Eleftheria Hotel in Agia Marina

Nice, clean hotel with decent facilities. We knew the location was up a long, pretty steep hill and were prepared for that as we are reasonably fit 60 somethings lol. We walked down to the bottom many times and also walked up a few times in the day. There is a free minibus transfer down/up every couple of hours but last journey up is 9pm so if you are out and about after that a taxi from the bottom to the top will cost €8- Although the first time we flagged a taxi down, he charged us 10. It isn’t lit very well for a night walk. We were half board and found that from the bottom of the hill along the main resort road, there were hardly any bars just to call for a drink, as they tended to be restaurants which were full of people having meals. This part of Agia Marina wasn’t really our cup of tea but would probably have been better if we were looking for restaurants. There were a few beach bars but towards the end of our holiday, they weren’t open after 6pm. Enough about location. The hotel itself has a nice big swimming pool and children’s pool. The pool bar has a good selection of meals/snacks and drinks and unlike another reviewer we had no issues with the music. It was quite modern. Teddy Swims, Lewis Capaldi etc. Service at the pool bar was a bit hit and miss as it wasn’t constantly manned. It was the barman that drove the minibus so he would leave the bar at certain times and nobody would stand in for him. Sometimes other bar staff would disappear only to reappear if they saw that somebody was waiting (cctv). There was a small gym but each time you wanted to use it, you’d have to go to reception on the floor below for a card to open the door and then make the return journey to take it back. Breakfast was plentiful and although not a huge choice for evening meals, what was on offer was always well cooked and tasty. The set up of the buffet area was a bit clumsy with not enough room for people to queue or pass if it was a busy time. The seating area was nice and airy with huge open doors overlooking the sea, you can also eat at outside tables. The staff were professional but I can’t say we experienced the usual Greek hospitality. The waiters barely looked at you in the restaurant, let alone smile or say good morning (the exception was 1 lovely lady whose name I didn’t get.) The cleaners did a good job but again didn’t look or smile when you passed them chatting in groups. They would reply when I instigated a Kalimera. We upgraded to a superior room which was spacious but the air con was pretty noisy. No hanging space for dresses in the wardrobe as there was a shelf underneath the rail, making anything longer than a shirt, rest on the shelf causing creasing. We always enjoy our Greek holidays and we did enjoy the meals we had and time spent around the pool but this hotel/ area isn’t one we will be back to.

We have had a two week holiday here, and while there are some good points to the hotel, there have also been some disappointing elements, which, for us, merited the average rating. Other guests had mentioned the irritating music, which constantly assaults the ears when around the pool side, but this can not be overstated. The constant electronic drum beat permeates every "tune" that plays on a loop, meaning you hear the same music over and over again is tantamount to torture. It proved very difficult to read a book and relax poolside as this noise is played at a volume that overrides normal conversation. In the evenings, this is evidenced by only a small group of people congregating at the bar, as most choose the option of escaping to the local town to avoid the noise. The hotel itself is a lovely modern building set on a hillside overlooking Aghia Marina, which is not a marina as we know it, but a busy seaside resort. It is full of restaurants and offers some good reasonably priced meals with stunning views. The hotel offers a free minibus to the bottom of the hill and a return, but it is often left to the barman to drive the bus! The capacity for the bus is eight people. If more than eight are waiting to come or go, then there is absolutely no bar service while he leaves the bar to drive the bus. The hotel restaurant is unlike any that we have experienced before. All meals are buffet service, including the evening meal. This shouldn't be a problem, but the restaurant closes at 10 am (breakfast) and 9 pm (evening meal) sharp! The opportunity to enjoy a leisurely evening dinner us abruptly stopped at ten to nine, when the staff approaches you and reminds you that the restaurant will close at 9pm. This leaves you with the option of catching the last bus down to the village and either a taxi back or a mile hike up the hill in the dark (there is no street lighting). We had a superior sea view room, which was very nice. However, the sea view was slightly limited due to a large overhang of the main stairwell, which protrudes away from the building, blocking part of the view. We would highly recommend hiring a car. The hotel recommended a local firm who supplied a very nice car at a reasonable price. For ten days, our car cost the same as three or for excursions. This allowed us to explore the lovely island and visit beaches and sites at our own leisure and not to the strict timetable that such excursions set. Would we stay here again? No, but others may like it.