Apollonion Asterias Resort & Spa

This hotel was amazing! We had the best holoday here. I will split my review into sections to try and cover everything that I think is useful to know. Transfers: on arrival we were taken by coach to the port of Argostoli where we got a ferry over to Lixouri then picked up by a mini bus and taken to the hotel. We found this fine and quite a nice way to start the holiday. On the way back we drove around the peninsula as there was quite a lot of people on the coach and would of took longer to get everyone and luggage off and onto the ferry etc. This took about an hour and a half and was fine. Reception: reception staff were very welcoming we were checked in quickly and were asked to wait for a porter who came with a good buggy to take us to our room. Reception staff were really helpful with any questions we had. Room: we stayed in the new Asterias in a premium junior suite with a private pool. Wow! You could tell it was all new you could smell the decorating. Having the pool was great and my 11 year old son really enjoyed this. The terrace had 2 nice comfy chairs and a table with 2 other chairs. We enjoyed sitting out enjoying the sun. There were 3 of us so we had 2 single beds put together and a sofa bed all of which were extremely comfortable and the pillows were probably the most comfortable we've ever had. We found the room had lots of storage for clothes. The bathroom was lovely and we had no problems with the shower temperature or flow. We also had a coffee machine and kettle in our room and pods, sugar and milk were stocked up each day. Cleaners were great they came in every day and always did a brilliant job. Hotel facilities: both pools were lovely clean and well kept. Both pools had plenty of sunbeds and there were always beds free. Around asterias pool you had call buttons by your sun loungers for drinks and snacks. The girl serving was brilliant always quick and pleasant. There is an outdoor cinema which we didn't use but is a great idea. My children are older so we didn't use the children's entertainment but they seemed to have a good programme going on. The splash pool looked great for younger children. Resturant: we never had to wait for a table at any meal and we are at various times. Yes some tables still needed clearing but at times but all staff did this as quickly as possible and it didn't affect getting a table to eat at. We did no have any problems getting a drink with our meal, waiter usually came straight over on the occasional time they didn't we just caught their attention and they came straight over, they are extremely busy so I did not see a problem with this. The food was fantastic, there was a good choice every night but not too much that the quality of food is compromised. The head chef was around at all times anything everything was ok, I saw food being checked for temperatures frequently and everything was kept incredibly clean. For us we couldn't fault the food or staff. Management were also always present and were as friendly and helpful as the waiting staff. Bars: We only used the Asteria pool bar and the Music bar. You did occasionally have to wait for a drink in the Music bar on an evening and the waitress was working extremely hard. It may have been useful to have the evening entertainment staff helping out as the girls there seemed to hang around the DJ box taking selfies whilst the waitress was running around. I wasn't always sure the purpose of them being there. We found this bar really relaxing for a nice drink on an evening yes the drinks are a little more expensive than of you want out but you are in a 5 star hotel so to be expected. The Greek dancing was brilliantly we really enjoyed watching and joining in with this. The other entertainment wasn't up to this standard. The Latin night conisited of the girls doing a dance that they looked really nervous about. This would be my only critisicm of the hotel as everything else was perfect. We never heard the bar from our room when we went back and we were quite close. Location: 5 minute walk to Xi beach, a couple of beach bars (which are only open in the day) and a mini market. There is also a taverna on the way to the beach that looked nice. We loved the beach it was quiet and whilst we were there we took the opportunity to use some of the natural clay found in the rocks which was fantastic. The area is very quiet which was exactly what we were looking for. If you wanted a bit more going on a taxi into Lixouri cost €10. We did the tui discover kefalonia trip which we really enjoyed. We also got the ferry one morning over to Argostoli to see the logger head turtles which come into the harbour by the fishing boats this was fantastic to see and I would definitely recommend doing this if you can. Overall this hotel and location was fantastic, apart from my one little gripe about the evening entertainment. We liked it so much that we have already looked at when we can return! Thank you to all the staff for your hard work and making this hotel so great.

Relaxation was what we needed and exactly what we got here. Getting to and from the hotel is via the ferry (as it is on an outlying spur of the main island, which added a nice twist to the start and end of the holiday. The “older” section is called Apollonion (built 2011 from memory) and the newer section Asterias. We were in the older section and could not have wished for a better room. We had a side sea view and direct mountain view, lovely to sit on the balcony in the evening with a beer! The room was really well presented and looked new, not even dings on the walls. It was a duplex with two single beds pushed together downstairs and the same upstairs. We requested a kettle when we got there and this stayed with us for the duration of the holiday. The room was cleaned daily and was left to a high standard. We arrived late and were whisked straight to the end of dinner service in golf type buggys. The buggys were available to move you around the resort if needed as there was a little walk from reception to the Asterias buildings. One of the pools had a children’s play area attached, and a dining area. The other pool had an infinity pool and provided snacks. This was our favourite pool as it had a fantastic view to the mountains and across the sea, absolutely beautiful!Each pair of sun beds had a small table with a call function for service, worked really well. One slightly strange point was that the pool was not open before 10 and finished at 7. No early or late dips allowed, surprising because in peak season an early or late dip would be nice. Drinks are a little on the expensive side but not disproportionately so, but there is a cocktail of the day at 50% off and happy hour 4-6 also with 50% off. All staff were friendly, there was not a single grump to be found. Food was all excellent with a different menu on every evening. Breakfasts covered all of the usual hot and cold selections with a lovely fresh fruit section. Normal coffee will be served at your table if requested, or all other drinks were from the buffet. You are just over 5 minutes walk from the red sand beach at Xi, which also has a small shop for water, milk, beer, etc. The beach has a lot of sun beds and a slowly shelving beach into the sea so youngsters can wade out some way before needing to swim. There are also a small number of tavernas/bars at the beach. There is a tour company on the island called KCG who we booked trips through (just down the road from the hotel towards the beach at a car hire place), would definitely recommend them, much cheaper than the tour companies and every bit as good. I would recommend this hotel without reservation for a relaxing/quiet holiday, but not so good for night owls.