Kontessa Apartments in Kefalos

Absolutely terrifying experience -- out of a nightmare!

Booked a 5-night stay via Agoda, paid in full upfront, requested a double bed and late check-in. Received a confirmation email.

Arrived around 9pm to find no reception -- just a sign directing us to call a random number. A man named Nikos arrived quickly in an expensive car, gave a rushed greeting, then immediately announced there was a problem with our hotel and told us to "get into my car" and that he would take us to another hotel. No proper explanation, no apology, just pressured us to load our luggage into his vehicle and get into his car.

Nikos was extremely rude and condescending and completely disregarded our concerns about going to a completely random and different hotel other than the one we booked. This literally made us feel as if we were going to be potentially kidnapped!

We followed him in our car to the other property (thankfully we already had rented a car of our own)!

The alternative property called Irene Studios (also managed by him) was clearly inferior: much smaller, dated, dirty shower with a useless curtain, no WiFi despite promises, non-working TV, and none of the amenities (like a pool) the original hotel had.

When I raised concerns, Nikos claimed he had received no contact details from Agoda so that he could have informed us of the hotel change (an obvious lie), blamed “faulty technology,” and launched into an irrelevant lecture about Google Maps being unreliable. Zero accountability, no apology, no offer of compensation -- despite the replacement room being noticeably cheaper (€30 less per night).

We had little choice at that hour, so we stayed. He scanned our passports at his car rental office across the street (Kastri Holiday Car Rentals) handed us the keys with a curt “You must be tired, go rest,” and provided no proper checkout instructions -- just “call me when you leave.”

This felt like a deliberate bait-and-switch. Poor service doesn’t begin to describe it; this is deceptive and could have been a dangerous situation!

Zero stars. Save your money and peace of mind. Book literally anywhere else!

Worst Experience Ever. Avoid at All Costs!

I booked a 5-day stay at this hotel through Agoda, paid in full in advance, and received confirmation. I specified a preference for a double bed and late evening arrival. What followed was a nightmare that ruined our vacation.

Upon arriving around 11 PM, there was no reception desk—just a sign at the parking area with a note for us asking to call a phone number. I called and the guy said he would arrive quickly. Indeed a man named Nikos showed up quickly in a luxurious car. After a brief "welcome," he immediately announced there was a "problem" with our room and insisted we follow him to his car to go to another hotel. No explanation, no apology—just rushed, manipulative behavior. He pushed to load our luggage into his vehicle. When I mentioned we had our own car, he curtly said, "Fine, follow me." We drove for about 5 minutes, feeling increasingly uneasy—like we were being led into some shady scheme.

At the new location (which turned out to be another property he manages, as his mobile phone number was on the property sign there too), he wanted to scan our passports first before showing the room. I refused, insisting we see the accommodation. He smirked and muttered that things are "complicated" with me. The room was a clear downgrade: smaller than what we booked, outdated, with a grimy shower featuring just a flimsy curtain, no working Wi-Fi (despite his assurances and a supposed note with instructions—we searched and found nothing), and a TV that didn't turn on (likely dead batteries). No attention to detail whatsoever. Everything screamed neglect and lower standards compared to the original hotel (which has a pool; this one had none).

When I expressed my dissatisfaction, Nikos arrogantly claimed he had no information about us from Agoda—no phone number, no email—and sneered, "How could I contact you then?"
It reeked of a lie, especially since he clearly knew about our booking. Only then did he elaborate that staying at the original hotel would mean changing rooms every day for our five nights, which wasn't practical. But he blamed it all on stupid technology managing bookings, refusing to take any responsibility as the host. He then rambled about how "humans should always keep control over technology" citing that Google Maps is unreliable and he always tells his son not to use it. Anything to deflect blame from himself. This guy is the epitome of arrogant and manipulative : nothing is ever his fault.

With no other options late at night, we reluctantly stayed.

Nikos was dismissive throughout—never offered an apology, a compensation (the price of the new hotel room, as per its website, was about 85EUR a night at the dates of our stay - that is 30 EUR cheaper than for the hotel we booked for).
Also Nikos didn't even give us basic checkout info (just "you have my number now, so contact me for checkout").

After the visit of the new hotel room, he scanned our passports at his nearby car rental office and brushed us off with, "You must be tired, go rest." It felt like this bait-and-switch was routine for him, shuffling guests to his inferior properties without consequence.

This wasn't just poor service, it was fraudulent. Agoda is a reputable site, but this hotel (and Nikos) operates like a scam. Zero stars if possible—do NOT book here. Save your money and sanity, go elsewhere !