More Traveller Reviews of Odysseus Hotel
Such a wonderful hotel!
from deborah_willemen
After seeing a few reviews of the hotel, I was a bit apprehensive to start with. However when we arrived there all doubts disappeared. We stayed in a lovely double room (double bed and single) away from the main part of the building. Everything is well connected with stairs, so it was easy to find. We found that every room had its own terrace, with table and chairs, which we enjoyed very much in the evenings. Be aware of mosquitos though, they could be very nasty if you didn't have proper protection! What amazed us was the friendliness of the staff. They always had a smile on their face and worked extremely hard. Breakfast consisted of croissants, various sorts of eggs (hard and soft boiled), frankfurter sausages and tomato on bread , bread, jams, chocolate spread, cornflakes, coffee and orange juices. It was very english orientated and being from continental Europe myself, I could see why some non-english people might find breakfast a bit one sided. A good addition would be some more choices in cereals, pain au chocolate and even fresh fruit. Dinner was lovely every evening. Good choice of salad bar and every evening there was a different kind of soup. Watch out for the chef's special soup, which was always the nicest! Vegetarian options where always provided and there was always something like pasta for the kids. The bar had a good standard of cocktails, from which I can recommend a 'dark lady'. Baileys, milk and chocolate ice cream can't be too bad! Then on to the swimming pool. There is a little problem with having enough sunbeds unfortunately. With people hogging a sunbed straight away in the morning, only to come back hours later. This is bad practice which should be overseen by the hotel management. I would advice just to get some more sunbeds out for everyone. The swimming pool area has a lovely shaded, place which is pebbled. The swimming pool itself is not the biggest, but it is very well maintained. All the kids loved it! The only thing i can say about the hotel, which is a bit under standard is the airconditioning. 6.50 euro's per day you have to pay to keep it going. Only one slight hitch. When you leave your room, you need to take the key out of the device, which keeps the electricity running. So your airconditioning is switched off too. In a climate of 38 degrees it is imperative you can come into a cool room when you get back after a long drive around the island, like we did. I really felt cheated out of money. The aircon was mostly on 17 degrees at night and still the room was warm. Maybe a suggestion to the travel agents to negotiate free and well working airconditioning in their contracts next year for their guests. Overal this hotel is well worth staying at. The surroundings are very nice if you like a quiet, relaxing holiday, well away from pubs, bars, disco's and crowded beaches. You get good value for money and a smile everytime you ask for help.
Loved the Odysseus
from babyboomers47
We travelled with Palmair June-July 2007 and read the brochure before booking, so we knew what to expect. The Odysseus is very reasonably priced, but is probably one of the nicest hotels in Paleokastritsa. The room was basic, bathroom definitely a bit cramped, but it was cleaned spotlessly every day by a pleasant chambermaid. I would recommend paying for the air con. The views are to die for - every day I would look out from the balcony and think "Another day in Paradise". The hotel even put an arrangement of fresh flowers from the garden on our table for the morning of my birthday. Table sharing was no problem, and it was a good opportunity to meet and talk to other people. The food isn't cordon bleu but we never went hungry. And the yogurt certainly wasn't runny for our fortnight. The hotel price is cheap enough that you can eat out if you really don't like the food. We enjoyed our two packed lunches. Horse Riding booked through Nikki (Palmair) is excellent, safe trekking in small groups through the olive groves. The Greek Night at Tripa wasn't worth the money - plenty of wine but not much food - the entertainment is quite good. Bus trip to Corfu Town is a must. We did the hill climb to Lakones twice, walked to monastery twice, also a very long walk to Doukades. Good food at Miltiadis Corner in Paleo. Antari taverna (just past Mistral) has gorgeous views, excellent food, and the staff are really nice. I would certainly go back to the Odysseus, the staff work incredibly hard and are all so friendly. Paleo is a beautiful resort but wouldn't recommend it for families with children, or young people looking for nightlife. One final note - beware the mosquitoes, they are everywhere at night - buy the insect repellent and use it regularly.
Great value
from TheChucklebus
Having read the reviews just before we went, I thought we'd made a mistake in booking this hotel, however we were very pleasantly suprised. The hotel room we had was a sea view with large balcony. It was cleaned every day and was modern. Yes, the beds are hard, but we were ok with that. There's air-con and fridge which was extra (50 euro for both for the week). The view over the bay was fab. The food was basic, good quality Greek fayre, all well cooked and different each night. There's a fantastic salad bar too. Breakfast was a choice of continental (toast, cheese, ham, muesli, yoghurt, peaches, toast, croissants) or cooked (eggs, suausages, toast topped with fresh chopped tomatoes)...or both! The pool is great for adults but not so great for young children as it slopes steeply. The staff were fantastic...very friendly and helpful. I'm not sure of the rating, but I'd say this is a very capable 3 star, bang in the middle of this pretty resort.
Poor Food
from ScreennameFamily
Background The Odysseus is a family run hotel and the staff undertake a fair few tasks in the day, so you may find them booking you in, opening up the shop, cutting the grass and serving you dinner. The Hotel has developed from an old tavern some thirty years ago to the hotel of today, you can still see the older parts of the original structures. Having been added to over the years, the hotel is on different parcels of land. The lift serves the main building only. The hotel is built on a hill and you will find steps everywhere, the Bath Travel holiday details made that quite clear. This all made for a great and wonderful views. You must visit the bays, walk to Lakones and catch a bus to Corfu Town (1.8 euros each way, bus stop is outside the hotel). The Experience We read some of the other reports before we booked and it gave us a giggle, sharing tables and the food comments. The hotel, as mentioned, has expanded over the years and the reception area has the bar, which leads into the canteen. This is partly where the problem has occurred: The doors are left open and this is where we get flies in this part of the hotel, also the toilets are vented to the outside with just air brick no screen (this is part of the very old building), which is next to the kitchen which you can see into. The food was luke warm and had flies visiting. The staff just used bare hands to carry the food containers so you can see how hot the food must have been! The juice in the morning was in fact water & squash and the Greek yogurt was as runny as milk. The evening meals were like bad school dinners with low quality meat and very unappetising. Some people ended up living on bread and jam (and the jam was bought from the local shop rather than the hotel as it was inedible – mind you, you could make a whole in the wall with the rolls!). In the end we gave up and ate out. Read the other reports and consider the points, and why were people eating out. We were a party of six and so it was a surprise to find we had to sit on a very small table for four, bearing in mind that one side was next to the wall. It took a long time before we could get a larger table that could accommodate us all.
A very disappointing hotel.
from Martin&Chris
We were expecting much more than we found - despite a location with great views, the hotel had lousy food and we abandoned it preferring to eat out each night. Our bedroom was OK but the beds were the hardest we’ve ever encountered (=rock hard). As one of us has a back problem - too hard is as bad as too soft and after complaining they did put a thin soft mattress over the normal one that did the trick. The bathroom section had several problems; it suffered from urine smells coming up sink (they had put in a U bend but not plumbed it in!!), the bath was very small and we had difficulty balancing in it whilst showering (why hotels insist in putting in baths instead of proper shower cubicles we don’t know) and if you flushed the loo at the same time water came up through the bathroom floor drain! The food had a very limited choice and some of it was inedible. The milk for breakfast must have been thinned! As the hotel advertises it has a “terrace restaurant” we took our breakfast onto it - only to be very rudely confronted by two waitresses who demanded we immediately return inside! As one of the joys of the Mediterranean climate is you can eat outside, this rule about eating inside despite the “terrace restaurant” was the straw that broke the camels back. We abandoned the hotel for all but sleeping in at that point. The resort of Paleo is great for a day visit, snorkelling and boat trips; however if you want an uncrowded sandy beach forget it and go to the NW bays such as Agios Georgios where its less developed and much cheaper. We would not recommend this hotel at-all.
Beautiful Location
from Amber344
The Odysseus is set in a beautiful location overlooking the bays. We stayed half board, breakfast was buffet, dinner was choice of several dishes/vegetables (you can swap dinner for a packed lunch if you prefer to sample local tavernas) - you are allocated a table which you share with other guests for the whole stay. Food was nice. Rooms were clean and comfortable, ours being at the side with a lovely view. Staff were helpful and friendly. Pool was quite small but didn't bother us as we normally hire a car and check out the island. Aircon is payable locally but would definately recommend getting it!! Overall a lovely hotel and location, nice and quiet.
Best holiday EVER!
from cam1001
Firstly, if you are thinking of staying in Paleo, you absolutely MUST! The Odysseus is an ok hotel- we weren't keen on the table sharing system or the pool area, but this is more than made up for by the sheer beauty of the resort. It is simply beautiful. The hotel is in a great position, being roughly half way along the resort, which is strewn out amongst trees and hills. There is nothing that looks like a modern resort, everything about is is pleasing to the eye! Despite the hotel not being first class, it is good for a 2 star, and the staff are really hardworking. It makes a great base for a relaxing holiday. Don't worry about being bored though, there are enough places to keep you busy every evening- we stayed for 2 weeks and had plenty of choice. There is also a lot to do during the day- various boat trips, beaches, walks etc. I think the hotel has the best position in Paleo, and can thoroughly recommend it to you. We went as a couple of 22 and 21 years old, I don't think the resort is for families due to the small hotels and many hills. However couples of all ages will love the Odysseus and Paleo as a whole. We will be back! (I noticed there aren't many reviews of this hotel here- [" "]has a few more- although of course not as good as this site!!)
Great value for money
from A TripAdvisor Member
Hotel situated in a lovely resort, albeit a little quiet in the evenings. Hotel clean, modern and comfortable. Spectacular views over the bay. Staff go out of their way to help-nothing is too much trouble!! Family run and it shows. Food basic, and Greek, but nice. Can have a packed lunch instead of dinner if you want to try the local tavernas and restaurants. Bus stop to Corfu town outside hotel (only 1.7 Euros each way). A great place for a relaxing and quiet holiday - don't come here for nightlife and wild parties!!
Top Marks for Odysseus
from senegal_clw
Excellent all round hotel. All staff very friendly and helpful throughout. Food varied and plentiful and located in best part of Corfu, Paleokastritsa. Great value for money.
Excellent
from A TripAdvisor Member
From leaving home to arrival at the hotel, everything was spot on. The Ionian Rep was the best we have ever com across. Hotel clean and modern, staff pleasant and view spectacular. Definately going back.
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2 readers found this review helpful
Went to Kavos for a week in August and this hotel was brill!! After reading the bad reviews some people had written I must say I was a bit put off but when I got there it was nothing like described. Ok there was no shower head holder but we balanced it on this thing on the... more