Philoxenia Hotel

I stayed at the Philoxenia with my husband and 2 children aged 2 and 7. We were upgraded to the D block on the lower floor so had access to the beautiful second pool. I would definitely recommend these rooms if you are able to. The room was lovely although lacked storage when travelling with two children so if you can take packing cubes or a hanging travel storage this would be useful. They provided a rail for the bunk bed and the rooms were cleaned to a good standard every day. The food was lovely with lots of variety and different salads every day. Lots of Greek traditional dishes too. There was a wide variety of cooked breakfast items, pastries, cheeses and continental items as well as fresh fruit. You could also have freshly made omelettes and pancakes. We were on a half board basis and didn’t really order drinks or other food. However the Oreo and Bueno pancakes were amazing. We shared between 4 of us! The male lifeguard was really friendly and very encouraging. However the female lifeguard really shouldn’t be doing that job. She was rude and spent most of the time talking on her phone. It was lovely to have some photographs taken on one of the nights which were able to purchase at breakfast the next day. An absolute highlight for all of us was Sandiago the animator. We loved aqua Zumba, aqua gym, Pilates, yoga, stretching, table tennis, darts and the mini disco. He was amazing with the kids and really made it lovely for them both. We loved walking down to the beach. Sorelle’s ice cream was brilliant and the pizza restaurant and Mr Greek were both great for lunch.

I am writing this review literally just over a week after returning home. For anyone looking for a very special holiday away from everyday stress then the philoxenia hotel in pascoudia halkadiki is the holiday destination I would choose again and again. I am well traveled, and have stayed in so many hotels and the philoxenia hotel for me is a holiday I will never ever forget and I will return next year with my husband whom ide left home on this occasion as went with my friend for her special birthday. Everyone, the staff, the bar staff, the restaurant team, even the life guard George were just amazing and couldn't do enough for my friend and I. The food was just beautiful and the rooms were modern, clean and just heaven of an evening Sat on the terrace in such beautiful surroundings. The beach is a short walk through a wood and although psakoudia is only a small town, the people that live and work in the little shops and bars are what I believe to be a breath of fresh air and how I imagined Greece to be. Even the guests at the hotel were all lovely and my friend and I met some friends for life. The pascoudia hotel is only a small complex and not like your huge resorts it is a place to relax, to leave everything at home behind for a little while and just take a breath and enjoy. There is cats at the hotel and in the area as there is all over Greece and other islands. The five cats at the hotel one we names tippy were born at the hotel and animal lovers we never ever saw any member of staff misstreat any of the animals and they are part of the family there we came to know and love very much. The cats are fed by the hotel staff and cats being cats are friendly to all , but also leave you alone if you're not a cat person. They aren't skinny, flee ridden or anything of the sort they are friendly and because grown up at the hotel don't venture into the roof top restaurant as they get fed just below which we witnessed ourselves. For anyone thinking of going to stay here if you're not looking for a huge resorts and nightlife and want to experience a genuine family Greek hotel in an unspoilt, unbuilt up area of Greece then I hope like us you enjoy as much as we did. Another must when you visit is afytos by night trip . And the blue lagoon cruise and beach bbw at banana Island. Thank you so much to everyone at the philoxenia hotel we will be back very soon . Ps if you can't cope with any more stress and need to recharge and feel a huge weight lifted off you then without reasonable doubt this hotel is for you especially just coming out of season jenny Newman

We have just returned form staying at this hotel, I would rate the hotel as a 3* not a 4*, the food overall was acceptable, plenty of choice if you like a buffet, the Kukanuri restaurant which you have to pay an extra 30E per person on top of your half board is not worth the money, the food was generally cold and not very tasty at all. The rooms were ok, we had what was classed as a Garden View room, which over looked an unfinished building, although you could see the sea between it. very small and not enough storage or hangers. the area was extremely quiet with only 2 Tavernas open, appreciate it was coming to the end of the season. the beach was ok and the sea was so clear. we had a fab pizza in Alymeras and had lots of salads and wine there lovely little place. overall the holiday did what we wanted which was to relax, and get some sun. I would not return tho.

I rarely go back to the same hotel twice but had such a fantastic time last year so we ( 4 girlfriends) returned this year! Seriously the staff that were there from last year greeted us with such a warm welcome. Namely Aristeidis Drossas, ioanna Bliouka in the restaurant and Fortes in the bar. All are so attentive, friendly and do their jobs incredibly well! It was like we were coming home ! Other people that deserve a mention are Lucie, Evi and Victoria and the lovely Mya in the kitchen- breakfast cook with a ready smile. The rooms were cleaned daily and kept spotless the food great and varied enough for most palettes. Santiago was an amazing Aqua Zumba instructor also making the classes great fun you wanted to join in! We will definitely return to the Philoxenia and will look forward to seeing the wonderful staff mentioned . They all are worth their weight in gold.

The accommodation and meals were good, but the management and staff lacked empathy. Absurd rules imposed by the management. They don't allow you to serve coffee by the pool in the morning, you always have the feeling that someone is watching you. If you bring something from outside the hotel, you are not allowed to consume it at the pool, after 19:00 when the pool is closed, although I paid extra to have access to this pool. Because the swimming pool is closed, only 10 rooms have access. All the negative comments have come true. Totally missing the Greek spirit, avoid this location.

A 4 star hotel that should not even be a 2 star hotel. The rooms are poorly maintained, the cleaning is scarse. The food at the buffet is horrendous, not a singel dish was eateable. There are 2 pools but you have only access to one of them, and that pool is in a really bad shape as lot of the others areas on the hotel. The hotel uses pictures from their luxury suites which is an other concept and has nothing to do with the rooms at Philoxenia. The staff barely understand any English, something they brag about on their website. There was never a day that we didn't have to wait nothing less than 20 min to even order a drink by the pool, even when we were the third couple at the pool area. We brought our complaints to the manager but he wasn't serviceminden enough to even do something about our complaints. So as you could imagine, we left the hotel earlier than planned.