Ourania Studios

2 readers found this review helpful

Anyone reading the reviews of 'Ourania Studios' Petra, Lesvos thinking 'it cant be this bad' ... it is, in fact its worse.
DON'T stay here. The owners are just unbelievably unfriendly, with the wife in particular being the most miserable, unhelpful, rude person you could ever meet.
We stayed for 2 weeks recently [august 2010] and the list of issues includes..
* We are a family with 3 young children & needed two studios, we requested upper level, adjacent studios.
We were put in 2 studios in separate buildings 100 metres apart, when I raised this with the owners wife she just said 'its full', but then proceeded to put other guests who arrived with us in adjoining rooms to both the ones we were in. She also did this with another family who arrived a week later. We think she just does it for her amusement..
So for 2 weeks my wife and I had to stay in separate buildings, she with the one child & me with the other two. Not my idea of a family holiday
* The studios are that basic and badly maintained its not true, 25 years ago when we first started going to the Greek Islands it was okay, then it was cheap & the owners were relatively not well off. Now it is a different story, you are paying through the nose, everything is much more expensive than at home, so you don't expect,
* dirty unkempt studios
* cupboards & drawers broken
* bathroom doors which won't shut
* lights which wont work because the electrics are dodgy
* general state of disrepair
* The beds in the rooms are cheap, nasty & uncomfortable, only my 8 & 10 year old girls could get proper sleep, my 13 year old lad & us being heavier had the most uncomfortable 2 weeks imaginable.
* The 3rd bed in our 3 bed room was a camp bed, luckily my daughter was okay in this, but in a 3 bed room you should have 3 beds. We looked in other rooms on leaving day & they were the same. Cheap & nasty.
* The rooms were cleaned just once while we were there, toilet bins emptied only every 3 or more days.
* Other reviews have stated that if you try & speak a little greek then they are more welcoming
We all spoke greek pleasantries, kids always saying 'parakalo' & 'efharisto', but no change at all.
* The owners can only speak 'a little english', until they want to have a go at you for something then they miraculously have a far better grasp & vocabulary.
* The studios were both ant infested, one in particular if you stood still for a minute you would get ants running over you and up your legs.
* The self catering facilities are a joke, you could not prepare anything other than cereal [and then only just enough grotty chipped utensils], they want you spending money in their restaurant, not eating in your room.
* My wife & son were around the pool and my son had a bag of crisps which happened to have been bought in the town, the owners wife came out and started ranting and raving at my wife telling her she was not allowed to eat her own food or drink her own water by the pool. This after days of eating in their restaurant & buying water / crisps/ ice creams from them when at the pool.
**** 1 studio in particular ****
* The toilet seat was broken, every time my girls used it I had to put it all back together.
* The light in the bathroom blew on around day 3, I told the owner, he replaced the bulb. The next day it went again, this time he accused me of 'having it on too long' and refused to fix it. So for the next week & a half when my girls wanted to go to the loo in the night, they had to wake me up so I could hold a torch for them.
***** In summary *****
DON'T GO...
Thomas Cook should not offering this place to its guests, there are numerous bad reviews going back quite a while.
The owners are only interested in getting people in to spend money at their restaurant. They make no attempts to make you feel welcome, in fact they do their best to create a feeling of bullying & oppression. As you are in Greece there is not much you can do except leave, which is not an easy option.
Be aware that the beaches in Lesvos are not great, if you are used to the lovely long sandy beaches of say Kefalonia or Skiathos, then prepare to be disappointed. The sand is of the dark volcanic type and all the beaches [we tried 4 different resorts] have rocks in the shallows and are not pleasant for the kids to play in.
We are in the process of taking legal advice on compensation due to being separated for the holiday, a few rooms apart is ok, separate buildings 100 metres apart is not on.
{same review i posted elsewhere}

2 readers found this review helpful

We have just returned from a one week holiday at the Ourania Studios, Petra. having read the reviews after booking we was worried that we had made a msitake. Let me tell you how wrong we were. It was our first visit to the Ourania and we were made to feel welcome by Christos and his family.
The studios were lovely and clean with good views of Petra. The only downside was the fact that you had to pay for air conditioning which was not explained to us by the rep. The studio was cleaned twice during our week except the bedding. It would have been nice to have clean sheets especially seeing as though ypu are applying suncream on a regular basis. The Zyros restuarant was nice. The food was home-cooked and the portions were big, too big for me. We had some nice meals that we did not venture in to town to try other places. The only let down was the English Breakfast which was not a typical English breakfast as you know it. The pool area was kept clean and tidy and the pool was regularly cleaned. We had such a laugh around the pool meeting other fellow holiday makers and hearing their stories. We would recommend this accommodation. The only other comments to make is the Greek Night trip organised by the rep is cheaper if you get yourself to the place. The BBQ is not a typical BBQ but was well worth it. For Scuba divers out there LesvosScuba diving Padi Centre in Petra was very professional and does take not divers out on the boat. The sunset cruise was well worht it watching the sun go down and after having had a picnic. The walk to Molyvos Castle not for the faint heart was really beautiful such scenery and the views were outstanding. The last day we did have to be out of the studio by 9am but there was not Christos banging on the door and we did not experience any rudeness from the owners. The work hard and were friendly.

2 readers found this review helpful

We have just returned from a two-week holiday at the Ourania Studios, Petra and would like to share with everyone what a wonderful place to holiday this family-run accomodation is.
It was our second visit to the Ourania and we thoroughly enjoyed the warm welcome given by Christos and his family.
With lovely, clean and spacious accomodation, the studios offer brilliant facilities and a relaxed and happy atmosphere. The home-cooked food was some of the best we have ever tasted, which made us reluctant to want to explore the rest of Petra at mealtimes, and Christos was more than willing to cater to any requests we made.
The pool and bar areas were superb and kept to an excellent standard, with a good atmosphere always around from both our fellow holiday makers and from Christos and his lovely family.
We would recommend this accomodation to anyone, and have already looked into our booking for next year :-)

1 reader found this review helpful

We have just returned from a week's holiday at Ourania studios in Petra, Lesvos, and would like to let people know that our experience was completely the opposite to some of the reviewers here.
We have been to Greece, and Lesvos many times but this ws our first time at Ourania. Having read the reviews here we were a little anxious, particularly as on this holiday we had, for the first time in our lives to arrange for medical supplies to be flown out to our accommodation prior to our stay and had to make contact with the owners in the weeks before our trip to confirm delivery requirements.
Christos and Ourania, and their son, enabled us to have a wonderful holiday - not only agreeing to accept taking our medical supplies and storing them for us before we got there - they were discreet, caring, kind and helpful, asking us several times during our stay if there was anything we needed.
The rooms were clean and adequate - admittedly we didn't self cater but have done before on Greek holidays and would have been able to make a simple meal if we had wanted to, even though the utensils (as in most of Greece)were basic. There is ample good quality, reasonably priced food easily available in Petra and also at Ourania, without having to make meals every night -food at their taverna, situated on site, was delicious and portions very generous!! We had several lovely meals there during our stay and it was nice to see both locals and tourists eating there.
Their dog -Fotis, is harmless. He does like to sit at the table and beg for food but he gets bored easily and goes away if you don't want to feed him.
In our experience Christos and Ourania were lovely, caring, but very busy people. As one of your reviewers states, a little bit of effort to speak a few words of Greek does make a big difference - it's only polite to try, after all, and is really appreciated. This is what we found and we had no complaints.

1 reader found this review helpful

The Studios are more or less what may be expected in Greece with no great surprises.
However beware of departure day as the owner of the complex will storm into your appartment and turf you out.
He does this by banging on your door and having gained entry he proceeds to empty bins, drawers, fridge contents and removes the bed linen.
Next the towels will be removed from your room, followed by the key fob that activates the electric supply to the studio. To top it off he will then flick off the circuit breakers serving the appartment, to ensure you do not enjoy any more of his precious electric.
All this takes place at 9:00am in the morning. There are no notices around the complex to warn of the onslought on your departure day.
Do'nt think for one moment that you will recieve this treatment for not frequenting his on-site restaurant during your stay, it matters little if you do or do not patronise his place.
The owner should stick to farming and leave the hospitality business to some other member of his extended family that may have evolved far enough to excercise the ability to smile.
There is no excuse for this type of behaviour and thankfully it is not representative of the rest of the Greece.
However the food is very good in his restaurant and the town of Petra is outstanding. But once again be warned, you will be treated like cattle on transfer day.
Pat and Elaine

1 reader found this review helpful

We have just returned from Petra staying at the Ourania after reading other reveiws I was a bit worried on what we had let our selfs in for. The room was clean the kitchen part was very small with no where to do any prepration even to make a coffee, but at least we had a kettle & a fridge. We had a great balcony which we sat out on with friends that we made while we was away having a drink untill late into the night without any complaints. Our room was cleaned twice, the towels were changed once. We emptied our own bins as we would do at home which is no hardship to anyone. We found the family hardworking, Ourania does all the cleaning, washing, cooking, without much help. We ate at the Taverna a couple of times during our weeks stay, the food was excellent but a bit too much for me. The pool area was clean with plenty of loungers. We found if you said hello to the family they would talk or wave to you. The dog was a bit of a pain as he would start barking early in the morning & not shut up. I would not go back to Petra as it was too quite but the locals were friendly the town was preety. The greek night was a bit of a waste as you did not know what food they were serving & the entertainment would of been better if the music was live.

6 readers found this review helpful

We have just returned from a two week self-catering holiday on the wonderful island of Lesvos; an island of history, scenery, very friendly locals and the 'unspoilt' Greece which is becoming increasingly hard to find.
Our base, the Ourania studios, certainly gave you the feeling that you had left the usual tourist trail far behind. The studios, as well as the owners' taverna, are situated alongside their farm - a working farm - haymaking was in full flow during our stay!
The taverna is definately first choice for eating in Petra - for quality and freshness of ingredients it cannot be beaten. However, don't eat there without an appetite - the servings are huge! The price though is not - less than 20 euros for two meals with drinks - excellent value on a fairly pricey island. To be able to prepare, cook and serve food to this high standard - after a full days work on the farm! - is an absolute credit to Christo, Ourania and their son Giorgios.
A ten minute walk will take you to the centre of beautiful Petra with its beach, old maze-like cobbled streets, shops and the famous church perched on the rock. Locals sipping ouzo rub shoulders with holidaymakers and the place has a truly laid-back and relaxed feel.
You will hear some noise whilst staying at the studios, but only to do with day to day life in the Greek countryside eg. tractors, sheep, cockerels and of course dogs. Don't let this put you off though, the benefits of staying in and feeling part of rural Greece far outweigh any drawbacks. The views from the studios overlooking the hills and mountains of northern Lesvos are reason enough on their own to stay.
Overall a fantastic and relaxing holiday. To stay at a place like this is to experience Greece at its most 'un-touristy' and idyllic best.

2 readers found this review helpful

The best holiday we have ever had. 2* apartment we know, but it is Greece!! Very basic but very clean and tidy, views from our balcony are gorgous. We would definatly recommend this holiday. The food was very very good at the taverna and also in Petra itself.
Staff at the apartments dont speak very good English, but pleasant and friendly enough.
Nice location and would recommend this holiday to couples and families, we hope to return again soon.
Mr & Mrs Halford
Redditch, England.
(Room No 4)

The Thomas Cook brochure promised a quiet stay at a small, friendly, family-run resort which seemed exactly what we were looking for. We had read some of the bad reviews so went with an open-mind and were determined to make the best of things whatever the situation.
What we were not prepared for was the aggression of the owner Christos – upon our arrival we dared complain about the fact that our rooms were not in the same complex although we had requested this upon booking (we have two children). This resulted in him shouting at us and saying that we could leave if we didn’t like it. The family is clearly over-stretched and with the exception of the daughter, a smile or any sign of hospitality does not feature in their natures. I don’t see why paying guests have to put up with surly, abusive behaviour just because he has bitten off more than he can chew.
There was also the morning my husband had to intervene in their family brawl as they were happily throwing punches, crockery and cutlery without any thought to the guests staying there who were able to hear and witness this all. Somehow I fail to see the quirkiness of this.
The ‘apartments’ were also sold on a self-catering basis which they are clearly not. They are ill-equipped and lack space to prepare anything more than a bowl of cereal so you will be forced to go out for all your meals. Glass lamp shades which I thought were green were actually clear glass covered in grime so I could not say that I was overly impressed by the level of cleanliness. A blood-stained mattress didn’t improve matters much! Set back from the main road we didn’t find it quiet, dogs bark all night and you can hear the traffic noise and music till late at night and early mornings.
Having had a two week stay there I cannot say that I would recommend Ourania to anyone although the island itself was lovely, we did some fantastic snorkelling and found out that on the whole the Greeks were friendly and welcoming.
Petra has a wide selection of restaurants so there is ample choice. We did find that the Reef Café served a good breakfast – with a smile and some friendly conversation to boot!

1 reader found this review helpful

A great two weeks spoiled, as mentioned by others previously, by the attitude, demeanor and downright rudeness of the owner. The other guests at the Ourania during our stay made the holiday what it was with a sort of wartime 'blitz' spirit keeping us all in good humour despite Christos' worst efforts to try and curtail our enjoyment. There were many times when he was plain rude and ignorant but worse than this there were times when he was actually quite aggressive - towards both residents and his family.
To argue that being 'abrupt' is part of the charm of the Greeks is total rubbish - if I want abrupt I'll go to a Victorian style Bed and Breakfast in Skegness on a Bank Holiday weekend and ask for a room for one night! However I don't want this, so I spend a lot of money and travel a long distance for my holidays in the hope of something different.
The rooms were possibly not as bad as some people have stated and of a similar standard to others I have expeienced over the past 20 years visiting many Greek islands although I have to agree that the self-catering facilities and implements were minimal to say the least. The food was excellent as many have commented and although I didn't try it myself the squid was apparently superb.
The owners lack of customer / social skills has obviously rubbed of on his wife and son although his daughter was friendly, efficient and conscientious in all that she did.
All in all although we had a great two weeks I really wouldn't want to reccomend the Ourania Studios to anyone - unless of course you are a Bed and Breakfast owner from Skegness!