Reviews of Aristo Aparthotel, Psalidi

Well i was a little concerned after reading the reviews on here, so i wanted to make up my own mind and not be influanced too much.

Jo, our rep had this annoying habit of always, always saying "Ok guys" whether she was talking to 1 or 100 of you. She didn't seem to know that much asout Kos at all and her main worry was hoping you put all positives on your questionaire so not to get sent back to britain next year to rep.

The apartment was a good size (5 sharing) and the cleaner was very prompt and good at her job of keeping the place clean and tidy. That i can not fault.

Ellie seemed nice enough but she could be rude if you upset her. Luckily we did not.

The days went from one extreme to the other. You either had the music blaring all day or it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. They had a limited volume of music choice and if i never hear Dancing Queen (Abba) again it will be too soon.

The food was very over priced 3.50 euro for just chips. 1 night we tried the cheese omlette. It was omlette with 1 square plastic cheese put on top. Not good.

The buses from the the bottom of the hill into Kos town or to Thermes were a god send. 1.30 euro for adults and 75 cents for the kids if got on the bus. However if you get them from the bus stop in Kos town it was only 90 and 60cents.

After reading the reviews i was excited about going to Nicos and Kontessa and it was ok. The food was nice and the people friendly but it did not blow us away.

We would take a stroll towards the town and found a nice taverna called Zorbas and although the menu was not huge the prices were far more reasonable than those of the hotel bar. 38 eu for 5 main courses and 2 rounds of drinks each.

THe beach at Psalidi is not all that. Stoney an dwhat looks to be like shredded paper on the beach is sea weed which is extremely dence not far from the shore. I would say your best bet is to visit Paradise beach as it truely is paradise.

If you wish to do day trips i really would advice not to go through Olympic as it is a rip off.

42eu for adults to go to Turkey and we got it for 20 at Tigaki tours which is a 10 min walk from hotel and i know someone who got it for 15 at Kos harbour.

It definatly is worth the trip as it is lovely there, especially if you want to get a bargain.

All in all our stay was good and a holiday is what you make it. All the kids had a great time making new friends too.

It was the 2nd time to Kos so we feel we have done it all now.

Can't wait to decide were to go next year

IF YOUR INTENTION IS TO SIT BY THE POOL EVERYDAY AND EAT AT THE SAME RESTAURANT THEN YOU WILL HAVE A GREAT TIME THE HOTEL IS SITUATED ON THE HILLSIDE ALTHOUGH A GENTLE SLOPE TO THE ROAD AND THE NEAREST RESTAURNAT THE KONTESSA WHICH SERVES NICE FOOD THE HOTEL HAS MAGNIFICENT VIEWS TOWARDS TURKEY MY ROOM 1 BED APT WAS AT THE END OF THE BLOCK SO THE KITCHEN HAD A LARGE WINDOW LOOKING OUT TO SEA THE KITCHEN IS BASIC FRIDGE AND TWO RINGS TO COOK ON AS A FAMILY OF FOUR IT WAS A STRUGGLE THE BATHROOM IS EVEN MORE SPARSE NO BATH AND A BAD TEMPERED SHOWER.THE POOL IS WAS FINE ALTHOUGH SMALL IF VERY BUSY THERE WAS TABLE TENNIS POOLE TABLE AND TENNIS COURT FOR USE I HIRED A JEEP FOR TEN DAYS AND VISITED BEACHES AROUND THE ISLAND MASTIHARI AND KEFALOS ARE SUPERB IF YOU HAVE KIDS THE WATERPARK IS A MUST

The Apartments are basic and clean, ours was a good size (four sharing), pool area is good and we had a great view from our balcony. David whom works behind the bar was great entertainment (works from 11pm most nights). But that is where the good points stop, the pool bar is run by Ellie and by god you do not want to upset her!! She is rude and moody. Food from the bar is very poor, the drinks are twice the price then you would pay in kos town or at the Nicos and Kontessa taverna at the bottom of the road, this is only taverna nearby. There are no tavernas within walking distance the only way to have more choice is to get a taxi into town (8 Euros each way).

Nicos and Kontessa taverna is fantastic they always make you feel welcome the food is excellent too. But be warned, due to the growth of the all inclusive hotels this taverna, like all the rest by well be out of business before too long.

Back to the pool area, this is very good manly families. But on one occasion the pool water was very cloudy, which Ellie and her staff did not pick up on, until told to by a fellow holiday maker who is told “the water is clean”.

The rep, Jo was useless, at the end of your holiday you have to complete a questionnaire, but there is nowhere for you to leave your own comments so I suggested this to her and she took no notice of what I was telling her and continued making a phone call. I complained about the noise at night from the bar, again she did nothing.

-----rbspro

The apartments are set in the the middle of no where ,the pool area is good nice and quiet

but the staff are very abrupt , don't upset Ellie are you will know about it you can walk into kos town we did it ONCE it takes a good hour in 30 degrees it is hard work , better to take a taxi 8 euros nicos and contessa taverna at the bottom of the hill is a must very friendly and good food . No air con which is needed in july /august months , the good points are that it is set in quiet location no 18- 30s just family's and couples .

artisto ummm well ill give you all the details , me and my bf got a studio room which was a fair size , but the shower always leaked everywhere all over the floor which was fun... there is NO air con in the apartments which makes it almost unbarable to sleep at night so we bought a fan from kos town for about 10 euro, the room are kept well clean by the maids who managed to wake me up every morning lol at around 10 am, you can get some really good views from certain rooms, the food to eat out IS expensive as well as the drinks if you want cheap drinks go to the APOLLON BAR just down the road, as for the location of the aparments there is NOTHING around , but there is a bus into kos town which cost 1,40 one way, no good beaches they were all sheckels :( a few man made ones but thats it, umm ok the pool is not a good size for the amount of ppl in the complex , theres a mix of english and german mostly there and a word of warning most sun beds are taken by 9am ...sooo get up early !! we also went to lido waterpark which is a nice change from the pool, not many rides and very expensive 17 euro each,

KOS TOWN arghhh all i got was harassed by nearly every resturant i walked past!if you dont was to be bugged stay away from kos town lol.

overall i would say this is not a good place for couples and is more of a family holiday , i wouldnt go back becuase its to out in the middle of nowhere ... and nothing to do

My friend and I have just returned from 10 days in Kos, staying at the Aristo Apartments. We were concerned at first, on reading some of the reviews, but were very pleasantly surprised. Situated just outside of Kos, a nice quiet location with a regular and cheap bus service into town and beyond. However we went the extra mile and hired a car, arranged on the spot by the lady at Aristo, it was delivered within half an hour of asking, and picked up at the end of our holiday. Thank you Safari Car Hire. The site itself is very pleasant, clean and the pool area and bar are great. Plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas. There are safes in reception for valuables for a small fee. The room is basic, and the cooking facilities a little lacking if you wanted to cook for a family - there are two electric rings and a kettle, no oven or microwave - but we don't go on holiday to cook, so it wasn't a problem, we did however take our own electric kettle. The maid service was good with fresh towels and bedding daily. There is a longish gentle slope up to the apartments from the road, and I have bad knees but it didn't present a problem to me, not well lit, but again not a problem, there is light at the bottom and the top, and we felt no danger. The staff at Aristo are lovely, polite, friendly and very helpful. We were less impressed with the Rep, Jo, we found her abrupt and not very approachable, and didn't seem up to speed on things, and liked much better Angela, the rep who was there just before our holiday, she was friendly helpful and lovely to talk to, she was on the bus from the airport and accompanied Jo on her visits to Aristo, we would have felt much more comfortable had she still been our rep. I think Jo was less than impressed with us because we just went ahead and booked our own ar and did things independently. Trips tended to be expensive through Olympic, so we booked independently through Fanos Travel in Kos. We went to Turgutries in turkey on the Saturday for 20euros which was lovely, fantastic market, we got fabulous quality fake designer handbags there - the wuality was not as good anywhere else we went - Bodrum in Turkey on the Tuesday for 20euros - lovely port and town but the market not so good, both of these trips on the lovely Maria Star boat and we did a day trip to Rhodes (which olympic did not offer) for about 36euros - definitely not to be missed, we went on a huge Blue Star Ferry - excellent! The trips cost twice as Olympic offered a bar crawl through Kos, which we declined as we felt we were too old for this! We took the car to somebeautiful places, Zia - up n the mountains - stunning, Kefalos and the fantastic Paradise Beach, lives up to it's name, Tigaki Beach, absolutely lovely lying on the beach gazing over at Turkey, feel like you could just swim over, it is so close! And the lovely Kardemena, definitely worth a visit. We had a fantastic holiday, driving was so easy (neither of us have ever driven abroad before) there is one main road through the island, and everything goes off this. The car hire people gave us a basic map which we took everywhere with us, was great. There are many eating places along the road to Kos, and Kos is full of them, but by far the best is Nicos and Kontessa, a lovely taverna just at the bottom of the slope down from the apartments, the setting is lovely, the staff friendly and fun and the food is to die for! They always remembered us, and my friend is vegetarian and they always had something for her, and the retsina was pretty good too! We would recommend this holiday and we would love to go back again, same apartments same car hire same place! Hope to see you again soon. Sue and Joan.

I and my parnter have just returned from two weeks at the Aristo Apartments in Psalidi. To be honest before we arrived we were worried having read some of the comments.

When we arrived we were very pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the complex also the facilities and the friendliness on the people who run the complex. Ignore comments about a badly lit steep hill leading to the complex. Yes there is a slope and yes there is no lighting until you reach the top but my partner has a false hip and walking difficulties and had no problems what so ever walking up th the complex. If you want a good clean friendly quiet place to to stay you shoud try the Aristo Apartments for me they tick all the boxes. The cooking facilities are basic so if you plan on cooking big meals you wont be able to but there is a fabulous taverna and the bottom of the road (Nicos and Kontessa) and we found no where better to eat on the island. Also the is a regular bus service again from the bottom of the road into Kos town if you want more night life. As far as I am concerned for great relaxing holiday there is no where better than the Ariso Apartments.

The apartments themselves are OK, the lobby area and pool are very nice. The staff are very helpful, David behind the bar is lovely and was always giving my boyfriend free ouzo shots. However its the area that lets the apartments down, Psalidi is like a ghost town, the beach is horrendous, all rocks and large ants everywhere, you cant lie on the beach anywhere. Most of Psalidi is a building site too and is not traditional Greek, it is all modern ugly hotels. Nikos and Kontessa taverna at the bottom of the hill is brilliant, traditional greek food and dancing and very friendly staff. However this is the only decent taverna in the area you will have to go into Kos Town every night for OK food which tbh isnt much better, there are no traditional tavernas there either. The apartments were dead as well when we were there the bar just had us in at night which wasnt great we ended up in bed at 11 every night because we couldnt stay in Kos Town past then or we'd miss the bus back. The lack of air conditioning is unbearable too, It was 42 degrees when we were there we had to buy 2 electric fans which made no difference.



All in all it is an OK cheap package deal the weather is gorgeous and if you're just looking for a pool holiday its perfect, but not if your looking for traditional greek cuisine, or shopping or beaches

Aristo apartment are situated up a steep hill which at night is not lit.



Whilst they are clean apartments and cleaned 6/7 days a week, they are badly maintained, and we spent all of our 11 days without balcony lights, a bathroom light, and a bedroom light in the dressing area. The wardrobe also broke during the holiday.



Fridges are extremely old and because there is no air con at all, this makes the heat worse at night.



The Olympic website states that there is a mini market on site, which there isn't and also says there is entertainment, which again there isn't! I walked to the nearest mini market in 7 minutes. The road is very dangerous and busy too.



The pool area is nice but many people were suffering from eye and ear infections during our stay. I never saw it cleaned during our stay.



The little bar serves snacks which are cheap but not a great choice.



May I also point out that the Olympic rep is very young and inexperienced and struggled when pressurised. Saying that she was a nice enough girl.



Please be aware that there is no exchange facility for your money. The nearest is opposite the sports bar towards Kos town, approx 10 minute walk.



As for Psalidi itself well it’s just the main road into Kos town. The beaches are very poor and the apartments are a good 1/2 an hour walk from them anyway. There are lots of restaurants along this road which are good value for money a meal for 2 adults and 2 kids with drinks (3 courses) is approx 45 Euros.



However in Kos Town itself it’s the usual get them in and hike them out attitude, more expensive and giving you no 'Greek time' to enjoy your meal.



There is a small taverna at the bottom of the hill where Aristo is situated and it’s great!



Good food, good value, excellent entertainment! Well worth a visit. They love the kids and they even give them free ice creams!

First the apartments; upon arrival at 5am in the morning we were greeted by a friendly man who helped us to our rooms. The apartments are up a steep incline without lighting and its poorly maintained.



We had booked a one bed apartment but was given two studios, which upon booking was available and cheaper but decided for security we wanted an apartment.



For the duration of the holiday we had no bathroom light, no balcony light, and only one light in one of the bedroom sections which made things difficult when returning at night.



During our holiday the wardrobe rail broke and remained so.



The apartment was poorly maintained and generally needed updating. Without air conditioning the apartments were unbearable at night, bearing in mind it had been 42 degrees during the day so it was very hot.



There was also a problem with the pool with many people getting ear and eye infections but the owner insisted that it was an airborne infection. My son has since had to be treated at home with antibiotic sprays. I never saw the pool cleaned. Many guests including myself expected and were told that there was air con which is a necessity in July and August.



The lady who ran the bar during the day was in the main ok but could be officious when she needed to be. The bar offered basic snacks but were reasonably priced and were well cooked and quickly brought to you.



At night however, there was no entertainment at all other than Greek TV and the odd showing of a pirate DVD. The Greek lad on duty at night regularly had his mates in attendance and rather than show English or Dutch football matches which were advertised chose to show Greek ones so him and his mate could watch. Shame because the website still states that there is entertainment but there is none.



The beach was a good 20 minute walk away which was shingle and not very pleasant.



The rep Fiona was a quivering wreck and although these problems were reported to her, I doubt if I will hear anything about my comments.



As for Psalidi well we never really found the heart of it! It’s just a main road heading into Kos town, with a few bars and restaurants along it. It’s not a resort as such, which was disappointing. You needed to catch a bus into Kos town and they ran regularly and cheap (about 1E per person). BEWARE, bus drivers can be very nasty!!!



There is a restaurant at the bottom of the hill from the complex and this is highly recommended. A meal for two adults and two kids, three courses with drinks was about 45 Euros. But the portions were excellent and so was the quality of the food. You were also entertained by the waiters with dancing and their humour - great!



Can also recommend a boat trip on the Calypso boat from Kos town on the 3 island cruise. Excellent value for money at 15E including lunch, under 12's free and 12-16 's half price.



All in all our party was disappointed with Psalidi. I had visited Kos some time before and its changed and not for the better. It’s now commercialised and whilst the locals want your money they don't really want you there!

We had never been to Kos but it was fantastic. We spent a lot of time exploring the island and hired a car for a few days. Paradise beach is one of the best places I have ever been and highly recommend a visit.



We went on quite a few excursions organised by the rep, this is where we experienced some problems. On one of the trips the rep forgot to book us in!

After waiting for an hour for the bus to turn up we had to go back up to the reception and phone the helpline, we were then told our names where not on the list!



However we were booked in for the week after which wouldn't have been any good if you where staying for a week and it was a disappointment for my child who was excited to be going.



Also worth a visit is nissyros, where you get to go in a volcano! The apartments are basic and we found ours to be a little dirty sometimes especially if you looked too closely! It was peaceful and had fantastic views, and a great little balcony where you could soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the views.



I had a little problem with one of the staff, I do not know the mans name but after asking him if I could use the reception phone to ring the rep (after the bus was a little late and we were worried she had not booked us in again!) He blankly refused; as I had no cash and my mobile broke this caused a slight problem.

After this incident he would not serve me at the bar at all which I found rude and a little upsetting.



Apart from that it was fantastic and I will go back to Kos one day, maybe even staying at Aristo. My advice would be explore the island but not through the reps you can get it cheaper in Kos town, and visit the tavern at the bottom of the hill, very friendly, cheap and they love kids.

The rooms were very spacious but the kitchen and bathroom were RUBBISH!!!!!!!! Pool area was quite good. Nikos and Kontessa restaurant is a must. Food was OK. Theo liked to dance to the traditional Greek music.

There was no air conditioning and it could do with some. Bus service was good to Kos Town.

Wanted to visit the water park but we didn't get a chance so next time we visit Kos we will go to the water park. It was further than we thought to Kos Town.

The Worksop Gang

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Well .... just got back from our second visit to Aristo (I reviewed it in Aug 06). Had a wonderfully relaxing time again. Temperature was between 39 to 46 degrees every day, and we didn't see a cloud for a fortnight!



Negatives (that you need to be aware of):



No air-conditioning which made sleeping at night very difficult. The hill from the road to the apartments is very steep and unsuitable for the elderly/disabled. No shop on site so the hill had to be negotiated every day. Very few parasols around the pool (and when its 40 degrees + you need 'em!)



Positives (loads, but here are a few):



The views, the peace and quiet, the pool area, Ellie and David (who remembered us from last year, welcomed us with a hug, and are STILL the nicest people on the island), etc, etc, etc. You really do feel part of the family.



If you are looking for a relaxing holiday and don't mind the bus ride into town (sometimes very, very crowded) then you have to try Aristo.



Places to visit:



Numerous beach side restaurants/tavernas on the way into Kos, The Castle of the Knights, Hippocrates Tree, Tingaki Beach (15 minutes from Kos on the bus, but beautiful), Kefalos (for it's gorgeous bays with crystal clear water).



We have toured the island a lot and we certainly chose the right place to stay. Hotels in Kos Town are all very close together and the pools are overlooked and right on the street. The island was a lot quieter this year and a lot of the bars and restaurants have closed down, and the general consensus amongst restaurant & taverna owners that we spoke to was that it will get quieter every year.



Ellie & David, you said you would read this review ... thank you for another great holiday and who knows? ... we might see you again next year.



Ian & Diane XX

The Aristo Apartments, where do I start?



One of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had! What an amazing place.



The views are gorgeous, just like the food! The staff are super helpful and really do make you feel welcome. Elle, David, and Anthony are all great people. Elle was telling me off for getting up at 1pm but I say it was David’s fault for the extra strong vodka!



If you stay at Aristo be sure to have many of visits to the 'Nikos and Contessa Taverna' situated at the bottom of the road to Aristo.



You can’t can’t miss it! Fantastic food, fantastic people...fantastic place. Miltos, Theo, Eddie, Simos, and the rest are all up for making a night to remember! Miltos and Theo like to dance and get the crowd involved. Miltos also likes to play little pranks which I’ll let you find about for yourselves as I had to and the whole place was laughing.



Kos town is only a 5 - 10 min bus ride away, 1euro 10cents. Or taxi, we found to be, 7euros or 8euros...depending how late it was. Kos town has some really nice restaurants and the bar street can get drawn in very easily. We had some awesome nights down there.



Also within walking distance from Aristo is a water park.... Never had the chance to visit, because we were busy finding other places around the island, but Anthony was telling us how great and how very close it was.



Will definitely going back very soon.

The apartments are very basic and without air conditioning, but that is the only negative. We had beautiful ocean views overlooking Turkey and could see the most beautiful sunrise every morning. The rooms are set in a very quiet location with only the sound of crickets to break the silence.



Aristo has a very clean pool (with plenty of sun beds) and a very nice pool bar. There is no entertainment on site, but who needs that when you have David & John to keep you entertained. When you ask John for a whiskey, vodka, etc it comes in a half pint glass!!! Ellie, David, John and the rest of the staff are genuinely nice people that can't do enough for you, and as a result you almost feel a part of the family.



There are excellent restaurants on way into Kos Town (10 minutes on the bus, 1 Euro 5 cents, and run every 15 mins). Taxi from or to Kos Town is always 7 Euros.



I highly recommend the Aristo, it's quaint, quiet, clean, very well run and has superb views.



Of the restaurants between Aristo and Kos Town I recommend 'Psalidi Gardens', 'Neo' (run by a Greek family from Chingford!) and 'Europe Bar' which is next to 'Blue Ocean' ... you can eat and dangle your feet in the sea.



There are no beaches in Psalidi worth using, go to Tingaki it takes about an hour on two buses, but well worth it.



Thanks again to Ellie (she's lovely, but DON'T upset her!!), David and John for making it a lovely holiday.