Village Panorama Hotel

1 reader found this review helpful

I have just returned from a two week stay at this so called hotel.It is one big con from the moment you walk in. You will be shown a less than basic room so that you feel the need to upgrade for extra money,food is very limited and what is left one day will be served up in a different form the next!. The hotel is very tired and needs money spent to bring it up to modern day standards.
The All Inclusive is another rip off as all spirits are only available after 1930 so you can only have watered down beer from 1030,you have to pay for any drinks (inc soft) after 2230.
Having said that we made some good friends there and that's what made the holiday bearable.
One other thing the pool drops to the deep end without warning at an angle of 45 degrees so once on the slippery slop there is no way back I saw two small children having great difficulty as they could not swim.

1 reader found this review helpful

Having booked this holiday just 7 days before we went I made the mistake of reading the reviews....bad move! To say I was apprehensive was an understatement! We travelled overnight and got to the hotel at approx 7am to be met by a very friendly hotel receptionist. He upgraded our room to a sea view at no extra cost and gave us the option to upgrade my teenage daughters room also, which we declined as their room was more than adequate. All they used the room for was to shower and sleep in! We were then shown to where the early breakfast was set out so that we could get a drink while the room was prepared (only took 10 minutes)The receptionist then came to get us and explained about the facilities. The views from the hotel are fantastic, the room was cleaned every day and we received fresh towels at least twice in the week. We didn't need the air con because the island has a lovely breeze most of the time and that was enough to keep the room cool whilst we were in it. The food was absolutely fine, exactly what you would expect from a hotel that advertises itself as serving GREEK and international cuisine. Not a burger and chips in sight thankfully, we are in Greece after all!! My 18 year old daughter is the fussiest eater I know and even she managed to find something to please her at every meal. I can only assume the moaners (and there were lots of them, all British) came to Greece and expected a full English menu. The pool area was lovely and we met some of the nicest people I have ever come across on holiday. We were all brought together by the excellent entertainment on offer during the day. The hotel animator (Memo or Nemo, not sure which!) was brilliant both day and night. I defy anyone not to have a good time with him around, he was fantastic and always remembered people's names and nationalities.The hotel is very multicultural, lots of Polish, French and other Eastern European visitors, all of which added to a lovely atmosphere round the pool. The biggest moaners were as usual the British and I really fail to see what they had to moan about. All I can say, in conclusion, is that when we left after 7 days of bliss, 3 of the 4 of us were in tears and that has never happened before. Back home in wet & windy England now and already planning how we can get back there soon.

2 readers found this review helpful

I was fortunate enough to be able to book a two week all inclusive holiday at this hotel. When I arrived, the kitchens had closed, and the lady on reception, (who can be a little scary if she's grumpy) upgraded me at 30 euros to the most beautiful room with a sea view and in a quiet section of the hotel. This is basically a no frills as there wasn't anyone to help with bags and there were loads of stairs. I made it down to the bar at least for a few drinks.
The bar staff are amazing, and the entertainments guy, Mario is really funny. All the bar staff were brilliant, Charlene, Arris and Marius.
The food is a bit hit and miss, but there is always something to eat. The all inclusive package works out to 15 euros per day, which includes your room (7euros). 3 meals a day (1.09 euros per meal, eat all you want) and 2 euros a day for your free drinks.
The village is wonderful, and an easy wallk down, but a bit of a hill to get back to the hotel. the hotel lays on two buses a day. one at 09h00 to get you to the beach and then a collection service at 15h00 and 18h00.
The beach is lovely with a wonderful selection of restuarants on the beach front. My two favourites being Zorba's (fantastic food) and Club Nanu for coffee in the day and a brilliant atmosphere in the evening. Just be wary of the cocktails as all the night bars charge 7 euros a drink.
All in all , I had an amazing experience. Definately give the little chapel on the hill a visit.

1 reader found this review helpful

I went to the Hotel Panorama with my son who is 15 mths old and my parents. The hotel was clean and welcoming.
The food was ok, I'm a fussy eater and I found something for myself and my son to eat at every meal time, normally they had a meat or fish dish and a couple of vegetable options, cold salads and pasta with sauce.
if you're all inclusive the drinks were available almost all day, you had to buy bottled water which wasn't expensive.
The down points of the hotel was that it was on several layers and spread out, there was no safety around the pools and the place was crawling with cats!
The walk to the beach wasn't too bad, we never attempted to walk back, the hotels minibus came and collected you at 3pm

3 readers found this review helpful

Just arrived back form a 2 week holiday experience that I would not like to repeat. Having arrived 6 hours late due to a pilots despute (appreciate not the hotels fault) we were told that the hotel was full and that we were being taken to another hotel until Monday (just what you want to hear at 11.30pm).
The Peninsula Hotel was very nice and after wasting another half day of our holiday on Monday being transfered back to the Village Pamorama we were expecting the same standards. Boy were we disapointed. As many of the other reviews I have since read the staff were very unhelpful and unfriendly, the room was adequate, but the shower had no curtain so the bathroom became a paddling pool afterwords - very dangerous, and when they changed the sheets you had to make the bed yourself (they just left the clean sheets on the bed).
Not the 4 star hotel as described. The food, I can't even begin to state how terrible it was, after the first few days we eat out.
There were also cats every where, the "Cat Cafe" feeding station was just below our balcany so everytime you went out on the balcany there was a very unpleasent essence of cats!!!!
Will not be recommending.

1 reader found this review helpful

After reading all the reviews before we went we honestly didnt know what to expect. The staff that greeted us were wonderful. Yes sometimes you got fed up with the food,especially at lunch so i just ate the greek pastries that were for pudding. i think a lot of people expected bacon and eggs every morning. you dont get that in Greece,you get a variety for all the holiday makers that have paid their money. Pancakes,doughnuts,fried egg,scrambles egg,cheeses,hams and beautiful fresh bread are some of the options for breakfast. Peter should bottle whatever he has and sell it, he is marvellous.
Clean,friendly,comfortable. what more do you want for a holiday.

1 reader found this review helpful

We arrived late and the staff were very attentive and plated up some food for us. We had booked a 2 bed family room and it was very clean and the views from all the rooms are stunning. The choice of food is varied and we ate well every evening - sometimes too much choice as by the end of the holiday we were just eating for the sake of it!
The top pool is where families tend to go as this is where the AI snacks are and drinks. There is music there and also organised water polo and aqua gym (great fun)
The lower pool is also in a superb setting with a drinks bar. The animation team made our visit special as they made our children ( aged 5 and 7) so welcome and used the kids club every day. The staff were all great and this certainly added to the experience. THis is a hotel to go to if you want to relax and enjoy peace and quiet.
there is a daily bus serivce to the Capital which is well worth a visit and also this stops at the local beach.
We had a great time and will definitely go back. To sum up, outstanding views and staff, child friendly in every way, a relaxing holiday for those that like to sit by the pool.
I have stayed AI in Barbados (4*) and the Sensimar is superior to this.

3 readers found this review helpful

we returned on 28th june, after a lovely time.Reception staff were more than helpfull, Yanis the manager helped to straighten our slight hiccups... plastic cups at bar, lack of bar staff. Food was ok,sick of sausages at breakfast though,the chef did his best we thought to try and cater for all,we did find that some people wanted was burger and chips etc.... come on guys its a foriegn country try it , you may like.... We had some lovely grub at the beach Try The Acropolice.. yummy and friendly, not pushy at all. Ah the beach...stunning but dont be fooled if you have probs walking it is not 600m as advertised,I suggest you use the free bus from the hotel. On hiring a car for 3 days managed to get all over, but i must say Heraklion was a driving nightmare.We enjoyed our hols and looking forward to going back in september..

23 readers found this review helpful

After reading some of the reviews on here, we where very apprehensive about attending this hotel, as it transpired it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
We arrived by taxi, booked through resort hoppa, in the middle of the night, and we was greeted by a lot of cats and a male receptionist. He was ok, he explained about the rooms, meal times, all inclusive details, etc. We were told of the usual "upgrade" rooms, and was told that if we wanted a sea view room, it would be 10€ per night extra. We declined. Air conditioning is also not included and is 5€ per night if you want it. Safes also cost something to rent, but I cant remember the cost.
We then walked ourselves to our room, which we found easily. The rooms were basic, but clean. TV (mainly Greek channels, except BBC world service), Fridge (leaked water a lot from the Ice box), dressing table and chair, large double bed, wardrobe, towels, sheets, hair-dryer, shower with bath, and outside table and chairs. The balcony looked out across the mountain side, but the view was, by no means, unpleasant to the eye.
We then went to the "pool side" bar to have a quick drink from the bar. All inclusive drinks between 10:30am and 8:30pm are Raki, Ouzo, Wine, Beer, Brandy and Soft Drinks, between 8:30pm and 11:30pm other spirits are free, like Vodka and Tequila. During the day these drinks are served in small plastic cups, including the beer, which works out about 1/4 of a pint. Tap water is also free, but bottled water is not, bottled water costs 1.50€ for a large bottle and 50 cent for a small bottle. We ended up buying 6 x 2ltr bottles in the town for 1.90€.
Moving on to the all inclusive food. The food is not the worst I have ever had, and there is generally a good choice, but our major gripe was the fact that some
variation of pork was served almost every night, and the food was only ever served just warm, never piping hot. However, we did have some really nice dinners here,
Pork Souvlaki, Home-made Burgers, Roasted Lamb Shoulder, Chicken drumsticks in a wine sauce and griddled Liver. The selection for Breakfast consisted of, fruit,
cereals, yoghurt, cold meat and cheese, fresh bread, and a cooked section, This was a bit hit and miss, with fried eggs being served only once during our stay.
Frankfurters were served regularly, with some kind of Spanish omelette. In the tray next to these was usually a sweet item, pancakes or doughnuts, etc. Lunch was
usually Salads, a Pork dish (goulash for example), and some other cooked foods which varied from fish to pastas. Ice cream and Jelly was also available at lunch. Dinner was similar to lunch, and also included Jelly and ice cream and other nice deserts. A drinks dispenser is in the restaurant, so you can help yourself to soft drinks, tea or coffee and beer.
The Town and Beach, Agia Pelagia, is located at the bottom of the hillside the hotel is located on. We walked up and down this hill a few times, round trip was about 30 mins and it certainly gets your heart pumping. If walking is not for you, the hotel offer a courtesy bus service, leaving the hotel for a 9am drop off, 10am drop off and pick up, 15:00 drop off and pick up and 18:00 drop off and pick up. I also heard that would can get a Private taxi to town for 14€. If you out for the day you can request a packed lunch the day before. This consists of a baguette with a unidentified meat and cheese in, some fruit and a bottle of water. Its worth it just for the bottle of water, as it doesn't cost you anything. We requested these when we spent the day at the beach, and used part of the baguette to feed the fish in the sea when snorkelling. The beach is located in a peaceful location, with plenty of sun loungers and parasols. We were charged 2€ per bed and per parasol. The beach is stoney and has small areas of sand, and the water is clean, clear and looks appealing.
Regular Entertainment, offered by the multi lingual Peter, was always enjoyable. During the day you can partake in aerobics in the pool, table tennis competitions, darts competitions, quizzes etc. During the evening a main event was always arranged, following a quick few rounds of bingo. These main events included Miss Panorama competition, dancing, Mr and Mrs Panorama etc.
There are 3 swimming Pools located in the hotel, one large, one medium and one for children. These are always clean. These are surrounded by many sun loungers and parasols. There is also a small play area for children with a slide etc.
The cost to keep your room on longer, should you have a late flight, was, in our case, 30€. We declined paying this and used the courtesy room, or should I say
shower room as it consisted of 4 showers, 4 stools, some mirrors, and that was it.
So overall I would say that this hotel is not all that bad, and maybe they had already fixed some of the issues others had highlighted on previous reviews.

3 readers found this review helpful

the only good thing about this hotel is its clean. we went all inclusive and ate out most of the time , the food was like slop, the chef only gave you 2 pieces of meat,the salads were ok your at the top of a steep slope,nice walking down but you need oxygen when you get tothe top.the entertainment was bingo,bingo,bingo.the views were nice but thers nowhere to go and nothing to do. we read reviews and were abit unsure about the place but everyone raved about peter the entertainments bloke. when we got there peter had left.if it rains and your in the bar be prepared to fight for a seat and you still get wet cos the bars outside.all in all for us this hotel and place is a no no no. its also expensive. realy look before you book