Apollonion Asterias Resort And Spa

“Love this place ”

We love this hotel, 2nd visit & we were worried after the issues earlier in the season but we didn't have to worry. Food great and service was friendly, we spent most of the time on Xi beach and it's an amazing place. We hired a car for 3 days and visited some great places. Room was lovely and c... more

We love this hotel, 2nd visit & we were worried after the issues earlier in the season but we didn't have to worry. Food great and service was friendly, we spent most of the time on Xi beach and it's an amazing place. We hired a car for 3 days and visited some great places. Room was lovely and cleaned every day with treats left for us. I think it's great value and we have booked again for June.

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“Fabulous holiday”

Lovely hotel. Staff so friendly and helpful. Food was delicious. Close to beach. Quiet area. Our room was fabulous, we had a pool which was lovely. The hotel caters for all ages. We had such a lovely warm welcome on arrival. Nothing is too much trouble.

“Fab stay”

We had a fabulous stay in August. The staff were lovely, the room was really nice albeit not the biggest, and the facilities were all great. The kids club at the pool was excellent with a great team, and the food was great. We hired a car from Mercury next door which was really convenient and gre... more

We had a fabulous stay in August. The staff were lovely, the room was really nice albeit not the biggest, and the facilities were all great. The kids club at the pool was excellent with a great team, and the food was great. We hired a car from Mercury next door which was really convenient and great for seeing more of the wonderful island.

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“Nice accommodation ... but oh ... the food”

Despite what I’m about to share, overall, we enjoyed our stay in Kefalonia which is a lovely place to visit. We booked 7 nights half-board via the Tui website & arrived at this resort, tired and hungry after a long journey. Reception checked us in and shared the rules for booking a spa treatment ... more

Despite what I’m about to share, overall, we enjoyed our stay in Kefalonia which is a lovely place to visit. We booked 7 nights half-board via the Tui website & arrived at this resort, tired and hungry after a long journey. Reception checked us in and shared the rules for booking a spa treatment (48hrs advance notice required) and dining at Greek and Italian a la carte on-site restaurants (24hrs advance notice required). Altogether, it wasn’t a particularly warm greeting, but then we weren’t informed by the Tui website the resort closed for the season in a week’s time. Tui, please openly disclose this in future. Of course, it was season’s end but the reception and waiting staff with some exceptions, appeared exhausted and disinterested, presumably after a long, hard season. We were then directed to the Delice ‘all-day’ snack bar for something to eat – it closed at 5pm. Ahem…and the waitress was fully disinterested. This resort is listed as 5 stars on the Tui website. It’s not and here’s why…. 5 stars implies excellence across all domains: accommodation, food, facilities, comfort etc. It’s true that the resort is on a large, attractive site, well designed, comfortable and the rooms well serviced daily but, and here’s the main issue, the food … oh my goodness. Both our breakfasts and evening dinner were a major disappointment. Pastries were overcooked daily. Steamed vegetables and main dishes were unappealing with a clear absence of Greek food. Five stars remember. The food certificate at reception is a safety certificate, not a food quality one. There is a difference. We shared our disappointment with the Tui rep but were surprised how defensive she was, claiming it’s not her experience the food is disappointing as she’d been dining here throughout the season. Tui, please understand one thing: it’s not the rep’s opinion that’s important but those of fee-paying guests. The rep's response was unexpected and embarrassing for us. The rep even claimed to dine at the hotel ‘incognito’ but being Greek herself and presumably well known by the hotel staff, this point seemed odd. To be fair, the Tui rep did communicate well via the Tui app and informed us she’d shared our concerns with a hotel ‘office manager’ some two days after our arrival. However, at no stage thereafter were we approached or contacted by any of the hotel staff to discuss our concerns. Surprising and disappointing. However, dining out at some of the excellent restaurants in Lixouri to compensate was a treat using our hire car, but this added unexpected costs to the holiday. Since our return, we've shared our experience online with Tui who compensated us with a token for our experience … a £15 Costa/ pizza voucher. I'll leave you to ponder that one. In summary, we weren’t expecting a 5 star resort to ignore earlier food complaints which were raised back in August 2023 by another TA reviewer. Do look at the hotel’s response to my review and ask yourself … does the hotel response address our concerns or do they come across as defensive, suggesting ‘alternative rooms could have been arranged’ (as they suggested to a reviewer complaining of food quality back in August 2023.) How would that have helped with food? Some previous reviewers have been met with an odd hotel response such as, “how can we offer poor service when our positive reviews and certificates of excellence say otherwise?”. That’s a fair point but food quality may not be a priority for everybody. As for Tui. They are rated as poor on the Which? Best Holiday Providers and on the evidence of our experience, this sadly appears to be the case. We won’t be returning to this resort or travelling with Tui again.

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