Irene Studios in Kefalos

Absolutely terrifying experience – a bait & switch nightmare!

We initially booked and prepaid for a week stay in August for a hotel called Kontessa Apartments on Agoda.com (about 5 minutes away from Irene Studios) because it looked perfect for us: nice big pool, sea views, modern-ish vibe and much better reviews overall. Received a confirmation email and everything seemed sorted. Little did we know it would turn into the worst accommodation experience of our lives!

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 room at Kontessa Apartments 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)!

This alternative property was Irene Studios (also managed by him) and right away he wants our passports scanned before showing the room. We pushed back, said show us the room first and he got annoyed, muttered something about me being “difficult” and how it's “complicated tonight.” The room itself was a huge letdown: much smaller, dated furniture, dirty shower with a useless curtain and visible mold spots, 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 information from Agoda so that he could have informed us of the hotel change (an obvious lie since he clearly anticipated our arrival) and condescendingly said “so how was I supposed to warn you?”, blamed “overbooking due to faulty technology,” and launched into an irrelevant lecture about technology being unreliable. Classic blame shifting, zero accountability, no apology, no offer of compensation -- despite the replacement room being noticeably cheaper (€30 less per night).

Late at night with no other options on the island, we felt trapped and had to accept it. 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 – lure people to the nicer property on booking sites, then divert to the cheaper one he controls to pocket the extra cash. This is deceptive and could have been a dangerous situation!

Zero stars. Save your money and peace of mind. Avoid Irene Studios & Kontessa Apartments! Book literally anywhere else on Kos and save yourself the headache, lost money, and ruined holiday mood!

Worst Experience Ever - Bait-and-Switch Downgrade. Avoid at All Costs !

I never intended to stay at this hotel, but that's exactly where we ended up after a shady relocation from the better property (Kontessa Apartments) we actually booked and paid for through Agoda. We had reserved a 5-day stay at a superior hotel (Kontessa Apartments - with a pool and higher standards), paid in full in advance, and received confirmation. Instead, this nightmare unfolded and ruined our vacation.

We arrived at the original hotel around 11 PM to find no reception—just a sign directing us to call a number. A man named Nikos (who manages both properties, as his phone number is plastered on signs at each) showed up in a fancy car, gave a curt "welcome," and immediately claimed a "problem" with our room. Without explanation or apology, he rushed us into following him to this place, pushing to load our luggage into his vehicle. When we said we had our own car, he snapped, "Fine, follow me." The 5-minute drive felt like a trap, leaving us uneasy and suspicious.
Once here at Irene Studios, Nikos demanded to scan our passports before even showing the room. I refused, demanding to see it first—he smirked and grumbled that things were "complicated" with me. The room was smaller and cleatly outdated compared to what we paid for, with a grimy shower hidden behind a flimsy curtain, no functional Wi-Fi (he lied about it being available with instructions—we hunted and found zilch), and a TV that wouldn't turn on (probably dead batteries). Zero attention to detail. The whole place screamed neglect, cheap maintenance, and low-rent vibes. No pool, unlike the original booking. It was clearly an inferior property, and as I later checked on its own website, rooms here go for about 85 EUR per night during our stay dates—that's 30 EUR cheaper per night than what we paid for the better hotel. No refund or compensation offered, of course.

When I voiced my frustration, Nikos turned arrogant and defensive, claiming he had no contact info from Agoda—no phone, no email. He sneered : "How could I contact you then?"
It was an obvious lie since he knew about our booking. He then admitted we'd have to switch rooms daily if we stayed at the original, but blamed it on "stupid technology" handling reservations, refusing to own up as the host. He ranted about how "humans should always keep control over technology," even dragging in that Google Maps is unreliable and he warns his son against it. Anything to shift blame ! This man is the definition of manipulative and egotistical : nothing is ever his fault.

With no alternatives at that hour, we had no choice but to stay.

Nikos was dismissive the whole time. No apology, no compensation for the downgrade, not even proper checkout instructions (just "you have my number, contact me").

He scanned our passports at his across the road car rental office and waved us off with, "You must be tired, go rest." It reeked of a well-practiced scam, funneling guests from his nicer listings to this dump to pocket the difference.
This isn't just subpar lodging, it's fraudulent. We paid premium rates for a superior experience but got stuck in this place.

Zero stars if I could—do NOT stay here, and beware of Nikos and his various business. Save your vacation, money, and peace of mind : book somewhere else !