Astir Beach Hotel

Booked a 2 weeks All Inclusive Family Holiday to the above hotel with Hellenic Voyages. Arrived 8th August 06 to find ASTIR BEACH. It was over booked and was informed by their Rep that it had been 3 weeks prior to our arrival. Got moved into 2 different hotels, 4 different rooms before we were settled for the remainder of our holiday.
The hotel we stayed in was for couples/singles not families; it did not cater for families having no snacks, ice creams nor entertainment. This did not go down too well with my 3 daughters. I advise that you check that there actually are vacancies in this hotel and THINK before you book with Hellenic Voyages!

Having booked for the marina beach I was informed at the airport that I had been transferred to the astir beach due to overbooking.
On arrival it did not appear too bad, however after a couple of days it became apparent that the facilities for all-inclusive customers were very limited, the snacks during the day were an insult and the main meals got worse during the course of the holiday.
There was only one all-inclusive bar, which only ever had one member of staff, and they had to collect glasses wash them etc, etc, however I must congratulate the night barman George kastanakis, who was an absolute star, his sense of humour was wicked, he made people laugh and the children loved him to bits, he made a very difficult job look very easy - well done George!
The rep, how she ever got that job and has managed to keep hold of it will be a mystery to me for all time. It would have been nice to see her, but she never turned up!!
The management need to sort themselves out!

All Inclusive - more like full board.
You are restricted to eating in the food hall between 7.15 and 9.30 for breakfast and at 9 they start taking the food away. 12.30 and 2 for lunch which is just last nights left overs re heated and 7 and 9.30 for evening meal which again they start taking away at 9. You were not allowed to eat outside the dinning area and on an evening guy's must wear trousers as smart shorts are not allowed but the ladies it seems can wear next to nothing and the owner is OK with that!
Snacks during the day are left by the bar but are not replenished so if your not first for the curly spam sandwiches then tough - ice cream for the children ran out mid week and they were left with mint flavour which had not been wanted hence there was plenty of it! overall VERY VERY poor selection of food and not as sold by Hellenic. The barman was good with the kids and ordering drinks was not a problem, he was always friendly and polite and although a pain having to keep going inside no real problems.
The hotel itself was clean, tidy and the pool area what you expect when going abroad. Activities are timetabled during the day with a good variety but be aware that it is not a resort designed for the English as it was all in German including the Kids mini disco on the night time. We spent all our time on the beach becasue unless you got up at 7.15 in the morning to put your towel on the sunbeds you were left without.
I would NEVER go back to this Hotel and NEVER book with Hellenic Voyages again as they are the most unprofessional company I have every booked with.

Having just got back for the Astir Beach I feel that I would like to put people straight about the hotel, amenities, staff and services.
I was very apprehensive about the holiday after reading so many negative reviews about it. I don’t know what people expect from a holiday. The hotel itself was in a superb location, with the beach just over the road.
All areas of the hotel were very clean and the grounds were well kept. The food was very good, excellent choices at all meal times.

All the staff were very friendly and helpful especially the animation team.
There was sometimes a little wait at the bar as George was the only person on duty and it was his job to collect glasses, clear ashtrays and get refills of ice. He could not be expected to do this whilst always being at the bar. He was always very pleasant and happy to serve us.
The animation team worked very hard to provide an entertainment programme which suited everyone, both children and adults. There was a mini disco every night followed by other entertainment.
Overall I had the best holiday I have ever had and cannot understand all the negative reviews it has received. What do people expect English food served at fast food pace, with a west end production every night.

I have recently come back from a lovely, relaxing holiday at the Astir Beach. I have read some of the reviews and found that I must strongly disagree with some points.
Firstly I would like to start with the entertainment. While we were there, there was always something to do. Everyday the entertainment staff would come round and ask if you would like to join in the activities such as volleyball, water aerobics, table tennis etc. Then in the evening they would hold a quiz/games night, mini disco and perform for you (dancing/singing). On our last night when we spoke to I think the head entertainment lady, she was really upset because they had worked so hard practicing dance routines and nobody turned up.
The food ok it wasn't great, but it was edible (except their meatballs). The one thing they could have done was change the menu more often and add more Cretan dishes.
The staff, I found they were all very pleasant considering the owner wasn’t exactly that to them. Entertainers, waiters/waitresses, receptionists, barman and housekeeping were very friendly.
The pool and pool area was lovely. You had the children’s pool and a large swimming pool with a bridge, which I thought looked nice, and most of all it was clean.
Overall I would say I would go back to the hotel again as it was clean and comfy and I did enjoy my stay there, but maybe go back on b&b basis.

Myself and my friend had a super holiday at the astir beach hotel. We found the staff very friendly and extremely polite. We had a very pleasant and relaxing holiday there. About the other negative reviews all I can say is that you can’t please everybody and some people just live to look for any excuse to whine and moan about things.
We had no problem with the hotel or the resort. The people who lived locally could not do enough to make sure that you enjoyed your stay in their country. The only problem we had was to do with our tour operator -"sky holidays" and their rep who were totally pathetic and tried to rip us off any time they could.
But as far as the hotel and the people of Gouves are concerned I would like to take this chance to thank them very much for the hard work they put in making our holiday so pleasant.

We have just returned from the Astir Beach Hotel and what a shame they have not taken on board the comments of their previous guests. This hotel could be wonderful, Gouves is a peaceful place with a lovely beach. Unfortunately the hotel appears to be run by a miserly dictator. The food is boring and skimped.
The barman in the evening was very rude. The outside bar was not open and if it had been was not available to all inclusive guests, which is just ridiculous. The children’s pool is all one depth and too deep for toddlers, there is no paddling pool. The children’s club organiser would not run a club because 'there were not enough children' and the entertainment team only entertained themselves. We turned up for many of the listed activities but they didn't.
The evening entertainment was sporadic and started at 9.30p.m. which then changed to 10 p.m. The pool is nice but there are only a few loungers. On the plus side the rooms and public areas were clean. I have had better holidays for the same price. I would return to Gouves but not this hotel.

The Hotel is clean and bright, the staff were polite, most of the time. the management however would do Basil Fawlty proud....
The food was reasonable but after 10 days of the same thing, (there was no real variety from day to day), you start to dread meal times. There was only the lobby bar where the all inclusive guests where permitted to get drinks from. With only one member of staff trying his best to serve drinks, collect and wash glasses, with no assistance and his requests to management for help falling on deaf ears, the situation was strained.
When half way through the holiday he was finished up and, so I am led to believe, one of the maintenance staff was employed to run the bar (with no previous bar experience or sufficient knowledge of the various languages that drinks were being ordered in) the situation became farcical, with staffing levels behind the bar varying between 1 and 0 (when he went for a 20 minute stroll around the pool area to see if any empty glasses had been left there). When customers went to the reception to complain, the response was `Well how much did you pay for the holiday?`.
The pool was clean, as was the beach, and the sea was enjoyable to swim in. Also, even some of the evening entertainment was provided by hotel guests because there was nothing organised. All in all, I would not return to this hotel.