Zafiris Hotel
, Sidari
Zafiris Hotel reviews
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:First Choice
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Absolutly brilliant, all the staff and the quality of customer service was excellent, Zafiris himself was first class and went all out to make sure our needs were met, the actual apartment itself was ok it was clean and the beds were made every day, the pool was really nice and the location was good far enough back to be quiet but not too far away from local shops bars and restaraunts Sidari itself was about a 10-15 minute walk away.
we all had a good time and i would go back again.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:First Choice
Was this review helpful? Yes
1 reader found this review helpful
We had a decent enough stay at Zafiris apartments in Sidari as a last minute cheap break.
We read the reviews on this site and on similar sites which gave the the place rave reviews. However, have to say i won't be giving here a 9/10 rating.
Yes, the staff are super friendly and great with the children, so 10/10 for that. Though have to say the waiter service asking if we wanted a drink every 15-20 minutes was great to start with but became a bit of a pain towards the end of the week. (perhaps something to do with tips?)
The apartment we had overlooked the back of the restaurant, so we had a glorious view into the kitchen, the bin store and the redundant fridge freezers lying out back. Other than that our apartment was clean and reasonably spacious, however the stairs up to the bathroom and bedroom was very steep and not suitable for elderly / toddlers. Towels were changed every other day and the maid visited daily to sweep up and make beds.
The pool is good, however, we found the surroundings were a bit tired, some loungers were broken, there were some broken paving slabs and the decking at the back of the pool bar was broken, exposing screws and sharp edges...in other words an accident waiting to happen. Maybe some DIY over the winter months will sort this out.
The tiny beach / cove adjacent to the apartments was gorgeous and very safe for bathing.
Food in the restaurant was ok, and we didn't dine there all the time. There's a small restaurant 2 minute walk from zafiris, along the coastal path which was, in our opinion, much better.
Sidari itself is a bit grotty and smelly, lots of litter at sides of roads. It has a mcdonalds and plenty bars playing peter kay, holyoaks, emmerdale, corrie etc. which is great if you like to go to Greece for that sort of thing. Thankfully Zafiri's is on the outskirts of Sidari so you can pick and choose if you want to go into the buzz.
All in all our holiday served it's purpose, a cheap break at the end of the season for some sun.
Don't be put off by this average review, it had to be done, too many 9 out of 10 ratings, the very same ratings and reviews that got our hopes up before our visit to 'paradise'.
At the end of the day, you get what you pay for, therefor a week in 'paradise' for under £400 per head is, and was, far too good to be true.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:First Choice
Was this review helpful? Yes
We stayed at the Zafaris in May 07, it was one of the best holidays me and my family have had and we have stayed in some really nice hotels. The owner (Zafaris) is great and so is the english girl on reception so helpful good old Romford girl (tops). We had a few issues to start with, ant's but that was sorted out with some spray which they gave us.
Sidari is a really nice place, there is something for everyone; good restaurant's and bar's. We have two young boys and they loved it, the people are so nice and friendly everywhere. We went in nearly all the bars and it's so relaxed and chilled, if you want it a bit more hustle and bustle then you can have a 10 min walk to the main strip and it is all going on there more bars restaurant's etc etc. Personally where the Zafaris is it's perfect.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:First Choice
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Zafris Hotel excellent, the staff are great, food is excellen, the views of the beach are great, the room was super and cleaned regularly. The only thing missing is a shower room for guests who don't want a late checkout. The staff look after you well when your sunbathing at the pool and Dawn at reception is very helpful. We will be returning next year, we had a great time in the Saxaphone bar, as for Sidari there's always plenty to see, found a great bar called '1 for the road' and Napoleon is a good guy, we hired a quad bike and visited Sunset Beach.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:First Choice
Was this review helpful? Yes
1 reader found this review helpful
If you want a cheap holiday I always think it’s best to go in the first two weeks of May.
We paid £358 for a two bedroom apt in the Zafaris. What a bargain. If it had been double that it would still have been a bargain.
The apts are situated on a cliff top. If you want romance this for you. There’s a restaurant on top so you can dine whilst watching the sun go down. Beautiful. Great swimming pool and snack bar. You don’t even have to leave your sun lounger as the friendly staff walk around tending to your every need.
Our room was the best we'd ever stayed in Greece. In fact all the accommodation around the cliffs where nice. Sidari bars where the cleanest and plushest we have ever been in. The decor and joinery were something to behold. Check out the Mexican on the main road it was the best one I’ve ever had. Three visits it was that good.
We would recommend Sidari to anyone and come next May I hope to see you there. Fly from Birmingham as it’s a afternoon flight home and you don’t have to vacate your room.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:First Choice
Was this review helpful? Yes
From the moment we arrived at the sax bar we were greated by Zafiris (top man) who drove us up the small hill to our room.
Our room was nice on first imprestion, But I did find a few minor fawlts. The plundger that works the plug had worn down and didnt work, and the telephone was wired, not pluged in to the wall and also didnt work. I asked Zafiris if it could be fixed. Him and his staff were more than happy to help and the fawlts were fix before i had finished my beer.
We arrived at the hotel early eve, and were hungry so we went to get some food. We sat by the pool and George (diamond) politely asked we should move to the restaurant seating, as we walk toward the table we could smell the sea air, the closer we got the more of the sea we saw.
I was blowen away by the view across the water to the small rock islands, the menu was very good with a large selection, Im a chef and the food was superb and with a view like that, it all tastes soo much better. we wait after our meal and watch the amazing sunset while talking to the friendly staff and resting my blowted belly. At this point I am winding down after my flight that was delayed while sitting in the plane.
We go back to the room an turn on the FREE A/C. It didnt work I was very confused and I closed the door and it came on! Me being dumb. Next morning was lazy day and we stayed by the pool. Once again the staff always make sure you are good and that you have all you need. They dont fuss you, They look out for you.
I had some good nights in the sax bar, always something going on. The town is good for food and drinks for familys or lads/gals nights out. By the end of the holiday i was very satisfide with the service, accomodation, food and drinks. yea, very good sized shots in the cocktails you get your moneys worth as well as everything else good value for money.
I WILL go back next year because I know that Im getting the best hotel in Sadari. The ONLY bad thing about the holiday was the 12hr delay on the way home, partly because of the attacks at UK airports that week.
Thanks to:
Zafiris, Goerge, Nicky, Demitri & Spiros
for making our stay so special! 10/10
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:First Choice
Was this review helpful? Yes
I’m Ryan, me and ma mum and dad and brother and sister stayed at Zafiris hotel in Corfu sidari and we loved it there.
It has been the best holiday we have been on so far. We stayed in room 411. And we had a pool and sea view from were we stayed. The pool was lovely and warm all the time. The sea was boiling hot like a bath and you could walk out very far and it only went up to you hips it was great.
The waiters there were absolutely fabulous. The Greeks are so down to earth. On the night we got there we were dropped of outside the saxophone bar which is connected with zafiris hotel and you got took up to your apartment in the van so you didn’t have to go up the big hill.
We loved it so much and we are going again next year. We are looking forward to seeing you again, can't wait.
If you are thinking of going I recommend you to go the begging of June because it does get very hot out there it reached 55 degrees.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:First Choice
Was this review helpful? Yes
Our transfer to the hotel was just over an hour and we were met at the bottom by the Saxophone bar with the mini bus to take us up the little hill to the apartments. We stayed in room 402 and on arriving in the room we were disappointed as from the brochure and the reviews we were led to believe they were fantastic.
The bathroom was the worst. the plinth at the bottom of the big washbasin style wooden unit was completely rotten, there was a large rusty metal sheet covering up some pipes where the tiles had been removed, a couple of floor tiles had been removed but not fixed back down and the mirror was filthy. There was also a horrible musty smell in the apartment like it needed a good dose of fresh air that was much worse inside the cupboards and wardrobes.
After dumping out stuff we went to the pool bar and saw Zafiris (the owner's son and also the manager although we didn't know it at the time). We told him our complaints and he made out like we were the only people ever to have complained about anything and offered to move us. The same happened when we brought it up with the receptionist and the rep. In the end the rusty metal sheet was replaced with a wooden one and a new mirror was put up but the floor tiles were never fixed (not a real problem for us but not good if you had young children).
The bathroom was livable with we were mainly just disappointed because we had been led to believe it was so fantastic. However, it did not spoil our holiday and at least they did make an effort to rectify the problems! The only thing that really did concern me was the way we were made to feel we were the only ones who had ever complained, yet when we handed in the questionnaire at the end of the holiday i decided to be nosy and had a quick peek at someone else’s and they had also put that the bathroom was terrible.
Please do not let this put you off though. The hotel is fantastic in every other way. The location is brilliant, the staff are amazing and the food is superb.
The staff cannot do enough to help you, they always make sure you have everything you need and are ok. We did not find them pushy, simply friendly. Big hello to Spiros and George - you are fantastic! Could not have asked for nicer people after I got sunstroke, constantly checking I was ok and Spiros got me nice plain food that wasn't on the menu. They even brought the food from the BBQ down to our apartment so my boyfriend didn't have to miss out on the night I was really ill.
Although, beware that on Greek night Spiros picks the volunteers so if you are on good terms with him you are far more likely to get picked although it's great fun and makes for some good memories and certainly makes it different to the average Greek night. I won't say anymore or I'll spoil it for you! The restaurant is superb; we ate many, many times there for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Plus room service is great for when you are feeling lazy, hung-over, or getting ready to go out at night, just press "72"!
The only slight downside is how popular the hotel is both with guests and non-guests. You need to get up early to get a decent sun bed as if you come out after about 10am you may struggle to find 2 or more sun beds together that are in the sun (as you walk up to the pool from the apartments, everyone goes on the left hand side in the morning and the right hand side in the afternoon).
The Sax Bar is a good laugh although it is very popular with families. Gemma the rep is superb, a good laugh and a great singer (don't believe her when she says she can't sing). There are lots of activities on including Karaoke, Quiz Nights, a Magician and Live Music. The cocktails are brilliant (far better than what you get in many of the bars on the main strip) and Dimitris (i think that's his name, the guy with the long hair) is superb at making them. While we were sat at the bar one night he even started making his own inventions for us based on what we liked and every single one of them was gorgeous even though he was making it up as he went along!
Sidari itself is nothing much really. It was much smaller than we thought it would be. Canal D'Amour is small and quiet although there is some lovely little restaurants (try the pizza place) although the full English at Churchill’s wasn't very good, all it tasted of was grease. The full English at the Three Little Pigs was far better. The main part of Sidari is fairly typical of many resorts, lots of tourist shops, and restaurants with people trying to get you to eat there and bars with people trying to get you to drink there. The bars were ok but nothing special. Tried IQ Bar, BED Bar, Mickey's, Shakers and others I can't remember the name of. Shakers had some good R’n’B mixes but was spoilt by all the 14 yr old girls dancing on the bar.
Still it's a good laugh if you're in the kind of mood but we didn't go out as much as we normally do as we normally would have done and spent more time in the Sax bar chatting to the bar staff. Still it meant more money for me to spend on perfume at the airport and cigs etc lol!
Well I don't think I've missed much out apart from the A/C, which is free (got switched on half way through our stay) although we only used it on 2 nights. The pool tables are a complete waste of time. The one by the pool is falling to bits and has a huge rip in the cloth and all the balls roll the one side and the one in the sax bar again isn't level so all the balls end up on one side. Definitely not worth the 1.50 Euros a game and is more for kids to muck about on. Never used the snooker table so not sure what that is like. There are 2 kids play areas and a kids club although it was extremely annoying when the kids around our apartment thought it was ok to keep banging on your doors and at one point even opened our doors (we had the glass doors open and the fly screens shut) and started walking into the room! And the parents didn't even so much as shout at them!
I might see things differently if I had kids, but it was a little annoying considering there were 3 different areas specifically for kids and I just wish some people would remember that yes there are on holiday, but so are we, & I don't want to have other people's children opening the doors to my room and coming in and if the kids do then the least the parents can do is tell the kids they must not go in other peoples rooms!
Also for people thinking of getting a car, we hired one for 7 days and there are loads of places to visit. Try Sunset Beach (turn right out of the hotel and follow your noise until you come to the signs for it) which is lovely for an evening meal watching the sunset), Paleokastritsa (beware the back roads will take you 4x as long as the "main" roads although there are some stunning views), Pandokrator is a must although not for the nervous driver and remember to dress modestly if you want to go in the monastery).
The Achillion Palace was a bit of a let down as you can't go round most of it as the majority of the building is used as offices although the views from the gardens at the back are stunning. Also try Corfu Town (the new part is a bit crazy and bizarre with shops like Marks and Spencer’s) but the old part is really nice and quaint and there are loads of little touristy shops plus there are things to visit like the old and new fortress.
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:First Choice
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1 reader found this review helpful
I read a few of the reviews on here and have to say some of them are quite delusional. This is not a bad hotel but it does not deserve a 10/10 like a lot of people have gave it and I will try my best to write a true review of all aspects of the holiday at Zafiris hotel.
Well first I ought to mention the staff, these are the single best thing about the entire place. Zafiri's (the manager), Nicky, Tom, Dimitri (both of them) and "Barbie" in reception are really great people and will do as much as they can to make your time there enjoyable.
Hotel Grounds, the apartments are based either at the bottom of a slight hill near the saxophone bar or at the top of the hill near the pool/pool bar, restaurant and reception. The grounds are well kept, grass mown and flowers watered regularly.
Apartments, the room we stayed in could have done with a little bit of maintenance and did look a little tired, for example the door handle to the bathroom was barely attached to the door, the cupboard in the bathroom was hanging on one hinge, cracked tiles on the bathroom wall, broken mosquito net on patio door. The room was equipped with a microwave, fridge, toaster, kettle, hot plate and all the neccasary cutlary. The room was really quite large for 2 people, I have certainly slept in smaller.
Cleanliness, I couldnt really say anything about cleanliness, there wasnt a massive problem but it wasnt overly spotless either. Cleaner comes in every other day and kindly leaves your back door open so anyone can walk in and steal whatever they fancied, which luckily didnt happen but it was still quite annoying coming back to the room and seeing.
Food/Drink, we ate in the snack bar a few times for lunch, the food was pretty good, quite varied and always fresh. We also ate in the Kahlua restaurant once to see the sunset, the food was good there too, I would reccomend it. Drink was standard, quite expensive but only the same as every other bar in corfu. About €2.80 for a pint of mythos.
Sidari in general, I couldnt help but feel a slight bit of benidorm style to this place, loud bars lined up down the streets, english restaurants, run by english people, selling english food, showing english tv shows. I dont go to a foreign country to eat, sleep, breath england so this will always be a major negative point for me. It doesnt seem like a true greek place until you have gone 10-15 mins on the coach out of sidari.
Overall, I think this hotel is not bad at all but probably not the best value for money.
On a side note, First Choice have started charging you to "pre-book" your seats from corfu as apparently its a different system there than in england, DO NOT pay for this. Its a complete scam and you may aswell just throw your money down the drain.