Sivila Studios

We stayed at the Sivila in Sept 07. Before leaving we read all the reviews on this page and found them useful but varied. It is worth remembering stars mean nothing in Greece!!!
My boyfriend and I are 21 and 19 and had a rough idea of what to expect after recently visiting Cyprus. When we first arrived at night the room didn't look too special, however after a couple of days decided it was much better than expected. We were self catering and had everything we needed in the room, as we only ate breakfast there. The fridge was especially useful... you don't get this on b+b!! Our room was spacious and on the ground floor, right by the swimming pool! We didn't need air conditioning as our room was in the shade most of the day. If you need it you do have to pay... our sheets were changed twice during our weeks stay, and our bins were emptied daily. It may be worth buying some loo rolls during your stay as they are not too generous with them, but if you were to ask there was no problem.
We had no problems changing travellers cheques and even got a good rate... the staff were useful but seemed to work 24 hours a day so often seemed very tired.
As mentioned in the previous review the beach was very near as was the town. The hourly land train was well used as it only cost 2 euros. A supermarket at the top of the drive was very useful and had a good choice of goods. We realised on the last day that the supermarket at the hotel will open any time of day for you should you require. We enjoyed the water park in Falaraki, this was excellent for the money... better than what we experienced earlier in the year in Florida!
We hired a car for the day from the travel rep which was cheaper than other companies and was a brand new car. It was dropped off the night before we hired it and it was picked up the following evening. Before We drove to Rhodes Town in the morning we were luckily advised to get there early for parking as it was very busy! We had a lovely morning in the old town and there were plenty of souvenir shops to wander round. Around lunch time we took a short drive down the other coast to a beach in Ixia. The beach was quite nice with lots of facilities and toilets. Looking out from the beach we could see the Rhodes harbour and the coast of Turkey for as far as we could see. After that we drove up the mountains through the valley of butterflies, and then down the other side back to the top of Afandou town.

In the evenings we went into the town for something to eat, we mostly went to the four seasons restaurant as we really liked the food there, along with the friendly staff!
So overall we found this our best holiday so far! We would definitely consider staying here again.

Some reviews I have read about this hotel have been very harsh. We booked on a late deal and as such got a good deal. We had a very enjoyable stay at the Sivila.
We stayed for 2 weeks on a self catering basis and found the rooms clean, tidy, and quite spacious for studios. The cooking facilities are basic but that’s Greece! We knew this and took a kettle and toasty maker with us. This served us well! You should note if you go on B&B basis you don't get a fridge or any drink making facilities.
The pool is a good size and as I have six children this is something I always look for. The swings and slide by the pool were well utilised by my younger ones. The shop and bar are situated here.
The shop prices were on a par with the other supermarket down the drive but I found there was less choice. The Sivila is set in a secluded, rural area and there are a lot of insects. This didn't bother us but was commented on by others.
This is only 2 star accommodation and I felt it was fine and slightly better than I expected. We took our own portable fans and didn't require aircon.
The beach is only a five minute walk away and stretches for miles either direction. It is a shingle beach but you can have your privacy as it doesn't get very busy. We had a little beach tent which was very handy as it was so hot!
There wasn't much in the way of entertainment at the hotel itself and the bar area is very low key. We had a couple of nights at the hotel bar and found the staff friendly and accommodating. The manager, Poppy sat with us and chatted on these evenings. The hotels Greek night was good.
Plenty of food (help yourself buffet) included in the price but no drinks unfortunately (15 euro for adults and 10 for kids over 3). They kindly gave us a discount for having such a big family.
The little puffa train stops outside the hotel hourly to take you to town for 2 euro each (1 euro for kids) or a taxi costs 5 euro and seats four. My little daughter loved the train, so the taxi never got a look in. I should add it takes about half an hour on the train (scenic beach route!) and 5 mins in a cab!!
Afandou is a lovely, friendly town. It is full of restaurants and nice bars. We ate out most evenings and never had a bad meal. Sergios, Four Seasons, Bon Viveur, Eleni, Life Garden to name but a few, were all great. The lads in Yakurdos Bar opposite the church can't do enough to keep you entertained and Terry will remember your name after one introduction.
The bus to Rhodes from Afandou is only 1euro 70 and takes about half an hour. It is well worth the trip. Afandou is well placed for sight-seeing. Getting to Lindos, Faliraki waterpark and Rhodes are easy from here. We hired a 9 seater car for 2 days for 160 euro in Afandou. The same car was 140 euro for 1 day off the Olympic Rep.
All in all a very enjoyable holiday. I would certainly recommend Afandou and for a good value holiday the Sivila was fine.

My friend and I stayed for one week with our two sons of 17. The hotel was better than I had expected. Basic but clean, kitchen too small to actually use but you could make a cup of tea.
The pool area was really nice and we used it a lot. Arrived at hotel at 6.30am after a night flight and very tired. We were asked to attend a morning (9.30am) meeting with the Olympic rep, which we were not really able to appreciate as we were too tired to listen to what she had to say. Didn’t see her again even though she lived at the same hotel!
Attended a Greek night for 15 euro each which was enjoyable, good food and plenty of it although they did try to rip us off for the drinks (we took our own as did many others). If they had charged a fair price we would have bought them from the bar but can’t stand being ripped off.
Air conditioning expensive but necessary. Hotel management most unfriendly, been to Crete and mainland Greece many times and never experienced any other Greeks so miserable. Felt as though everything was a trouble to them, on one occasion asked to call a cab after debating whether to or not and the manager muttered a very rude Greek word (he didn’t know that we knew what it meant). He also shouted at my friend on departure day at 11.45 to get out of the room even though she was entitled to be in there until 12. He later apologised when she told him not to speak to her like that as she was a guest not an employee.
Other than the family who run this hotel we had a great time. But it could be a gold mine if someone friendlier was in charge. A good place to eat is the Neon by the train terminus at the square in Afandou. Lovely food and very friendly family run place. If you go there speak to Angela and her sister and say Edie and Maureen asked after them.

Not the Ritz, but for the price I paid for the holiday I could not complain. If you’re S/C treat it like a base where you dump you cases and get washed and changed to go out of an evening.
The Sivila has a good pool and quite a nice bar in the lounge but that’s about it. The management are hardly seen so the staff who work there are always under pressure when things go wrong, so its hardly surprising moral is low at times.
Afandou as a place is very welcoming with some good bars and places to eat, its a 25 minute walk into town or get the Noddy train from the apartments and I would recomend a taxi back for 5 Euros.
Do the Island trip through the rep its a good day out with some fantastic scenery so take your camera but if you want to do Rhodes town or Lindos get the local bus from the town as its a hell of a lot cheaper.
I would go back to the resort again but a bit closer to the more lively town area, as for the Siliva if it had better management and attitude I would maybe consider going back.

Dreadful, shocking place to stay! Have been to the Greek islands many times and yes, the accommodation is not as good as say Spain etc.
But I love Greece and I accept this. However, this place was dreadful. The room had no balcony or terrace and was tiny. If you get room 116 do not have it!!
Very loud at night (not directly hotels fault) which the hotel did nothing to stop. I mean 2 and 3 in the am kids running round slamming doors etc.
Food over priced and no choice. Staff, just not interested, rep not much better!
However, Afandou is very nice. Would go to resort but, NEVER to the Sivila!

Just come back after a 2 week stay at the Sivila Hotel. We were a party of 4 (2 adults and 2 teen girls) we had 2 self catering rooms, I say self catering but if you did need to do any cooking the facilities were very very basic, there was a frying pan but no cooking utensils, we had to buy a bread knife and the prep area was non existent.
The furniture in the rooms could do with updating but the rooms were clean, the bins emptied every day and bedding and towels changed every 3 days.
The pool area was clean and the pool was cleaned regularly. There was a problem with the water in the pool during the 2nd week the water turned into soup (a problem with the filters) but this did eventually get sorted out. My only complaint about the pool area was the very very loud annoying music played from 8.30am-6.00pm every day. We did request along with other guests that it be turned down but we were told that everybody else wanted it loud we asked them and nobody wanted it (maybe they were trying to outdo the crickets!)
The staff in general were pleasant and helpful especially mike and George and the old man (never did find out his name) on reception was so funny.
The prices of food and drink in the hotel were expensive as were the prices of the hotel shop (good little supermarket at the end of the drive).
We did encounter a few cockroaches in our room and sometimes the smell from the drains was pretty bad.
You must budget for travelling to and from the hotel the train into Afandou is 2 euros each and a taxi 6 euros each way (you can walk but not recommended in the heat)
The beach is lovely and quiet and only 5 mins walk away (take something to wear on your feet in the water as it is all shingle and stones).
Afandou itself is lovely and the locals are friendly and helpful. We found some lovely places to eat I recommend The Four Seasons (the Greek plate wow!!) And go to Neon on the square, Angela and her sister will give you lots of information to help you find your way around.
Rhodes Island is beautiful, a must to visit is old Rhodes town and Lindos but use local transport not the reps tours (bus timetables and prices available on the square and taxi fares are set prices advertised by the taxi rank).
We had a lovely 2 weeks in Afandou and our stay in the Sivila wasn't too bad considering it is only a 2* hotel. Some guests had a very different experience to us, so maybe we were just lucky or not expecting too much.
I would consider going back to this hotel only if they did a few improvements and blow up the sound system around the pool.

I have just ar4ived back from a week at the Sivila studios and I can happily say this was the best holiday I have ever been on..so far.
The staff were so friendly and I have made some great friends.
I know the rooms were basic but as long it has a bed and a shower what more do you want?
The swimming pool was a decent size and the snack bar and shop had a variety of things to choose from.
The bar and outside restaurant was pleasant so you could enjoy your drinks whilst watching the sun go down.
I will be hoping to go again in September and I would recommend the place to anyone.
Afandou was a short walk way or you could wait for the little noddy train that would take the route along the beach {don't forget to make a wish when you go round the tree}.
The locals in Afandou were also pleasant and friendly and I felt I had known them for years.

We turned up at Sivila Studios and thought, "my god what have we done?" After the first few days we got over the horror of what we thought we had booked and we started to get to know the staff and we loved the place. It reminded us of Faulty Towers it was great.
Poppy who ran the hotel and Phisilis (billy) were great we had a right scream. We know its not the Ritz but you make your own holiday and some people are hard to please no matter were they go. We would go back and have been invited back and don't let people put you off going its great

It’s not the Ritz but it’s not a doorway in Birmingham.
We had a very acceptable week and enjoyed many breakfasts by the pool, yes they are a little expensive but that’s usual for Greek apartments.
Our room was cleaned regularly and the overall comfort was ok. Our room looked out over the very empty car park and was usually very quiet.
The staff were lovely if you took the time out of your holiday to say more than hello and goodbye. Use some Greek they love it.
The room was basic but I think first time travellers to Greece should realise that you don't get the same as you do in Spain. Afandou itself is just lovely, the people embrace tourism and they will make it as Greek as you want it.
The beach at Afandou is mainly peoples and has a sharp drop not too great for kids or non swimmers.

Please don't be put off by reviews they just don't understand the Greek system of rating accommodation. We had a great time and at the end of the day you are only 5 mins from the beach so are you really that bothered.
Enjoy your stay.

We have enjoyed several cheap holidays at Sivila over the last few years and I should like to make a few comments:
It seems that all those who complain about the place are expecting 5 stars, but choose to forget that they only paid 2 stars. If all accommodation for package holidays was 5 stars, many people, ourselves included, could not afford to go away every summer.
The amenities provided - mini-market, poolside bar etc. are there for convenience and are completely optional, as was choosing a hotel which is a short walk from a dullish beach, and a much longer walk into town.
The staff are an absolute delight if you choose to befriend them, but when you see some of the riff-raff they have to endure, you can surely understand why they appear gloomy at first glance. Give them a smile, you'll get one back.
Self-catering facilities, wherever you travel to, are only for boiling water for coffee, or for heating beans if you're on a tight budget...aren't they?
In a hot climate, we are going to encounter strange insects. They are a fundamental part of nature, and were there a long time before we were!
If you can't find decent food in a town like Afandou, then you simply haven't tried. There are loads of good eateries, but if you only want to spend 3 Euros, don't complain about your pizza, burger etc, stay in your room and boil some beans!
We shall certainly stay at Sivila again, and be entertained by the banal things that Brits abroad choose to complain about! We think that it's excellent value for money.