Katerina Studios

I just want to give the Katerina studios abit of a fairer review!
Yes it is basic and not ideal for families due to long walk to Dassia but for me and my partner as a young couple it was fine!
We got a great deal on the holiday about £300 for us both for two weeks! So we did expect basic!
We arrived by taxi transfer as we have been to Dassia many times and prefer the quicker journey! (Don’t forget to wear your seatbelt in taxis!!).
I had braced myself for a dingy little room next to the road but to our surprise it was one of the apartments set back off the road number 12! The room was very basic but clean! The only downside was the small shower and no hot water after 7pm! So get in early!
The family were friendly and helpful but kept themselves to themselves they did shut early a few times, but we were welcome to stay by the pool until we wanted to!
The pool was great and was where we spent most of our days! We found it clean and as most days we were the only ones there it was even better!
If you are looking for a basic but clean apartment just to sleep and whilst you enjoy the bars and restaurant of Dassia and Gouvia this is great!
I would not have spent more than we did on it however but if you can get a good deal on it and request an apartment away from the road do it!

We arrived at the Katerina Studios to find the room not ready, we went to the pool bar to wait.
On passing the pool we noticed that there were large patches of green algae and little furry crawly things on the bottom of the pool. The pool was cleaned 3 days later and then it was cleaned at least every 2 to 3 days. The pool area was never hosed down in the 14 days we stayed there; needless to say we did not use the pool.
This area was locked from as early as 6.30pm with no lights on the pool or gardens when it was dark. The pool bar closed most days at 3pm and was never open after 6pm.
The accommodation was dated especially the bathroom, the room and kitchen were suitable for our needs however the toilet bin and rubbish bin were only emptied only every 4-5 days and the sheets and towels were changed just every 4-5 days.
There was building work next door, not 3 metres from our accommodation, on the owner’s property which entailed the use of heavy plant machinery, wagons, compressors, diggers etc which one morning started at 6.40am. This was for most of our 14 days stay.
The whole family (which was described by Olympic as friendly, family run accommodation) were totally disinterested in any of their guests. We could not fault the Olympic rep, as she was as helpful as the situation allowed.
However apart from the accommodation we had a very good holiday due to the studios being within easy reach of Dassia, Gouvia and Ipsos with a very good bus service which stopped at the end of the road, and the local shop and bar owners were very friendly and of course the weather was hot & sunny.
All in all I would say the Katerina Studios are one to give a miss. We can do basic but not unclean.

There are several apartments, but ours were apartments 1 & 2 near the road. The road is 'very noisy' until 4AM and the apartments too hot with no air conditioning. The only way to block out the traffic noise was to shut glass patio doors which meant you cooked during the night. In apartment 2 we had no electricity and only had it for a short while with a goldish key fob placed in a device behind the door.
There is no reception and no one tells you anything, we never saw our rep at all (a wise move on her behalf!). I paid £1,700 for an awful week. The pool area is the only good area but that doesn't open until 9.30am and yes you pay €2.00 per sun bed albeit you sometimes get a free bottle of water.
We hired a car and went out days which was the only answer, but be warned the drivers particularly in Corfu Town are worse than bad.
The 6 or so apartments away from road maybe better and I would recommend a different time of the year, as it was 40+ at times.
No I would not recommend Katerina Studios, but it does make you feel happy to be back in England.

My boyfriend and i booked this holiday months in advance and saved so we would have a brilliant fortnight in the sun.
On arriving at the Katerina, we discovered that it does not provide safety deposit boxes or any such device, neither is there a reception area so security is pretty relaxed. We perhaps should have checked this before going.
My advice is, check your room has a safety deposit box or is at least secure. I would also take a photocopy of your passport and keep that safe because it would make life so much easier if you ever find yourself on a holiday from hell as we did.

1 reader found this review helpful

I recently stayed at the Katerina studios with two friends and had a really nice time. Yes the studios are basic and the bathrooms are in dire need of redecoration but they are clean and free of bugs etc. The pool is lovely and there were hardly ever more than ten other people around the pool which was nice.
The 2 euro charge for a sun bed was strange but it did include a bottle of water every day, and as Dassia beach is so rank we were happy to pay for sun beds each day. The staff whilst not overly friendly were pleasant and we had no problems with them. Dassia town is nice but fairly bland in a tourist kind of way, same shops selling the same stuff. But a real find was a fruit and veg stall 5 mins walk from the studios which had lovely fruit and really cheap.
The walk to Dassia town was only ten mins but really not advisable at night as there is no pavement and the drivers are all nuts! I wouldn't go back to Dassia again but not just because of these studios, the place is boring and the beach is rubbish.

Me and my partner have recently just come back from Dassia, Katerina studios. Where do I start with the problems, it was awful. The room was in a terrible state and it was very, very basic it was more like a camping holiday to be honest.
Then there’s the bathroom it’s cramped and very dirty, there was no toilet roll and the bins weren’t emptied on a regular basis. Also when you pay good money for something you expect good customer service from the 'friendly' staff as it says in the brochure hah, the real truth is that the staff are ignorant and incompetent unless you want to pay over the odds at the bar then they are willing to help and as for the Olympic, we were held to ransom for our vital departure times to fill out a questionnaire on their customer service which we didn’t want to do.
I wouldn’t say it spoiled my holiday because apart from this the people we met were lovely and we had a good time. The only good point I can make about Katerina studios is that the pool area is nice and that it is close to amenities hope that if you are considering going to Dassia in Corfu you wont be conned like I was, I recommend that you go to 'anis' restaurant / bar if your in the area because its great food, great value, great people that brightened my holiday.
I would go back to Dassia but definitely not to Katerina. There was an important lesson learned from this; don’t go to Katerina and don’t go with Olympic and you won’t have the problems that I had.

***ATTENTION FOR ALL THOSE WISHING TO STAY AT KATARINA!!****
We stayed at the Katarina for two weeks, but not at the poolside apartment, which was shown to us in all the brochures, instead a tiny and separated block, which is situated on the main road. (Road noise is awful).
The room was absolutely disgusting, it wasn’t very clean and neither was the cutlery. The bathroom was in a hideous condition!! We also had to buy our own toilet paper, which usually self catering apartments provide. Throughout the two weeks stay, we were given fresh towels and clean sheets maybe twice!
As stated before there is a 2 euro each sunbed charge if you want to relax by the pool! This is excessive. To have air conditioning in your room will cost you 7 euros a night, but be warned it gets turned off at midnight...so really there’s no point, as not many people come back before then. If you have requested air conditioning in your room, even if its not used, you will still be charged so be careful.
The cost of food and drink at the poolside bar is excessive, its more worthwhile going to anis (across the road) where you get more for your money. I bought 2 vodka and sprites at the poolside bar (couldn’t even taste the vodka) for 10 euros, at Aniss (across the road) we got them for around 3-4 euros!!!
You have to pay an extra 25-30 euros to hire your room on the day of departure as you have to vacate the room by 12:00. Which is what we decided to do, we paid the extra money to find that they had turned off the hot water! To be honest, the only reason for the room hire was so that we could have a good shower before going home!!!
Staff at the Katarina are not at all friendly, you would find that during the afternoon, they pack up and leave the poolside, which means that even if you did want food or drink, there was no one there to serve you!!!!
Overall, we did enjoy our time in Dassia because we made the most of our time and met some lovely people.
In regards to Katarina, the apartments were in a terrible state and the staff are not friendly. There is no customer service...
We would go back to dassia, but not to the Katarina! I advise anyone who is wishing to stay there, to seriously think twice.