one decent restaurant in the resort which you cannot get into as it is so popular, the rest are glorified cafes / bars. The best place we found to eat was a small grill room at the Ipsos end of dassia, opposite tartaya / garden bar. it doesn't have an English name but go in and ask for Leomidas the owner and tell him Ian & Sharon from Newcastle United sent you! Prices very cheap and food cooked to order whilst you drink his homemade red wine. the best bar we found was the desert rose next door to the italian restaurant (don't go in there!). Alex who runs the bar speaks great english and has great taste in music! He also serves the best lager in dassia and fab cocktails!
Corfu town is lovely only 1 euro on the local bus which runs fairly frequently. Ipsos is the other way by bus - great if you want bars and burgers - no restaurants at all just fast food joints. Hire a car and go up into the hills for some lovely bars and restaurants which tend to be a lot cheaper and serve fantastic food. Kato Korakiana is a nice village between dassia & ipsos - one bar was serving a glass of local wine and a pint of lager for 3 euros! Great value and a good night out. You can walk it in an about 15 mins - uphill going and very dark coming back.
Overall probably the worst resort we've been to and had we not enjoyed the company of new friends it would have been a disaster! we have used olypmic in the past and have not been put off by this holiday - we understand this is not one of their better standards of accommodation.
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Charieta Studios and Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic Holidays - August/September 2004
Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Emma Pigram (25 & 22
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
We arrived after flying through the night and was slightly worried when the rep couldn't find out apartment, when we finally got to the apartment it was out of this world. We stayed at the Charieta Studios and Apartments Charieta Apartments just off of the main road and very quiet at night.
The rooms are enormous, especially for just to the two us in an apartment that sleeps 6 people (we did not book this or ask for this they just put is in here). The family that run the apartments are really lovely and very very helpful.
Great shakes is a must, we made it our local. The chinese is very good.
For a cheap big greek meal the place to go is right opposite the charieta apartments on the main road. Alex's is superb for breakfast.
I would recommend the Charieta apartments and we are actually returning again this year, this time with the parents
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Christina Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: Kosmar - August 2007
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Mrs S Brown - Wiltshire (35,34,9,7)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Stayed in Christina apts for 2 wks.Apt basic but very clean.Towels & bedding were changed every 4th day.Pool was very deep(8ft),worrying if you have children but our youngest was swimming by the end of the holiday as she had no choice!!Surrounding gardens are lovely.Owner Nico and his wife were around everyday watering plants and sweeping.The only gripe we have about the Christina is the proximity to the road.It is a very busy main road and it is never quiet!!Saying that,all the hotels in Dassia are on the main road aswell!!
Plenty of places to eat and drink in Dassia. We visited most of them!Valentinos was lovely and also Alexanders.We visited the Parasol bar every night which did fantastic cocktails and owners were very friendly and welcoming.
Did the boat trip to Kassiopi which was fun.Just make sure there are not too many Italians on the trip as they will dominate the trip.Corfu Town is fantastic.Definitely worth a visit.
Enjoyed our holiday in Dassia and will visit Corfu again.
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Christina Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: Kosmar -Sep 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : David Smith - Durham (55,51)):
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The Christina App/Sts were very clean but basic but still had everything you would need, the pool area was kept very clean and tidy. There was some noise from the road which is only about 30m from the closest apartments we were told that the noise from traffic is worse in high season.
There are plenty of good restaurants in the resort but for friendly drink go and meet Freddy & Lisa at SIGA-SIGA over the road from the apartments.
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Christina Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar july 2005
Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : hilary thornley [40,37,13,9]
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
arrived back from the christina apartments in corfu on 5/8/2005 after a 2 week holiday.The apartments were lovely and clean.The maids come in twice a week.The a/c is cheaper than most other places.The pool is cleaned daily,there is a grass area for the children to play on[ all within a fence so that the children are safe].yes the apartments are near the road,but so are the bigger hotels that are more expensive.The orange,lemon,and kumquat trees cushsion most of the sound of the traffic.
Go to mama takas for the cheapest beer and snacks in dassia.plus you will be welcomed by the owners,and they love english children.also go to valentinos for a cheap breakfast [both of these are across the road from the christina].for a lovely cheap greek meal go to the mythos taverna about a 15 minute walk on the other side of the road.
this is the first year that we have been to a greek island and said we will go back next year.
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Christina Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar June 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Dawn Fearn - Shirley (59, 62)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
I found the Christina basic regarding furniture, like all Greek studios, but clean.
I stayed in room 7 which was on the ground floor, there was a kettle, a small cooker with 2 hot plates and oven which also served as a grill. The best was a shower curtain. We only had 1 change of towels in the week, also the bins were only emptied twice the whole week (but emptied my own as the dustbins were only outside). There are safety deposit boxes in the wardrobe (but I had to see someone at the Kosmar office, which is only about 25yards up the road regarding these, or you can have them for free at the office)
There is a supermarket next door to the studios, but about a 15min walk into the centre is a large supermarket, which I found cheaper. Over the road is a place that sells fruit and salad which was good and reasonable.
We ate a few times at Alexandros, which worked out about 5 euros for a main course.
Also went to Great Shakes, bit more expensive but a lot more food and very good.
The blue bus NO.7. goes into Corfu Town just turn right outside studios for the stop price .95c each. Quite an eye opener on these buses, found about 11 O'clock good time to go, they run about every 15 mins, but avoid when children leave school.
Went to Dassia for a quiet holiday and a rest and thats what I got.Thoroughly enjoyed it. Definately go back again and to the Christina
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Christina Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar - September 2004
Opinion submitted in Dec 2004 by : Reuben Herbert - Rotherham (48)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
I would not recommend Christina Apartments to anyone. The apartments are basic. The bedroom sparcely furnished, bathroom and toilet primative and did not venture into the kitchen.
The front block is 30 paces from the main Dassia to Corfu Town road. Extremely noisy - heavy traffic all night - lorries and coaches - the whole room (old wooden framed patio door and windows) vibrated all night.
There is no reception. If you arrive on your first day after 8pm you cannot get a key to activate the A/C unit.
The pool was ok but too close to the road so noisy all day.
We moved out. Kosmar were useless. We ended up paying the additional cost for alternative accomodation ourselves.
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Christina Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar - July 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Shirley McKenna - Edinburgh (47, 44, 40, 40, 11, 6)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The accomodation in the Christina Apartments was good with changes to towels and bed linen every 2 days. Great pool for the kids with pleasant tidy surrounding gardens. Well situated for shops, bars & restaurants.
The resort was good apart from the very busy main road through Dassia, especially when you have young children. Good shops with great bargains for leather and linen.
Breakfast at Alex Bar and Mr Gyros was the best and Great Shakes was brilliant for a meal in the evening with a good entertainment programme and games for the kids to play.
One place we recommend that you do visit is a bar called Drifters run by a lovely friendly couple called Lynne & Steve. They have good music and a Playstation, which is handy when you have kids!!! You will be well looked after and welcomed back again and again as we all were.
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Corfu Bardis Sun Hotel - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- may 2005
Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : colette and Donna - isle of wight - ( 34 , 33 )
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Hi my friend and i have just returned from arillis in corfu , never been before but have been to greece several times , my friend hadnt but we was going to enjoy the break whatever .
On arrival the people from the hotel met us at the bottom of the hill and a van took our suitcases up the hill , now that was sweet i thought , they had a small but very friendly bar , which spiros and popy run along with there 2 boys bobby and george , they are so lovely.
I would like to say it is a quiet place but the people make it for you and that to me is what a holiday is all about ..
Oh must let you know also there is only 2 bars , malibu and coconut and both very friendy and lively ..And you never go hungry as plenty of local tervernas and id say in the week we was there we had something in more a less all and not one complaint ..
We are going back in september as we enjoyed it so much so i guess it is up to you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: Thomson Holidays
Platinum - July/Aug 2007
Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Neil & Claire Davies - Neath, South Wales (39, 37)
Resort Rating: Below Average
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Recently returned from fortnight holiday at the Corfu Chandris. Absolutely no problem with the hotel itself - friendly staff, reasonable food, good pool area, excellent fitness centre - but the resort of Dassia was disappointing. The bars on the main road were barely half full with little or no entertainment except for background music or Sky Sports! One exception was Shakes Bar, run by the lovely Ken and Sarah, who gave a really warm welcome and at least made the effort to involve their customers by running quizzes and karaoke. Luckily for us, we met two other couples from South Wales (not being xenophobic or parochial, only that Steve, Paula, Alan and Wendy thankfully just happened to be on our wavelength!) who rescued us from the lack of life in Dassia, ensuring that at least we had some fun and laughs!!!
We did catch a taxi to Ipsos on three separate evenings (8 euros each way) where there was more in the way of nightlife (especially at The Temple Bar, Dirty Nellies and The Oak Tree) but you wouldn't do this every evening.
Don't think we'll be returning to Dassia in the near future, even though the hotel was pretty much faultless (except for over-priced bar tariffs). It's just that we prefer greater choice of nightlife to go with the daily dose of sun-bathing!
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: Thomson Holidays
- June 2007
Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Lyndon & Jenny Murray - Stroud (46)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Having stayed at the Corfu Chandris in 2005 we were somewhat dissapointed that the decor now looked a little tired and the carpets in the communal areas quite stained. However, this did not detract from a lovely holiday.
The hotel staff are very friendly and the food selection was very good and plentiful. Try to eat outside if at all possible as the dining room can become a bit chaotic and resemble a Debenhams/BHS cafeteria. The setting is superb and there is plenty of room to sunbathe either by the pool or in the gardens/beach area. Try to visit Corfu Town nearby. We used the bus which stopped outside the hotel and cost 1.10 euros each and took approx 30 mins. Be prepared to stand as they can get very crowded. A Taxi back cost us 18 euros. (Approx 10 min journey). (The hotel does run a courtesy bus but only has room for 28 - first come first served and last one into Corfu Town is 2.00 p.m.)There is a happy hour in the hotel from 5.30 to 6.30 which they don't tend to advertise very well, otherwise like other platinum hotels the drinks are rather expensive i.e. small beer and malibu with sprite 10 euros. Pool and beach towels are provided at no charge and sunbeds in the Gardens/Beach area cost 2 euros each. Sunbeds by the pool are free. Dassia is a small resort with a handful of shops and several bars mainly situated on the busy main road. The temperature was very high for this time of year approx 40 degress.
Would definately go back to Corfu but would like to explore Corfu Town more. One final point. Be prepared for a long wait and queues at the airport on your return to the uk. Make sure you take water with you to the airport as you can spend a long time queueing outside.
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: First Choice - October 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Keating fdamily, Portsmouth, 46, 42, 10
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Had read a lot of negative or dodgy comments here and was, quiet frankly, a little worried. But we were very pleasantly surprised. we booked a bungalow and upgraded to a Deluxe Bungalow on arrival which was worth it for the added space etc. We were at the Chandris for the October half term week and were really lucky with the fantastic weather (four really good, hot and sunny days, and two cloudy ones, perfect for shopping and visiting Corfu town.
The staff here were brilliant, all very accommodating and pleasant. I speak conversational greek and really enjoyed my chats with the maids who spoke virtually no English. If more tourists just tried even a few basic words in Greek rather than assuming English is all they need, they'd be surprised at the positive reaction!
The common areas such as the lobby with spacious, marble-clad halls and a lovely, airy dining room. The grounds were spotless and the pool looked lovely althoguh I only swam in the sea. The paragliding trip was a highlight of the stay from the watersports operator on the beach.
The interior of our bungalow was good for greek hotel standards but the bathroom was a bit 'tired' and the kitchen was very, very basic. The terrace and the views more than made uop for it though as we were only 100 yards from the most fabulous beach and sunrises like you've never seen before! :-) We even aquired a pet for the week - one of the local dogs - a big, bouncy mongrel with a lot of lurcher and great dane in there somewhere - hard to shake him off and he was very excitable, but we are 'dog people' so not a problem for us (but might be for others who are not so keen on animals, as there were several wandering doggies around) Spotless grounds, tho' and no dog mess anywhere!
Food was very good, with pleanty of variety and choice, even for our fussy daughter. Breakfasts were also excelelnt and we had a free party on the last night (staff party) with free wine, food and drinks, and enjoyed the greek dancing - not the tourist rubbish that the tour operators put on for you in variouis resorts, but genuine, from-the-heart stuff that the locals did spontaneously "just because"... Even the Papas (Priest) in his long, black robes, made an appearance!
Drinks were a bit expensive in the hotel itself but what do people expect at a 4*??? Entertainment a bit sad and tired, apart from the party night (see below). Seemed to consist of various 'nightclub singers, a very tired disco with 'songs to send you to sleep' including a duo playing organ and guitar, singing 'popular(?) songs. Best memory of this was the guy singing "That's why the lady is a tramp". We all cracked up when he sang "I'm broke, but-a-ees-a-OK-a"
Only gripes were the omnipresent mosquitos (spent a lot of time in Greece over the past 20 years but this was the worst Mozzi experience ever, particularly given the time of year). Take at least one plug-in thingy and loads of repellent ...and after-bite stuff. Sadly we got the local versions from the supermarket which smelled strongly of ammonia - goodness knows what the other guests thought of us, stinking of THAT!
Other gripe was Dassia itself - what a hole! Just a long strip of busy road with tired, jaded looking bars and restaurants interspersed with tatty gift shops. OK, this was the last week of the season so it is probably much better in July and August. but, we've been three other times to Corfu and found the resort of Acharavi in the far North had so much more for all tastes.
Worst bit was the awful tragedy that happened at the nearby resort of gouvia where the two children died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Our coach stopped at that hotel on the way to the airport to pick up people and there were photographers etc out the front; terrible.
In summary, we would definitely come back to the Chandris again, maybe get a villa and take the inlaws next time too, but wouldn't be keen to go anywhere else in Dassia itself.
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: Sky Travel (Thomson Holidays
) Aug 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : 53, 51, 51 & 47
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Having read several of the negative reviews about the Chandris, we were pleasantly surprised with the hotel, grounds and pleasant and courteous staff. Our room was clean, with daily changes of towels and linen and and although there is a charge of 3 Euros for the sunbeds in the grounds and on the beach, this is common practice in Corfu (and we were charged 12 Euros on Glyfadda beach). The hotel has a lot of Russian and German guests and English guests were in the minority. This is not really a hotel for families with very young children (no children's pool) although there were quite a few families who used the facilities at the sister hotel, the Dassia Chandris, next door.
Yes, the drinks prices are steep compared with the supermarkets in Dassia, but the happy hour in the bar was a good idea, with all booze half price and the measures were generous. In addition, there are drinking fountains on all floors of the hotel and insulated jugs in the rooms so you can avoid having to lug back bottles of water. The tap water is not fit to drink, tasting heavily of minerals.
The hotel grounds are mature and beautiful as the hotel has been established over 25 years and a team of gardeners keep them spick and span. The food is the usual hotel buffet style, but there is plenty of choice and the fresh fruit and yoghurt at breakfast were great.
Dassia as a resort is little more than a strip of hotels, bars and shops along the busy main road to Corfu town. Hiring a car or going on an organised tour of the island is a must, we found some lovely bays away from the crowds, with great snorkelling. If you are keen on snorkelling then we recommend the little bay of Agni in the north east. One downside to Corfu seems to be the very active and ever present mosquitos - despite repellent they still managed to make a meal out of us.
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: Booked oursleves - June 2006
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : The Hoods - 49 and 52
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Very disappointing - No way is this worth any more than 2 stars. It seems the air conditioning in the hotel rooms sucks in its air from the toilet vent extractors .this might not be too bad if it was from just your room ..but no it seems it from the whole wing,because the smells keep changing .not nice..so the air con pushes out not very cold, but very smelly air.
So much so that even thought the temperature was in the upper 30s we left it off at night.
The room was cleaned daily and towels and linen changed, but some how the smelly mop around the middle of the bathroom was insufficient to clean up the pill dropped on the floor by the previous occupants which managed to stay in the comer of the bath room all week, the other corners were full with a sort of pubic hair birds nest which seems to have been accumulating for sometime.
The grounds are nice ..but 3Euros each for sun beds seems to suggest profit rather than guest enjoyment is the main motive.
I also thought 17Euro for a house red (2Euros in supermarket) was a rather steep mark up. So we stuck to 2.40Euro water.
You expect to spend on holiday ..but not to be blatantly ripped off.
Dassia is very dead and the whole place feels like an 80s resort that time has forgotten. Our advise would be avoid.
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: First Choice- Jun 2006
Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Jamie & Laura- Leicester ( 28,28)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Dassis was described as a "lively" resort with numerous bars and restaurants, we are both 28 and didnt want to be in a REALLY busy resort like Kavos.. but we did want SOME nightlife and to be honest after we arrived and took a 20 minute walk up and down the main Dassia road we quickly saw that we would be bored quite quickly!
We arrived in the middle of June 06 and at night all the bars were literally empty,now we did get the impression that the resort is for the more elderly holiday maker and this is probably why is was so quite after 10pm!
This was our 3rd year on the trot to a Greek Island because we found them to be very helpful and friendly towards the English...not Dassia im afraid!!
As for the hotel itself its very big and the main reception area and lobby is quite impressive...also the gardens that lead onto the beach are very pretty and clean and im sure the hotel rooms are too HOWEVER i would avoid the bungalows as ours was not very clean, had damp patches quite bad and did have a very stong 'musty' smell..not pleasant! Yeah the bugalows are slightly cheaper than the main hotel BUT i didnt expect to have 1 star accomodation in a 4 star hotel !
The food wasnt bad for a hotel, but the service was poor and often found ourselves sitting at a dirty table waiting for cutlery or a drink!!
We hired a car to relieve the boredom and visited Sidari in the north of the island which looked more inviting for us and we may go there in the future...certainly not Dassia tho unless im in my 60's !(no offence to the more older holiday maker at all)
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - May 2006
Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Vi - coventry - 52,53
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Had first week in May at this hotel. Hotel was very clean and well maintained. Entertainment was a one night folkdancing show. ( Dont know if it was too early in the season ) Food was ok. Although we ate out at Erics Bar most evenings. The family that have this taverna are so welcoming and the food is great. The beach is pebble,was very quiet and the loungers were free while we were there but believe they were going to be charged after we left and that they were expensive. Corfu on the whole was a lovely island and the Island tour trip was very interesting.
I would like to go back to Corfu but later in May
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: June/July 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : B&M Coote-Co.Durham (58/58)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Flight from Teeside Airport took 3 hours.Only one carousel at Corfu Airport so you have to wait as each planes' baggage is loaded in turn. The transfer time to Dassia took about 20 mins and we were met at the hotel by a porter who carried in the luggage and showed us to our room.
The room was very good with excellent views and easy access to the pool and beach.It was kept clean at all times with daily towel changes and rgular bed linen changes.Decor was pleasant and in a good state of repair.
The food, buffet style, was very good with a large choice at each meal time, absolutely could not fault the food either for quality or presentation or variety.
Hotel staff were attentive but not pushy.Any problems were sorted quickly without fuss.
Hotel entertainment was the usual take it or leave it but Dassia, although quiet, has enough to keep holiday makers happy.Must mention the Woodpecker Taverna (just across the road)where we spent many happy hours with a couple from Darlington in laid back mode until the early hours with good coversation and excellent local lager at low prices (3 euros for a very large glass)and 4 euros for most spirits (again, large measures).
If you fancy a change from hotel food, good as it is,try Yannis Taverna. Bit of a route march up a steep hill, follow the signs from the local supermarket along the road,but well worth it for the excellent food at very reasonable prices.
The hotel runs a free bus service to Corfu Town (restricted-small bus).Worth a ride in for the shopping. Also while your'e there try Captain Theos all day barbeque cruise for a mad time out.
Best place to sun bathe is in the hotel gardens,under a tree for shade,near the sea.Watch out for the doughnut sellers who sell large fresh doughnuts for 1 euro.Very good!
For a midday snack try Annies Cafe (next door to the Woodpecker) where you can get fresh home cooked food at low prices.
We had a wonderful, relaxing holiday and would recommend this hotel and resort wholeheartedly.
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: 2005 / 2006
Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Chris Clayton - London, UK
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This hotel is excellent, if your travelling in a fairly large group you may wish to stay in the villas which are fantastic with room for 5 adults sharing comfortably!
The best part of Dassia though is Shakes Bar where the atmosphere is both friendly and fun and the drinks are both cool and varied! Teh staff are fantastic, the food is HUGE and the entertainment is great! Just dont let me up there for Karaoke ever again... not a pretty sight!
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: August 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2006 by :
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Well we visited the Corfu Chandris in August 2004!!!Well what a brilliant holiday it was!!!The holiday was great. The accomadation was out of this world.The appartments were extremley spacious, air conditioing was free and a fridge was also providing!be careful when using the electronic safe as you will be charged. The rooms are cleaned regularly and believe me they are spotless. The maids are friendly and wil help u with anything at all.
The food isn't that nice however if you enjoy fish then u will love it!!!
The hotel is like walking into a palace.The recpetion is beautiful, the hotel sits on the beach, the pool is great, there are outdoor jacuzzis (extremley cold), indoor gym, indoor sauna and jucazzis and if thats not enough there is an outdoor cinema which sells popcorn!!!It is unbelievable!!!Absolutely recommend this hotel to anyone. it appeals to all ages.
Happy hour is great make sure u take advatages of this as drinks are dirt cheap unbelievable!!!
Across the road is the nicests bar in the world!!!its an english run bar called 'shake'. Absolutely gorgeous food and cheap drinks. The area where the hotel is situated is peaceful however jump in a taxi for 10 euros and u will be in Ipsos where the nightlife is buzzing!!!lots of deals on drinks and they give u two free shots with every drink and they aint cheap shots they are aftershock and so on. PRs can be pushy but put them straight and they won't bother you again!!!
This is one of the best holidays i have ever been on and i will defo be going back again!!!its worth every penny!!!10 out of 10 for everything (well not food because i dnt like fish!!!)Its a must!
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar - July 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Nicola & Darren Hawkins (35 & 30)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Stayed for a week during July 2004 at this hotel. The hotel was very nice, spacious and tidy.
Food in the restaurant was hot, plentiful and lots of choice. My husband is vegetarian and didn't struggle to find something to eat for his main course at dinner.
Didn't stay in the hotel of an evening, went out to the bars outside the hotel as we holidayed with my brother and his girlfriend.
Erics Bar is very good (turn left outside the hotel for approx 100 metres), does food and just drinks if you wish.
Great Shakes was good too, if you are a Brit who only seems to like British pubs. The staff in here were helpful and friendly and twice weekly karaokes and quiz nights were in force. Seemed to be a good family pub and many ate their each night.
Dassia can be a bit quiet on an evening but Gouvia is worth a trip one evening as it is slightly livelier.
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- July 2004
Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Godfrey/Dillon - Clevedon (25,39)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Just returned two weeks ago. Have to say that it was one of the best holidays that we have been on.
ACCOMMODATION - The hotel although in need of a coat of paint on the
outside was very nicely decorated inside and the grounds were beautiful.
Rooms were nice although beware that although all rooms come with a sea
view in some cases this may only be a partial view although couldn't
really moan as outlook is lovely everywhere and in all fairnesss
Thomson Holidays
s don't charge you a sea view supplement.
SETTING - The hotel is set right on the beach and in a lovely horseshoe bay which gives it a nice intimate feeling. There are lively resorts on both sides Gouvia which is closer to the airport and Ipsos in the other direction.
POOL/BEACH - Pool although not that big was spotlessly clean and always about 27 degrees so it was a little like getting into a bath !!! Sunbeds not a problem at all admittedly there aren't many but people don't tend to reserve them and whenever we wanted two there were always available and we never made the pool until about 10am so it wasn't as if we were early birds. To be honest the little beach is really nice so I think most people either choose to use these or you can put your sunbeds in the hotels gardens and use trees for shade as an alternative. Sunbeds were free around the pool but 3 euros each on the beach/gardens.
WATERSPORTS - There are also plenty of watersport activities on the beach for those who want it not sure how much they cosdt though looked far too energetic to us however you can hire your own speedboat for about £60 for the day.
DAYTRIPS - Lots of boat trips to go on although we didn't as it was 41 degrees while we were there and to be honest it was just to hot to do anything although they proved quite popular with a lot of people.
EATING/DRINKING - Dassia itself is very much geared towards couples and the bars are mainly small tavernas. Everything is very close by and the first pub (Woodpecker) is just opposite the hotels entrance. Quite a lot of little bars but nothing really in your face. There is a strip of bars on the main road at the back of the hotel and then another strip on the beach front to the left of the hotel. Also quite a few places to eat although we didn't eat out as the food in the hotel was so good apart from lunchtimes where we ate quite often at the Elea Beach Hotel which does some cracking salads !!!
CHILDREN - We didn't have kids travelling with us but for those that are thinking of going here they love kids so you will be absolutely fine although I would probably recommend the Dassia Chandris (their sister hotel next door) as it has more kiddie ebtertainment and also a childrens pool.
GETTING THERE - Only about a 15/20 min transfer which was really nice and the flight coming over was done in just 2 and a half hours. One small tip though if you can travel on a sunday like we did the whole airport experience is quite nice. Apparently Friday is flight day and it's a bit manic although the airport is clean and air conditioned.
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: july 6-20 2004
Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : kml london (44,43,16)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Opinion:
We have just returned from the Corfu Chandris which has a sister hotel the Dassia Chandris sharing the same grounds. Our first week was offpeakish- the second week was markedly busier with many children there. We were astounded by the beauty of the grounds of this hotel. We made two boat trips (Gregorys- on the beach- very jolly- good food) up and down the east coast and there wasn't an equivalent hotel to touch it. (Have a good laugh at the Corfu Hilton from the boat.) Make sure you check out the open air cinema by Dassia pool-we found the experience amazing, coming from smoggy old London.
Buy water in packs of 6 x 1 1/2 litres for one euro fifty from the local supermarkets to avoid paying 2.30 a litre in the hotel. Hotel staff efficient and pleasant to deal with, there's a good cocktail bar on the beach about 200m up from the hotel grounds that sells cocktails you won't need more than 3 of. We had a pleasantly lazy time lounging on sunbeds and hand feeding the sparrows. Beach parascending much pricier than in ayai napa, cyprus, but canoes good value we thought. Ciggs cheap (about 25 euros for 200) and you are allowed 3200 so make room for them on the way back in.
The water in the pool was 28 degrees when we were there. There is no need to worry about a pool infection- the staff keep the grounds and the pool absolutely pristine. If you want to chill out in pleasant surroundings this is for you- a beautiful hotel- we shall go back at some point. Oh- the only downside to the hairdryer that was supplied was that it was fairly basic and situated in the bathroom, if you want to get your hair done right, take your own hairdryer and two point plug. A pleasing mix of nationalities at this resort, have fun!!!!
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Olympic Direct) Olympic - June 2004
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Sarah Robb - Bradford (All over 25 and under 60)
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We wanted a quiet holiday and we definitly got one. Dassia is not a place to go if you are looking for bright lights and loud music.
The hotel was lovely, and the food was a good mixture - my only disappointment was that there was not more greek food on offer.
Spent all the time at the beach - sunbeds were 3 euros each per day. Never spent any time round the pool as was not up early enough to get one of the sparce sunbeds available (we were up by 8am every day). Saying that the beach was lovely and sea clean and refreshing - and the doughnut and melon man was a welcome break.
We went first week in June 2004 and the hotel seemed to be catering more for the 55+ market - with the night time dancing being more of a tango than the congo. We found that the bar prices in the hotel were no differnt to those in the local bars - but everywhere was dead as a dodo.
Entertainment in the hotel left a lot to be desired - seemed to be very unorganised - maybe thats because it was early in the season.
We also upgraded to olmypic gold - but did not get a personal taxi - either on the way there or back - not very happy at all.
The weather was fantasic and I had a great time - just not so sure it would be somewhere I would go back to again if I had the choice.
Saying that the grounds and the staff were friendly and the place very clean.
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Corfu Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - Date Not Specified
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : London
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
Corfu Chandris Hotel
Paid extra for a bungalow, on arrival it was damp and smelly, apparently they are all like that after a lot of rain, this is the standard bungalow, not the villas, I complained and got moved to a standard room which I would rate a 3* as all the other bungalows were damp and I have a young child.
The food was good, the drinks were a rip off, and some Greek guy with an attitude who guards the restaurant at a desk, and is constantly texting on his mobile has a real problem with anyone taking in a drink from the bar if you bought it in happy hour, so you are expected to buy another drink at about £2.50 for a coke from the same bar minutes after!!!
Water was 2.30 Euro per bottle, yet across the road you can buy a 6 pack of the same for 1.50!!!!!!, I know hotels make a living, but this is a rip off, and as they have NO water or drink for free with the meals, and can't bring it into the hotel you have to pay the prices.
The safe in the hotel room was a good one, but again £2.00 a day to use it which is a lot of money considoring if a place had honest staff and good security you wouldn't need one!
The English was not good at the hotel and it was hard to comunicate unless you were fluent in Greek.
Dassia
Ok, first thing, the beach is pebbles/stones/shingle no sand, forget what you read, it ain't sandy one bit!
I wish I was told this but the left of Corfu is sand and the right is Shingle/stones.
Dassia was ok, a bit quiet and got boring after a couple of walks.
Great boat trip at bottom of hotel, get a good deal here from the oriental lady on the beach or go to Corfu town for 7 euros return.
Children
If you got kid's under 4, forget this hotel, they do not seem to cater for kids at all, stairs are everywhere and lifts are far and few, and some floors i.e the ground floor has no lift at all (ground being the level with the garden)
Summary
Having paid the extra to stay here in a 4* hotel, I can honestly say it was no better than a 3* in Ibiza/Majorca, except a bit bigger, and the pool was nice. It was Ok, but for £500 per person for 7 days you would get a lot more for your money in Spain!
Having stayed at Iberostar.com hotels before, I think they would be a better bet for us, so check them out before booking this hotel!
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Daphnila Bay Thalasso
Operator and Date: sept 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : mr & mrs brown northampton
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We stayed here as a cruise and stay when we got there we were shocked to find we were in a garden room when we were told we would be in a hotel room with a sea view talking to the other english guests 10 in all they were also told the same.
This hotel has no rep for english guests and if you want to see one you have to ring and make an appointment for a visit (you have to pay for the call)the hotel is all inclusive and the brochure says this includes FREE water sports however if you wish to go wind surfing or sail boarding you have to have a certificate which you can obtain on Sunday or wednesday afternoon at the hotel which you have to pay for. There is also entertainment included but it is in German as the guests are 98% german.
The food and hotel is very good large selection to choose from but in our opinion unless there are major changes taken to solve the problems there this hotel is not suitable for english families.
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Daphnila Bay Thalasso
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- August 2005.
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Karen - Greater Manchester (43,47.)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
The hotel was fantastic.I was a bit worried about the all inclusive aspect but needn't have been the food and drink were fantastic ,the food quality was no different than the previous Grecotel hotels I have stayed in. The breakfast had everything you could want and the eggs were cooked as you waited.Loads of choice for lunch and dinner and you could eat in the taverna on the beach a la carte at no extra cost during the evening with wonderful views of the sea.
The only draw back was the STEEP hill down to the beach but there were courtesy buses from the pool area to take you up and down every half hour until early evening.
The beach was brilliant as it belonged to the hotel so it wasn't overcrowded and there were plenty of loungers to choose from without towels reserved on them!
The hotel is in a very quiet area so limited were to go in the evening, some guests took taxis to Dassia 5 euros and Corfu town 11 euros.In the daytime we got the bus from the bottom of the lane ( 5 mins walk )the bus fare was 95 cents to Corfu town!.
We booked a brilliant boat trip through the hotel for 25 euros including beach barbecue , visiting Kassiopi and all along the East cost.We had a fantastic day it was well worth it.
We had an excellent holiday and would definately return.
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Daphnila Bay Thalasso
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
September 2004
Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Nicholas Hoskins (58,55)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The location of the hotel is exceptional looking out onto a beautiful bay and surrounded by woodland.
This hotel is going All Inclusive(AI) for 2005 and therefore the comments are limited to things which are unlikely to change.
There is a steep hill down to the beach and surrounding garden area( where most people sunbathed)and it is unwise to forget something and have to climb up the hill unnecessarily!! There is a good pool area just outside the hotel but this was not greatly used whilst we were there.
We stayed in a Garden Room ( close to the hotel and therefore not requiring hill ascent to get to the hotel).This was both spacious and well furnished. Sheets were changed almost daily and the whole hotel was kept spotlessly clean.
Food, assuming this does not change when the hotel goes AI was as follows;
Breakfast good with excellent omelttes and scrambled eggs together with various fresh breads/ fresh fruit and many other things ( even brussel sprouts and cauliflower!!).
Dinner was reasonable with a good choice and always something grilled fresh if you did not want the kitchen prepared choices. It was however, nothing exceptional.
As in every other Grecotel at which we have stayed the Staff were very friendly, helpful and efficient. However there appeared concerns amongst some of the staff that moving to AI would reduce customer service and it may be that some will move on over the winter.
If AI is the way you want to go then this is likely to be a good choice for you.
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Hotel Dassia Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: September 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Martin & Chris - Worcester UK (55 & 58)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
An excellent hotel - if you book sea view rooms! We thoroughly enjoyed our week there and found the food excellent and staff very friendly and helpful. The location is excellent with a bus every 1/2 hour to Corfu Town, superb gardens and beach and plenty of adjacent shops and resteraunts to stroll round. They do charge for sunbeds in the garden/beach, however, but not round their pool.
Our only advice is you must pay the extra for a seaview room. Its well worth it as the other side overlooks the busy coastal road and if you open the patio door the noise drowns out all! Our booking for a sea view room was messed up and they were very apologetic and we spent 2 days in a land view room. However, they did refund us all sea view charges, gave us some free lunchtime meals (which we were too full to generally appreciate!), wine+flowers+fruit in the room plus free sunbeds for the week.
We would highly recommend this hotel.
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Hotel Dassia Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland - September 2006
Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Janet and Kevin - Essex (49,51)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We knew we were going to need some where relaxing and good after a big event happening in our lives. Having enjoyed our stay at this hotel previously, we booked without any hesitation one year prior to our holiday commencing.
Our flight was the first out at 5.50am so we had been up since midnight, we arrived at the hotel at 11.40am (Corfu time), only to be told that the current quests were due to vacate their room at 12.00 and it would take the maid a further 2 hours to clean. After being awake all night this was not very welcoming.
Also on booking 1 year ago we requested a top floor room and we had paid for the sea view, guess what, Our room was on the lower floor! The receptionist we encountered enjoyed telling us this and must have been the previous one mentioned in another holiday maker's report. Needless to say we avoided her for the rest of the visit, the other receptionist staff were lovely, especially the one that also works the cinema of an evening.
Unfortunately the rooms still have the same carpets down which now stink as you enter (you have to run and open the patio door when you enter the room-some days the maid automatically left this open for us). They do not appear to have been cleaned/washed, despite being in use all season for the past several years. The bathroom could also do with a face lift, the taps are scaly and green mould had concreted on the floor corners and door stop. The bath took a time to drain, also accumulating water up to our shins while showering. The beds were too hard and must still be the same ones. Basically the rooms have not been updated and have worn with time since our last stay just 4 years ago.
However the room still had a good view and the setting of the hotel cannot be beaten. Why people rush to get the 20 free sun beds round the pool each day beats me when for a few pence you can lay out on the grass using the trees as shade if you wish with space around you and the sea/beach at your feet! *Heaven*.
The bar, as previously mentioned, is silly prices and this area is like a ghost town most nights. There is a happy hour but not advertised, its only if you go to purchase a drink at that time that you would be aware of it! One cocktail costs an average 6.90 euros
The entertainment has improved, but we knew it was bad anyway and had not come for this, however, some nights this was fetched out on to the veranda by the pool and can be pleasant to listen to from the balcony, however if you want an early night shutting the doors will not block out the music!!
The cinema is a great alternative however one night a film was advertised which was extremely popular and we had never seen the cinema so full. We were then told that the manager had decided to change this at the last minute with out giving a reason! Sadly every one walked out as they were not interest in his alternative!! There must have been less than 5 people for his replacement film.
The food/restaurant is still superb all though it does come a little repetitive after one week. The staff are lovely and very professional. Unfortunately the head waiter retires in a few years but I'm sure his replacement, who is being groomed now, will carry on his good work.
Our only complaint here is the veranda. Every one wants to eat 'alfresco to enjoy the view/air' yet there are not enough spaces! Further along there's a huge empty extension of this veranda. Why don't they extend the roof and make use of this space?
We hired a car for a week and travelled to our favourite places and got lost a lot and found few new ones .We travelled down south for the first time. The journey to the lake is great but disappointing, once you arrive. The beaches on the top North West are by far still the best. However avoid Sidari unless you have lots of football shirts, it's no longer the small holiday family village we stayed at 18 years ago!
For anyone looking up this hotel, yes it is good. The food is excellent the staff (most) are extremely friendly, the maids keep the hotel spotless, the location takes a lot of beating(although you would not think this arriving at the front of the hotel). The down side is the price of drinks/entertainment and the rooms are a little smelly now.
The lady from the jewellers in the reception lobby mentioned that this hotel is looking to extend to a 5* next year. Lets hope the hotel/chain works on achieving this as its too nice a hotel/location to allow to continue this decline.
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Hotel Dassia Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : William Rowley
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Arrived at the hotel to be told that the sea view room we had booked for our anniversary would not be supplied. We had to endure a room overlooking a busy main road. After comlaining to management I was told we could have a sea view room at a cost of 30 euros a day!
The hotel is a little tired and I would suggest that the 4star rating it has, is equivalant to a 2 star in Spain and Portugal. That said, the views from the hotel were nothing less than spectacular. The food was of a very high standard, with the restuarant manager 'Mr Xenopon' a perfect host. The rooms were cleaned, with towel and bedlinen changes, daily. Dassia itself has a surfeit of bars, shops and cafes dotted along its strip. Special mention to 'Erics Place' where you can get good food and drinks at excellent prices. Also 'Shakers Bar' if you are missing the rasp of good old Anglo Saxon!!
These places are preferable to the grossly inflated prices and somewhat boring atmosphere of the hotel cocktail bar. P.S. Thomas Cook please take note, ditch the 1980's coaches we had to endure on our airport tranfers!!!!!!!
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Hotel Dassia Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: walker - oct 2005
Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : michael walker 49,47
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was our first visit to corfu, we had 1 week on the emerald cruise ship then 1 week at the dassia chandris. I can honestly say that we have never met such helpful and pleasent staff at any hotel before. each and every member of the staff were so nice. the hotel was spotless they even provided jugs for drinking water that could be obtained from drinking water fountains in the corridor, safe deposit box's were free of charge. food was exellent.
my only complaint was that there was not enough sun loungers by the pool, ahtough you could go to the beach where they charged 3 euro's for a lounger, also drinks in the hotel were rather expensive. There is a free bus that runs to Corfu town 3 times a day which is great although the service bus runs passed the door and is only 95cents.
The area around the hotel is quite, but if that is what you are looking for I would recommend this hotel.
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Hotel Dassia Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: June 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Jackie - Wolverhampton (52,54)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We stayed at this hotel as part of a cruise and stay, so we were looking forward to a week of relaxation and comfort.
We were not disappointed with the hotel it is a very good hotel and the staff are very friendly and reception staff could not have been more helpful. We have stayed in the Corfu Chandris and knew that both these hotes were good.
Unfortunately the food has deteriorated since we were last here. I must say the food is plentiful and well displayed, but unfortunately it was always luke warm, evening if you were at the dining room early, the food was tasteless. We tried the sister hotel, as you can eat at either the Corfu or the Chandris and it was the same at this hotel. Shame really, and I did hear quite a few people saying they had been at the hotel many times, but the food had certainly been a let down. Otherwise the gardens are wonderful, oh I did find out that you can change the meals and eat in the gardens. Good for a change then you can eat out, but as you pay for half board, bit of a waste and costly.
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Hotel Dassia Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct - June 2005
Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Lynette - Plymouth ( 57,59,60)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Have just returned from another fantastic holiday at one of the Chandris Hotels Dassia. Last time we stayed at the Corfu Chandris, but decided to try the sister hotel this time, it was much cheaper with Portland Direct.
The euro has definitely pushed prices up and famillies could find their drinks bill in the hotel quite high, but then you are in a 4 star hotel.The hotel is super, the rooms large (in room safe 1 euro a day), kept very clean(although the beds are hard!) as is the rest of the hotel. Staff are friendly and mainly very polite. There are water fountains on each floor, so although we didn't use them for drinking water, we did to make tea and coffee in our rooms (take your own kettle).
The food in the restaurant was excellent, something for everyone - get there before 7.30pm for a table outside on the veranda (always leave one person on bird watch as both at breakfast and evening meal the birds will try and eat your food if left unattended!)
We preferred the Dassia's pool to the Corfu's as it has a childrens pool and also the water laps over the side - it was also easier to get a lounger here than at the Corfu Chandris. Although with the large shared grounds (laid to lawn, trees and flowers)going down to the beach where you can hire a lounger for 3 euros a day, there was room for everyone. The beach isn't particularly pretty as it's all shingle so a bit tough on the feet, but the sea is shallow and there are so many water activities it should keep everyone happy. We were impressed that a life guard was on duty both at the pool and the beach.The beach has held the blue flag for 15 years.
The local no7 bus runs half hourly into Corfu Town for less than 1 euro (the hotel bus fills up very early).
We hired a car from Aronda (opposite the Corfu Chandris) the lady there was really nice and helpful. We also booked a trip with them to Parga and Paxos. It was cheaper than going with Portland Direct, we had personal service to and from the port and the trip was the one we preferred - landing in Paxos instead of just cruising around it as the Portland trip did.
We're not ones for disco's and Dassia certainly isn't a booming lively resort so it suited us - we had some nice drinks and cakes in the evenings at the Bellissimo Bakery cafe which is at the Ipsos end of Dassia "strip". Dassia really is just as I said a "strip" of shops, cafes, bars on one side of a fairly busy road with the 2 Chandris hotels taking up most of the other side. There isn't much of a pavement in places so can be difficult with pushchairs.
Can't wait to go back to Corfu and of course the Chandris - it doesn't really matter which one, they're both excellent.
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Hotel Dassia Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: Broadway Travel, Luton - 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Sue Donym, Wales
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
Booking
Saved around £400 over Thomson Holidays
s book price by using Broadway via the
internet. First time we'd done it this was but tickets turned up on time
and all went smoothly. Paid around £500 a head, including meals on
aircraft.
Taxi from the airport
Should cost anything between 15-20 Euros- depending on car.
Situation
The hotel is around 20mins from the airport.
It's a hotel of two halves. At the front is a noisy road - takes around 4 mins to cross - and at the back is an extremely lovely bay view with the mountains of Albania in the background.
The sea view rooms are quiet. If you take a road room, you'd need earplugs as horns toot almost continuously.
The road is very difficult to cross for anyone not very quick on their feet. It has a zebra crossing but the drivers don't pay any attention to it.
Reception
The usual mix of extremely good receptionists - one is Zoe, and those not so good.
One seems to pick and choose who she wants to speak to. If your request doesn't appeal to her... she moves on to the next person. Very irritating as it can take more than 20 minutes for another receptionist to arrive.
The bald porter is extremely good and even worth tipping... and I'm mean about that sort of thing.
Decor
Usual marble and glass quasi Italian reception with an amateur non-working fountain.
Rooms
Only suitable for 2 adults and 1 child at the most. Not enough room for clothes so two of us lived out of suitcases.Basically 4 drawers and a wardrobe.
The hotel seemed to specialise in smaller families with one child, for this reason.
Cleanliness
Not brilliant. Paper not picked up for 3 days but sheets changed every day. 1980's dated furniture, carpets etc. Carpets could do with a clean.
Only one rather flat pillow per person. Only one extra blanket per room.
Fridge, phones and the usual shampoo, bubble bath and sewing kit. But soap taken away if you take the wrapper off and not replaced.
Hair drier so slow - probably powered by a hamster in a wheel the basement.
In the bathroom - blocking everyone else from going in if you've got long hair, so take your own if impatient.
Two electic plugholes per room. One a bit shakey.
Safety
Exits well marked and a sprinkler system.
Water
Brushed teeth in it all week and no problems but cooled water fountains on each floor, which were very useful.
Towels
The usual thin white ones. 1 bath - 1 hand per person per day.
Housekeeping
Had a problem here as apparently as the room was for only 2 people on the maid's list so our daughter didn't merit a bed cover, towel or glass. This seems to be a constant problem in hotels.Resolved after a couple of phonecalls to reception.
Bathroom
Slight mould but nothing unusual. Plumbing problerm but the Plumbing Force turned up within half an hour... bursting through the door like the Spanish Inquisition.... Two plumbers, the porter and tons of testerone.
Balcony
Superb views. Tiny drying rack about three foot off ground for beach towels, which were too large for it. Thankfully no towel police arrived to tell us off about hanging towels over balcony.
Dining room
Run very well but major domo has a thing about friendly patting of children, which is a bit disconcerting. Maybe the Greek way... but we Brits disconcerted.
Food
Not a single melting ice swan in sight -The usual canteen European mix with Greek corner. Something for everyone and fair for the price. Kids corner which the kids steadfastly ignored.
Fellow guests
Mainly Italian, French, Swiss around 10 percent British. Very little pushing in the dining room.
Shame to say the Brits were the worst behaved.. mainly gangs of 12/13 year old children from the Corfu Dassia hotel next door, which seems to be perfect for kids who like marking out territories and gang warfare. Some invaded the hotel as the Dassia guests share the facilities.Maybe we were unlucky.
Tattoo count
Low - and seemed to be women with shoulder tattoos only.
On brief inspection much higher in the Corfu Dassia, in which we didn't stay long as reception toilets were grimy... my theory being: If the toilets, which are seen, are dirty... what are the kitchens like?
Swimming pool
Great - better than the Corfu Dassia.
The Pool bully - every pool has one.....
The shallow end was colonised by a British gang with a football, who preceded to target small girls by throwing them at their faces as they had 'invaded their territory'. The father of one told me I had 'anger management problems' for being oddly upset about this before returning to sunbathe and ignore his wonderful 'boys'.
The lifeguard continued chatting up the girl in the snack bar. However, the next day a tough lady lifeguard appeared and saw them all off and peace resumed for the rest of the week.
*Highlight worth the price of admission..
Watching water aerobics demonstrated by Swartzanegger-look-a-like tip-toeing across the pool with several engrossed lady bathers.
Other entertainment
Greeks not known for their entertainment expertise - more historically into tragedies.
The entertainment teamhad clearly been given a budget of 30 euros for the season.
Handicapped by multi-national audience and
I simply had been aware that Edith Piaf sang through a black curtain hole and had tattoos. Magician was quite good. Generally, because of the drinks prices, most people without children went out.
Prices
Cigarettes are slightly cheaper in the supermarket down the alley - but less than 1 euro per pack of 10, than the hotel shop cigarettes.
Drinks almost double the price in the hotel than the cafe's across the road. The hotel says the prices are set by the Greek government but it reduces it's prices during the Happy hour. If they wanted to reduce prices they could do a Buy-One-get- One free.
Beach
If you've got tender feet you'll need shoes. About 8-feet of pebbles before reaching the sandy bottom.
Reasonably safe for children as no sudden big drops. Fish near the beach,so clean.
Pay sunbeds but also shade available by trees. Cafe on beach and three constant beach salesmen.. 'Doughnuts, mango, grapes' still ringing in my ears, even after all this time. African souvenirs available.
All in all
Enjoyable and views wonderful but wouldn't return to the hotel because of the road.
If noise doesn't bother you it would be fine for a small family and don't expect four star British.
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Hotel Dassia Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: Budget Travel - September 2004
Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Michael and Susan Reilly (50, 43)
Resort Rating: Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
A truly wonderful week to celebrate hubbies 50th birthday. We went half board and the selection of food was excellent with friendly helpful staff who didn't mind taking the time to teach us a word or two in Greek.
The grounds are beautiful and we lazed by the pool each morning, enjoying the quiet while reading/napping. Every afternoon was a leisurely stroll across the road to Eric's Place for a bite to eat and a couple of drinks, then back to the pool to soak up a few more rays.
Entertainment in the hotel is poor and alcohol is very expensive so we ventured out each evening.
Dassia itself is quiet so it probably wouldn't suit teenagers, but we thought it was ideal.
A thumbs up in every way, highly recommended.
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Hotel Dassia Chandris - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland May 2004
Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : J & D Lynch (56 & 57)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
Booked our first holiday in Corfu with Portland Direct Holidays. We always use them and thought we would try Corfu.
The Dassia Chandris is excellent. The Staff, the food, the views are amazing. The Reception team are so helpful and friendly. Especially Spiros 1 & 2 and Zoi.
The food available is great with plenty of choice. Get down to the restaurant early and sit out on the restaurant terrace. The views are great as you enjoy the food.
We always love the Portland Reps, but Paul was amazing. He is new to the job but is so passionate and funny. He will do anything he can to make sure you enjoy your stay. Watch him on stage doing the Cha Cha Slide. he's got style!
All in all the hotel and holiday was excellent and the gardens are great. Our only niggle is the bar prices, Greek Government Taxes or something, but the bar staff are really good.
The Manager is so helpful and will sit for a drink with you. He is married to a scottish lady... Ask him about the Lake District.
Entertainment is of a good standard, but the entertainment manager comes across quite rude. But is tunisian so maybe its the language barrier.
Highly recommend this hotel to everyone... and make sure you say hello to Paul, the Portland Rep.
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Hotel Elea Beach - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cookl July 2006
Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : J. Kennedy & D. Jones (52 ,53
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
After reading other reviews I was very apprehensive about going to this hotel; we even enquired into changing the hotel and paying extra until commomsense prevailed; how much time was I going to spend in the hotel any way?
We arrived in the middle of the night and was greeted by the night porter who gave us our room keys. The hotel was in darkness and it was difficult to make any judgments at this stage. Our room was clean but unfortunately overlooked the front enterance. The following morning we asked to see if there we any chance of changing to a sea view. The reception staff could not be more obliging and we were reallocated to a room with a sea view with a minimal supplement.
The hotel was spotless. Garden well kept and watered daily. Staff were friendly with the exception of one waitress who frowned most of the time she was on duty. Food was good - I eat anything. The location was fantastic. The hotel entertainment was minimal. Plenty of low key tavernas and entertainment within easy walking distance. The majority of the holiday makers were 30+ and families which is ideal if you don't want loud music and gangs of young people hanging around although towards the end of the second week there was a change in the type of people coming into the area.
Visited the Hotel Chandris and we were pleased that we hadn't paid the extra to stay as the entertainemnt was open to non-residents anyway and was too much like a holdiay camp.
The majority of the holidaymakers were not English speaking. (We thought this was a bonus at lest you felt you were on holiday abroad not Manchester-by-the-Sea.)
Everybody was friendly even if there was such a mix of people e.g. Dutch,Austrian, German,Hugarian,Russian, French, Italian, English and Welsh.
I was not impressed with the Thomas Cook rep as she never came on time and there were times when she didn't come at all. This could be as a result that we were the only six people travelling with Thomas Cook.
Overall this was a fantastic holiday and we made good friends. The hotel offered good value for money and I wouldn't hesitate recommending the resort and the hotel.
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Hotel Elea Beach - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thomson Holidays
- September 2005
Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : D Farnham - Cardiff (48,40,63,52)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
After spending the first week of our holiday cruising the Aegean on the Emerald, we were slightly apprehensive about our second week in Corfu, as we had such a fantastic week on the ship. We have read quite mixed reviews about the Elea Beach, but when we got there we were so relieved, as the room was spacious and very clean. Although we rarely lie around the pool, we did notice that there was plenty of room with enough sunbeds (the hotel charges 1.5 euros per bed, I think this is a good idea as it really annoys me when people put their towels on them all day in case they want to use them, but quite often don't). The beach is shingle, but we bought some jelly shoes in the hotel shop for 6 euros.
The hotel shop is quite cheap and they also have a second hand book exchange, the lady who runs the shop is lovely. The staff in the hotel are very friendly, and the guys who run the bar outside (or inside depending on the weather) are mad - try getting past them without having a drink! We only had one meal at the hotel restaurant, not because there is anything wrong with the food as we did enjoy it, but we prefer to try different places and atmospheres. Our friends had a few more meals than us at the hotel, but they did say that the evening meals are better than breakfast.
We tried quite a few restaurants in Dassia - The Hammock (delicious food, crepes and hot chocolate in particular were best we've had); Bamboo (went there a couple of times, Greek dishes particularly nice); Alex's Bar (really good food and very friendly staff, unfortunately we only found it on our last day); Caridia Taverna, also known as the Walnut Tree (recommended by a taxi driver - we had meze and it was superb). Last but definitely not least, Andreas' Bar on the beachfront next to Elea Beach Hotel; we spent many happy hours there eating and drinking. We can also recommend the Woodpecker and Sharia Beach for drinks, especially the cocktails.
If you want to see some of the prettier and quieter beaches hire a taxi and get the driver to take you on a tour; we did this twice and saw some stunning places that you would probably not get to see on organised trips.
Corfu Town is great and the bus is so cheap at 95 cents each way.
We will definitely come back to Dassia again.
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Hotel Elea Beach - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Thomson Holidays
Direct) Thompson - August 2004
Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : K Cummings - Lancashire
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: No rating
My/Our Holiday Review:
Dassia is an idyllic town and its surrounding towns are also worthy of a peep. You don't have to travel too far afield to find some great days out. Give Aqualand a try if you have kids, it's clean and well run and a great day out. If you're going as part of an excursion under three's are free so watch you don't get charged for it. It's a great area for families with many bars and restaurants welcoming and providing for children with open arms. It's not too crammed full of night clubs and teenagers letting their hair down and displaying some of the antics the media has shown us.
The shingle beach is clean and there are some lovely beach bars. Give the Malibu a try, what a great bunch they were, great food too.
Unfortunately I can't say anything nice at all about The Elea Beach Hotel. It's not worthy of even appearing in a Thompson brochure. The hotel was out dated the pool was a disgrace and the rooms still stuck in the 1960's with air con that either gave you hyperthermia through the night or was so warm it was pointless having it on. The "Lush Gardens" as described in the brochure were overgrown, unkempt and part used as a car park.
The sun beds at 3 euro each where kept chained up and you had to make an appointment with the sun bed manager if you wanted to reserve one, but we never actually saw him and details of his timetable were sketchy to say the least.
The play area advertised was a complete death trap and the most sensible thing the Thompson rep did all week was advise us not to use it. Talking about the Rep, he preferred to sit at the bar chatting with the bar staff than attending his guests failed to warn holiday makers about the jelly fish in the sea till a child was badly stung. Now we know we can't do anything about jelly fish in the sea, but at least give us the warning and let us decide for ourselves whether we want to run the risk or not. He charged us full price for a child of three on an excursion when the Aqualand water park we were visiting didn't charge at all for children under threes (we got no refund) and repeatedly did not sort out all our problems. Incidentally when we left the hotel three days later he still hadn't bothered to put up a sign.
The hotel was run by the most unfriendliest staff we have ever come across who argued in front of guests in the mess hall (we can't possibly call it a dining room) and elbowed guests including children out of the way to re stock the food cabinets. You were only allowed a drink with your meal if you were full board and the Maitre D stood guard over the drinks machine and bottled water each meal to ensure this rule was kept. Call me old fashioned but I find it unacceptable to not even be allowed a drink of water with a meal. The food bar outside was appalling also with extremely rude staff and food that was best left on the plate.
Of five other couples not a single one was happy with the quality of the hotel, staff facilities or anything. The best part of the week was time spent at a neighbouring hotel Dassia Chandris, this also being a Thompson Hotel we were allowed.If you're planning on booking in this area this is the safest option. Look at all the good reports about this hotel. Our advice is to avoid the Elea beach at all costs it's dreadful but go see Dassia....thats great!
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Hotel Elea Beach - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland July 2004
Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Cheryl Graham - Oxon (46,45,14,12)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
We took a late booking with Portlandwith a choice of 3 hotels. We arrived at the Elea Beach.
The resort is lovely, peaceful, good beach, never crowded and the hotel is right on the beach.
The food was acceptable but got a bit boring. Very few English guests and those that were there were less than impressed with the rep.
We paid a fortune for an exclusive boat trip abut were put on a boat with French, Germans and Greeks who were rude and pushy. The rep said he didn't know how this had happened and on our last day we got a full refund, but the trip was spoilt.
Watersports are good in Dassia but for a better holiday go up the road t the Dassis Chandris, now that is a fantastic hotel with wonderful facilities.
Just glad we didn't pay full brochure price!
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Hotel Elea Beach - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct - July 2004
Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Anne and Ken - Preston (45+)
Resort Rating: Excellent
Accommodation Rating: Excellent
My/Our Holiday Review:
This was our first time in Greece and we certainly were not disappointed. We booked through Portland's "Pricebreakers" a few weeks earlier, where we didn't know which of 3 hotels we would stay at until we arrived. This saved us quite a bit of money.
The Hotel was excellent. The location was superb, at the side of the beach with views across to Corfu town and Albania. The hotel was very clean and the staff polite, friendly and helful.
The food was good - buffet style - there was always something decent to eat - even for a fussy man! A lot of the tour operators were "All Inclusive" - this would have got too monotonous for us, however we could see
the attraction for families.
Dassia was a very quiet, chilled out result, which is what we wanted. However if you had teenagers they could have been bored. There were plenty of water sports very near by. Lots of boat trips. Gregory's boats ran a good trip north to Kassiopi for 15e This included 2-3 swim stops a beach BBQ and 2 hours in Kassiopi - a good day out.
There were not too many bars. Alex's bar was very good on the main road, ran by Alex (Greek) and his Welsh wife, Angie and family. Very friendly and good food. The Taraya Garden bar was also very good, good music and cocktails. Again Spiros the owner and his staff were very welcoming. There were also a number of small beach bars overlooking the bay. What could be better than watching the sun go down sat in one of these bars.
If you want a chill out holiday in a beautiful location Dassia and the Elea Beach would be perfect.
We will return!
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Hotel Elea Beach - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland june 2004
Opinion submitted in Jan 2005 by : kevin phillips [50'46'10
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
we would not recommend the elea beach due to the large majority of german guests.the hotel was clean and tidy'butthe food was not good.the pool was saltwater and was horrible if you got any water in your eyes or mouth.go to dassia but not to this hotel.
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Hotel Eliana El-Pro - Dassia
Opinion submitted in May 2004 by : Robbie Blake (42, 40, 18, 15,) - Date Not Specified
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The hotel eliana is a basic family run hotel. u will be hard pushed to find a better value for money hotel. it has a nice sized pool with lots of sun beds (get there early!) pool bar was excellent food but the prices was bit steep just like the hill to the hotel whuch will tire u out! the bloke who runs the bar andreas is sound joins in the fun etc. all guests get on well talking to each other etc. nice atmosphere.
would go again if u could knock the hill out the equation. maybe hire a car or a ped just to go up and down it.
regular bus service to corfu town which is great because not many resorts have this (blue buses, 85c single) dassia has many bars shakes etc on the main road. recomend u try yianniss taverna just a bit further up from the hotel eliana.
walk to ipsos about 20 mins lovely views. beach is a bit poo pebbles not 4 sun batherss but still did it! lots of water sports to try. lots more great hotel even tho the corridors do echo and great resort will return to island and visit for the day probly! rob!
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Helios Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: Kosmar Thomas Cook - 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : mr knapton 35 ,30 ,7 ,9;
Resort Rating: Average
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
late booking to corfu in dassia at the helias apartments looking forward to it as never been to corfu before (WHAT A DISAPOINTMENT)We got to the appartments at 6am the rep showed us our room we found it to be very dirty. I could not possibly cook with the utencils also one small hand towel each. Went to sleep 4 a couple of hours. Hopefully, we would feel better after that...but, I found the holiday very very dissapointing and we booked in for 7 nights but ended up only getting 6. Swimming pool was very nice and heated - no problems with the sunbeds, but still a very poor holiday. Wont be visiting again.
Mind you, the food was very good, turn right just out of the hotel you will find a very nice little restaurent call "Anis"
very cheap, very good food defiently a plus point at the resort. Must take a tourch as it was very dark at night and there was no street lights or paths.
Overall Rating/ 5/10.
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Helios Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: Kosmar Thomas Cook - 2006
Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : 58 40 30 30 12 10 10
Resort Rating: Poor
Accommodation Rating: Below Average
My/Our Holiday Review:
First time been to Corfu so didn't know what to except. Stayed 3 people stayed in the one bedroom apartment and the other 4 stayed in a 2 bedroom appartment which are a lot better you get 2 balconys looking over the pool.
Rooms very basic bathroom very untidy the shower is half way down the wall so when you have a shower the floor gets very wet and slippery because got a shower curtain which doesn't stop the water you dont get no plugs in the sink. The pool area is quite nice the pool is heated the children really liked the pool its a good size went in August and whatever time you could always get a sun bed which was good.
The bar is hardly open during the day. Places to eat Cheap place to eat is Annies at the hotel turn right past the shop and owned by an old couple. Went there for breakfast twice or you could go left at the hotel which is 20 minutes walk into town. Eat at Valentino's very good food. The water park is really GOOD! A very fun day out but bring food as they rip you off big time! Get a car but be careful because of the cars hooting there horns turn left at the hotel and go to Ipsos through Dassia you will see there is a Ipsos sign so you know you are there and look to the left and you will see the pier and beach and see if you can park near there there is this lovely food restraunt and i would eat there again and it looks like the people are italion but they can speak english and greek and they are so funny and friendly. Take a torch with you because walking back at night is very dark no street lights take plenty of moziz/nats spray as they bite and the bloomin well itch.
Wasn't pleased because we got kicked out of our room on Friday 12:00 with 3 kids in the boiling heat no reception no other rooms to stay in until our coach got here on SATURADY 2 am and we were all bored we had to stay round the pool all day went out night time till 12:00pm got back to the hotel the bar was all closed no where to get a drink and no where to sleep with kids!!! Had to lay on the uncomfy sun beds for hours till the bus picked us up so we weren't very pleased
i wouldn't go back to dassia again or the helios apartments
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Helios Apartments - Dassia
Operator and Date: (Kosmar Discounts) Kosmar Aug 2004
Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Garry & Suzanne Snaith (43,41.13)
Resort Rating: Very Good
Accommodation Rating: Very Good
My/Our Holiday Review:
The apartments really nice and the pool always clean. We had a great 2 weeks lazing round the pool and eating out in Dassia about 15 minutes walk along a busy main road but don't let this put you off. Dassia is quite quiet, however the food is great and cheap. Particularly at Valentinos, just inside the village, where you can get a 3 course meal for on average 7.50 euro's. A visit to the Parasol bar for a few cocktails is worth it at only 3 euro's each, served by the lovely Suzanne and her husband.
Anyone wanting a busy lively holiday will be disappointed with Dassia, but if you enjoy relaxing by the pool and supping a few cocktails on the evening, you can't go wrong.
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