Captains Hotel

2 readers found this review helpful

Me and my boyfriend shared our first holiday together at the captains hotel the first two weeks in August 07. We were really lucky and given a beautiful sea view room! (although not much sun at this side) some other rooms weren't so good, facing a hill! or worse, below ground level so balcony kinda like a small room with no roof - maybe these were for the staff?! Room had everything we needed, apart from small shower and the beds not too comfy we were satisfied! The only BIG problem with the hotel is it's practically up a vertical slope! Which is quite difficult to get up in the hot sun carrying big bottles of water! Had to get a shower as soon as i got to the room most of the time! Good exercise tho! The weather at this time of year was also gorgeous - maybe a bit too hot! People were friendly but always bugging you to come into their restaurants, but not rude Overall we thorougly enjoyed it and didn't want to come back home, the only thing that would put me off coming back is the beach, there practically isn't one! but everyday there's a FREE bus to st nicolas beach which was fantastic! with FREE bar every other hour! There are loads of excursions you can book at the local places pretty cheap (cheaper than with your holiday reps) would recommend the island tour and the turtle trip! Hope this helps and enjoy your holiday :) !

had a great hol at the captains hotel. you need to be fit to walk up the hill,
but really chilled out, and the staff were great. plenty to do if you like, definately the best of the three sister hotels, quiet and relaxed. the views are stunning from the dining room, go self catering though, because they offer half board at the hotel, which is cheaper than the pre/booked option!!!
the food is good and plentiful, the rooms are basic but clean, the bar stays open 24/7.
couldnt fault the place at all, one of the best places ive ever had the privilage to go to!!!
but if your old or unfit, dont go, the hike will kill you!!!
was superb weather in august, about 36c every day, too hot to do much but drink and be happy!!!!!!!!! result. really nice place but quite noisey at night, due to the mopeds etc........ not that it bothered me much after loads of ale , ha ha !!!!!!!!!
the airport is a nightmare, very small, but still worth it for a great holiday. been to a lot of places in europe, but this was one of my favs!!!!!!!!!!!!
if you want a relaxed holiday without the yobs then this is as good as it gets!!!!!!!!!!!

Visited Captains Hotel in Argasi with First Choice, 16-23 Oct 2007, with my brother. Had different agendas - walking and swimming for me, drinking and `pulling` for my brother !
GOOD:
Nice pool at Captains and also Commodore just down the steps. No kids in pool - great. OK for swimming laps as well as sunbathing. Pool area has good views.
Excellent view from 2nd floor out over resort and right across to Peloponnese. We are young enough to find the steep hill no problem!
Excellent boat trip to Shipwreck - swimming in the caves was awesome - take goggles. Caves are along the cliffs way out from the beach, you must be a good swimmer to reach them. Also one day we walked to Dafni and Banana Beach - roads are quiet enough off season to walk on.
Good bars in Argasi, favourites were Magic mushroom, Apollo and Factory. Quiet season means no waiting to go on karaoke! Also more karaoke means more free shots, especially for the worst singers - me and my brother.
Yes, the restaurant and excursion shop people are pushy, just get used to it, grin and walk past!
Food, drink, taxis etc much cheaper than rip off UK. No need for supermarket (except cereal, tea etc) - eating out is bargain price everywhere.
All flights on time. Both plane journeys fine.
BAD:
Very slippery tiles near pool and cafeteria. Had nasty fall, luckily was the last day and not down the steps!
Awful weather from 20-22 Oct - thunderstorms, cold wind and day temps failed to reach 20C. (Oct is meant to be about 22-23C). Other four days were excellent weather for autumn. Sea temperature was `beautiful` for long swims even on the colder days.
Impossible to get proper maps (for walking) and the free town maps have little detail.
ATMs in Argassi usually broken, otherwise impossible to use in bright sunshine (cant read instructions not that they are understandable anyway).
Laganas is virtually shut in October - brother was disappointed as it’s meant to be a loud night clubbers resort. Also watersports on St Nicholas (Vasilikos) advertised as open but were actually shut for winter. The cycle hire was also shut, and the buses weren’t running (maybe another seasonal problem?)
Zante airport is a dump but I think it’s being upgraded.
ADVICE
Have a plan B for the bad weather days - e.g. walk to Zante Town.
Go in Sept instead of Oct, before everything shuts!
Hire a car unless like us you are OK walking 10 miles a day to neighbouring beaches.
Argasi doesn’t have a proper beach at all.

Very disappointing accommodation.
Description of being at the top of a hill is no lie! It's a real trek getting to the top especially for people with disabilities. Just how bad it is, is not made clear enough. Cars & coaches are up and down constantly making it very dangerous for pedestrians.
Accommodation was very shabby and not chic! Cramped with a very strange lay out.
Balcony was very small and overlooked the dining room. I'm sure I put I few diners off their dinner whilst hanging out my not so 'smalls'! The broken air conditioning unit took up most of the balcony space.
Hotel staff were hard to pin down to discuss problems. Bathroom door locked (luckily when no-one was in it!) and could not be opened. When staff eventually came to sort the problem they accused us of doing it. It happened whilst we were out? They resolved the problem by kicking the door lock in and smashing it. No attempts to repair it were made during the rest of our stay.
On our departure the coach was late and went to the wrong hotel. This meant we had to set off down the hill with all our luggage and two tired kids, to catch the coach. Made it on the coach to find there was no rep onboard! We had to pick rep up on way to airport...he had overslept.
I think we will give this place a wide berth in future!

I stayed one night in Commodore in August and really hated it. We were delayed for our flight for over a day so got put up here.
In fairness the staff very nice but we were tired and I wanted to just have a cold drink after a day in the airport. Went to room and had a shower to freshen up. The room was so narrow you wouldn’t swing a cat in it, air conditioner broke and the plates were really worn and grubby, kettle was very old too. Bed was rock hard, and the shower was leaking right into the main room where I slipped. Water had a mind of its own and kept changing temps. The view was awful to the back of the hotel looking at an old woman asleep on her porch for hours on end.
The walls were paper thin too and heard a child next door shouting like a brat for hours. Lift was tiny and like something from the 20's. Go to Krinas, its great but don’t expect anything special here. Argassi was fantastic too and will definitely be back soon, I loved it.

We stayed at the captains for 3 weeks in September. We went all-inclusive and it was well worth it. Very cheap, The shops are about a five minute walk down the road. Have a baby pool and a big pool, then there's another pool next door, then one 2 minutes down the road, then a bigger one 10 minutes down the road!
The commodore has the best pool, the Admiral is more for the kids as they have pool games during the day. Loads of night clubs, Magic Mushroom and others. If your young I would say go into town at night, but if your a bit older I would say stay at the Commodore?
The rooms are biggish, cool at night so you wont be too hot (big balconies, with a table & four chairs). Perfect view, you can see everything.. beach, town everything.
Well it’s a small place, but not too small, go to the beach early in the morning or about 5 at night, because it’s always busy in between!
I recommend for you to book the coach for the Greek night. It’s a very good laugh, dancing on tables, nice meal.
As for the staff in the hotel, very nice people! Just don’t get to friendly because then the time flies, if you have any problems go to them, they deal with it straight away.
The water park... must be the biggest ever. Very good for children and also adults, it’s right at the other end of the beach. Just don’t walk to it lol!
The island cruise goes all around Zante for just €15-€20, you go around the ship wreck of Pirates of the Caribbean and also stop off for a swim with the fishes. Its takes the whole day so
do the morning one, you leave at 9 and back for half 8!
As for the food, it’s not bad just don’t eat the spagbole, that’s not nice. The all night cafe at the start of the town is nice. Ate there everyday! The guy is the nicest man you could ever meet :)
Go to Argassi [Captains hotel or the Commodore]
Best holiday ever :d!

We stayed at the captains for 2 weeks in July. We went all-inclusive and it was well worth it. The food is absolutely fantastic. Breakfast is a buffet and there is enough to cater for everyone's taste - but be patient if you want toast. The toaster takes ages to go round and then it's only done on 1 side! I found it easier just putting slices of bread in the toasty maker. You can have anything from the snack bar in the afternoon and then dinner in the evening is a buffet of various choice.
They change it around every day and there are usually about 5 main courses to choose from not to mention all the starters, sides & desserts, and it is of a very high standard. The all-inc also includes all local drinks - but not mythos, which I didn't quite understand as was the same price to buy as the beer they were giving you, but once they knew your face they'd give you mythos anyway. After 10 all drinks are payable at 1/2 price, but again if you're a bit friendly, certain staff wouldn't charge. You can also use all the facilities in the 2 other hotels - Commodore & Admiral.
The commodore is right next door and personally I proffered the pool there - but not too many beds. And the Admiral is about a minute walk, if that, which is more for the kids as they have pool games during the day. The Admiral is also where the entertainment takes place, which is not the best and there is a distinct lack of organisation but there is plenty going on in the bars nearby to keep you amused. All the staff were very helpful if you needed anything.
The rooms are basic but adequate but are cleaned everyday with more fresh towels than you can use. You can pay for the air conditioning or hire a fan but we didn't need to as we had a sea view room and was very airy and protected from the sun so it didn't feel too warm.
As for the resort, it is fairly small but still enough to do but there is very little beach and that's not great but there are plenty of pool bars on the front where you can use sun beds for free.
I recommend going to the Target bar for Greek night. It is very good value for money and they will come and pick you up from your hotel and bring you back and the view and sunset is spectacular.