Souli Beach Hotel

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I booked this holiday three weeks prior to departure as part of a ‘last minute’ deal. One of the best decisions I’ve made this year!
The Hotel’s brochure description (and the photographs) are fair and accurate. The Hotel has three levels (including ground) and the poolside is North facing. There are car parks on both the East and West sides of the building, with the main road passing the southern aspect.
To the North/East corner is the open dining area. A lovely place to sit and eat with a gentle on shore breeze drifting through.
The rooms and communal areas were spotless and tidy. Maid service was daily.
The rooms themselves were large double bedrooms with sufficient wardrobe space and plenty of British style three pin electrical sockets. The air conditioning (supplement) was provided by a wall-mounted unit, quiet running and operated by remote control. We were fortunate enough to have obtained two adjacent rooms (rooms five and seven) on the ground floor, which had a small terrace and direct access to the grass lawn and swimming pool area. The only time we used the ‘main’ door was on our arrival and departure. A bit of a bonus. The bar is adjacent to the pool and breakfast bar area. With the exception of the themed nights (Greek, Indian and BBQ), the ambiance was quiet and low keyed. No bombastic music.
The pool was large enough for the Hotel. It was maintained daily. Around the pool were an adequate number of sun loungers and parasols, again this area was clean and tidy.
Staff at the Hotel were plentiful and helpful. Everyone spoke English and were polite and courteous throughout our stay. During our holiday, my eldest son celebrated his birthday. The staff were thoughtful enough to decorate our table with balloons and assisted us in obtaining a birthday cake.
The beach area directly in front of the Hotel is a mixture of stones, shingle and a narrow broken strip of sand at the waters edge. To the west of the Hotel, the beach is wide and inwardly curving with fist sizes pebbles. To the West the beach is more shingle and smaller pebbles and this continues towards the harbour and town area which is about a 10 minute stroll away, via a pedestrian and cycle path south of the road. As you progress nearer to the town the upper reaches of the beach is sand. The beach has an exclusion zone for boats and other craft, giving an area of safety for swimmers.
The harbour town of Latchi (or Lasti) is close by. The harbour has a mixture of fishing boats, yachts and small craft for rent. Over looking this are approximately five restaurants that specialise in fish. Not the cheapest, though neither the dearest place to eat but certainly one of the prettiest. Back to back with these are a row of shops, which include three mini markets. These are well equipped.
There is construction work in the area on the land, south of the road between Latchi and the Hotel. Construction is ongoing, with a developer building bungalows. However, it is screened off and the visual and audio impact is minimal. This stretch of the road has ‘road humps’ which deter the ‘boy racers’.
Nightlife is minimal. There is a ‘Beach Bar’, which again was quiet. Opposite this was another bar, which appears to have given up and closed. No discos here! About a 5 minute drive to the South/East is the town of Polis. It appears to be a standard semi modern town, however there is a short pedestrianised area, which has bars and restaurants. These are a bit cheaper than Latchi however there is no drop in the food quality. In all the places we ate in both Polis and Latchi, we never had a bad meal once.
To find this pedestrianised area in Polis, drive from Latchi, enter into the town of Polis and turn left prior to a bridge, which crosses a dry riverbed. Follow the road as it makes its way first down then uphill. Keep an eye out to your left, you’ll see the parking area. Transport to and from the Hotel was by taxi and mini bus. The taxi driver must have been a fan of formula one racing, however he certainly lacked the skills. Still, it made for some small talk with the other guests.
This hotel is rated by First Choice as two star plus. Maybe so, but the service and quality was five star plus. What a great holiday.