Veggera Hotel

1 reader found this review helpful

We have just returned from a week at the Veggera with First Choice (a misnoma if their service is anything to go by) and our conclusion is 'you get what you pay for'.
The hotel lies on Perissa's beach front. Apparently its the main beach on the island, with course black sand, although the facilities didn't match the expectations this boast inspires. And although it is described as "one of the most cosmopolitan and most frequented areas" the adjacent resort of Kamari felt a lot smarter (certainly it had smarter shops and restaurants).
The Veggera is very clean and the rooms are simple but smart, although -as we have heard about many Greek hotels - the beds are not very comfortable. We had a balcony, but it was at a subterranean level - so it was a bit like being at eye level with a raised flower bed, and our view/light/the sun was obscured by the vegetation. There is a Jacuzzi in one of the swimming pools - so it isn’t warm as the pool isn’t heated. In fact the sea is warmer than the hotel pool.
The bus stop for Fira is a maximum 10 minute walk away, and it is a relatively short and not very expensive journey into the main town. You will probably need to go there as there is very little apart from the beach and pool to occupy you in this resort - if you are after a tan and little else then this is probably the right place for you. But don’t expect to pick up too much in the way of gifts or mementoes. For those with limited mobility, it is set right on Perissa's beachfront and 200m from the town centre and there is a limited array of shops, bars and restaurants in town and en route. (We can recommend the nearby Traffico - best crepes this side of Brittany - Yazz's cocktail bar - especially for the early evening jazz - and the Aquarius restaurant at the far end of the promenade.)
What lets this hotel down more than anything is the cuisine. One holiday company suggests there is a "rich buffet breakfast" - substitute 'limited and repetitive' and you are closer. Perhaps it caters more for the substantial number of German and Scandinavian guests, but we expected more than melon and tinned peaches in the way of fruit. And the evening meal was particularly marred by the clash of music from the restaurant, the TV from the hotel bar and the radio from the hotel shop.
On a final note - we would recommend the trip (booked through one of the town's agencies) that included Akrotiri, the volcano walk, the hot springs and the Oia sunset.
We would strongly advise against the very expensive and mis-named 'dinner cruise' booked through your travel rep. A tea plate of mixed starters and the occasional glass of white wine poured from a water bottle does not a dinner make - and as you dock in a closed port to sample this 'buffet' it isn't worth the 40euros a head they charge for it.