More Traveller Reviews of Hermes Hotel
Friendly family run hotel but Kefalos a disappointment.
from didileavetheovenon
My partner and I stayed at the Hermes for one week from 7th-14th September 2006. The holiday got off to a bad start – after booking a self catering room with a balcony on a high floor, we were shown to a ground floor room with no view and bars on the windows and door. We complained but were told that our room request had not been passed on to the hotel and we could not swap because they were fully booked. This was clearly a problem with our booking agent and not the Hermes, but we were still very disappointed. We were given the option of a non self catering room on a higher floor which we accepted but this meant sacrificing a fridge, air conditioning and cooking facilities for the privacy and view that we had expected. Diana, Sebastian and their son Nico were very friendly and did everything they could for us. The room was cleaned every day except Sunday and we received fresh towels every second day. The view from our balcony was great and overlooked Kefalos beach which is a 10 minute walk from the Hermes and well worth a visit. We spent most of our week on the beach avoiding noisy guests at the hotel pool and screaming children who, at that time of year, should clearly have been at school. Kefalos old town is a short walk up a steep hill above the hotel. It is worth a visit, especially if you are looking for a taste of real Kos and a break from the neon-saturated 'main-strip' down below. Overall, we were disappointed with the resort. We went to Kefalos expecting a taste of Greece but found that everywhere we went offered the same selection of "Full English Breakfast", pizza and chips. It was almost impossible to find anwhere that served traditional Greek cuisine. During our stay we found only 2 restaurants worth recommending – the 'Corner' on the beach front, which serves brilliant Greek salads and tzatziki etc and the 'Faros', the last restaurant at the far end of the harbour, which also serves a good quality Greek menu. On our last day we hired a car from the hotel and went to Kos town which is definitely worth a visit. To sum up, thanks Hermes – especially to Diana who is a real star – but it's unlikely we'll go back to Kos.
The Hermes Hotel in Kefalos is the worst hotel I have ever stayed at
from angiemarcus
We have just come home from our 2 week stay at the Hermes hotel in Kefalos (31.08 - 15.09.06) We have been to Greece 4 times and our experience of Greece is that it is the most beautiful place to holiday and all of the places we have stayed at have been excellent in every way all except the Hermes Hotel which we found the owner's Diana and Sebastion to be very rude,impolite and arrogant, the hotel in itself is stated as being 3 star rated which I find unbelievable as it is very very basic, the shower facilites are atrocious, you only have access to hot water once per day as the owner's switch water off. The toilet sink/bowl/shower tray and shower head was filthy as the cleaner only put bleach on the floor, the beds were so uncomfortable, the bed linen was an off white colour and not changed on a regular basis(one sheet would be changed at a time) you only had one pillow which was of very poor quality, ie cheap and no support. We were on a bed & breakfast basis but only ate breakfast on 3 occassions due to the fact that we were made to feel unwelcome, you had to go to the waitress to get served as they ignored you. This is the first time we have ever had to use the services of the representative which we are grateful for and who confirmed that we were not the only people who were having problems with the owner's, due to this we have lodged official complaints about our treatment at the Hermes Hotel, on our 2nd or 3rd day we were accused of being sick over a balcony which was diabolical, Diana demanded our passport and room key, she was very unreasonable and you could not approach her at all. I have taken pics of the dirty bathroom and shown them to the rep on site and will send them to the company who deal with the hotel. I certainly would not recommend this Hermes Hotel to anyone at all but would say visit Greece as everywhere else is beautiful and the people are very friendly outwith this hotel. This is a true and accurate description of the Hermes Hotel in Kefalos. Angela - Scotland
Excellent
from Mercenarylady
We went back to Hotel Hermes after 11 years. It is still run by Deanna and Sebastian, we even met their grown up kids Katerina and Nico. Excellent holiday again. My children loved Deanna & Sebastian, and Demetri (Sebs brother). The hotel accommodation is basic but very clean and the family run service is just fantastic. The view from the hotel is the best. We would definitely go back. Hire a car and see the rest of the island - it is definitely worth seeing. Turkey trip a must but don't do it with the rep - do it independently it is much cheaper. Restaurant Argo and Restaurant Sirtaki were definitely two of the best, good food and good service.
wow,wow,wow
from shorty-j
From the moment we booked the holiday we knew it was going to be amazing! We love the fact it was a family run business, everyone was so friendly. You can easily travel the whole island in a day; just like we did, we learnt so mush about this wonderful island. The kids loved it and so did I. The hill was definatly made up by the lovely time we had, and if you are thinking of trying this place, then dont hesatate book it NOW! Hotel Hermes is definatly one to recomend!
just love the people and the place
from joanieandavid
we have been back to the hemes hotel 3 times it cannot be beaten even our children loved it we stayed on the family quarters as the children had their own room i was a bit worried about this at the time but once sebastian and diana assured me that our childrens safety was paramount to them we went on to have a fab time yet again. they had their own family visiting at the same time as us and ive got to say they were all wonferfull poeple who made us feel very welcome at all times nothing is ever to much for this family run hotel , one of my daughters is a very funny eater and diana went out of her way to make my daughter her lovely tuna mayo which she loved we even got a parcel to take to the airport for her sebastian an dianas children are a real credit to them nik who tried his hardest to teach our girls to dive and katrina who is a fab cook at the pool bar we will be going back without a doubt all the gang from liverpool
Second time at the Hermes
from A TripAdvisor Member
Second time at the Hermes, third time in Kos, for the wife and I. A few changes from before: fridge in every room, wired for TV but no sets yet, air con plumbed in every room, some self-catering apartments, fenced-off childrens pool as part of main pool, matresses on most sun beds, pool surround re-done. Still nice views, still nice people, still the cleanliness. Every room has a balcony and sea view. Amazing views also of the Kos mountain and the sun rise from the east. Some points of dissappointment this time: 1. Forgot about the steepness of the hill leading up to the hotel from the beach area. There is a church just as the hill gets steeper for a little prayer (to help you with the rest of the journey). The walk helps to counter the good food and drink served along the many restaurants and bars along the sea front! 2. Seventeen steps up to the reception; 18 steps up to the bar & Block 4 accommodation; 30 steps from the bar to the accommodation blocks 2 & 3. There is, however, a long shallow road from the pool area up to Blocks 2 & 3. 3. For B&B, breakfast was either corn flakes or continental (2 slices of toast, 1xbutter, 2xjam). Other cooked stuff, etc, could be bought, including freshly delivered doughnuts! Picking up on some more good points: 1. Food in the restaurant was very good and prepared by Diana (owner) and a cook. An all-you-can-eat buffet with Greek-style food available every Sunday for €10 per person. 2. Air con use is €5 per day. Well worth it. 3. Very good service from the pool cafe - hot and cold meals and snacks, plus the obligatory drinks! 4. Hermes car hire is competitive with insurance included.
Excellent Hermes Hotel
from A TripAdvisor Member
This was the second trip to Kefalos and the first to the Hermes......2 adults and a 3 year old. The owners, Dianna and Sebastian are very, very accomodating and made us feel very welcome. The hotel is clean, bright and very user friendly!!! The maids are very cheerful and friendly and do a quiet and efficient job. The rooms are basic but contain all you would need and the standards of cleanliness is very good. There is a lovely size pool with an adjacent paddling pool for kids, sun beds with parasols are suppplied around the pool area at no extra cost. The pool bar was run by Diana`s daughter, again, quick polite and very effecient, excellent for daytime snacks, drinks and meals. There were NO CHAVVY PEOPLE!!! :).... Would we go back...YES, definatley. An ideal hotel for quite families, couples or anyone looking for a restful, relaxing break. Possibly the only drawback was the walk up a slightly steep hill when coming back from the town or beach, if someone has walking difficuties or has a buggy to push then it takes abit of effort but I wouldnt let it put you off. Hope to be going back around September time. Rick, Julie and Ben.
Seba and Diana are wonderful hosts
from angief
We have stayed at the Hermes twice now and will DEFINITELY go back. Sebastian and Diana are wonderful hosts. They made us feel welcome during a very busy week on our first visit. Then on our second visit we went early - before the hotel was actually opening for the season - and had the whole place to ourselves!!! The accommodation is basic but it is clean and well located with a massive pool. Diana was there to greet us and made us very welcome. As we had booked the holiday independently (so that we could stay at the Hermes - as they were no longer using agencies - that's how much we wanted to go to the same place!), there were no airport transfers included so, although we made our own way there, Sebastian insisted on taking us back to the airport - which was so kind of him - I don't think that this is part of the normal service, but as we were the only guests Diana and Seb became like family. I RECOMMEND THIS HOTEL - it's in a beautiful area and as I have already stated - I will go back again for sure.
fantastic hermes
from kefalos
how much my family and i are looking forward to going back to the hermes this year my young children who were 2, ,3, and 5 when we first visited and are now 7, 8, 10, are still as excited and as that first visit and cannot wait to meet up with the wonderful diana sebastian and all the others who always have the warmest welcome on the island. this hotel might not be 5 star but npothing can replace the warm welcome and hospitality that is always there to greet you at the hermes hotel
wonderful Hermes, Kefalos
from A TripAdvisor Member
This was our fifth visit to Hermes since it opened and the service and welcome was as good as ever. Diana and her family make everyone extremely welcome not just old friends returning but also those on their first visit. There is an excellent pool with loads of sun beds, food in the hotel is excellent as are the rooms. The resort is full of tavernas all serving excellent food our favourite is Argos down near the roundabout. The walk to the tavernas is about ten minutes and then you can have a gentle stroll back up to the hotel to walk off dinner. Not the place for nightlife, go to Kardamena a taxi ride away, kefalos and Hermes is the place for a relaxing holiday to unwind.
Me and my partner have just got back from a smashing holiday in kafalos Greece, but were extremly shocked at the Hotel food.The hotel very clean and presentable staff very friendly, not the holiday for teenagers as no entertainment at night.The continental breakfast was a... more