Katerina Palace Hotel

1 reader found this review helpful

I stayed at Katerina Palace from 8 - 15 August 2010. I found the reviews posted on this site quite helpful so I hope my comments make your stay a bit better.
The Katerina Palace is very basic.
We had to pay 4 EURO a night for a fridge as on isn't supplied in the room. We got lucky with the air con and didn't have to pay but I know that some people got stung at the end of their stay so you should be wary.
The rooms, pool and gardens were clean.
The towels were not changed often enough - we just had to make do.
Hotel quite noisy at night.
There is no ironing board.
The hotel were HAPPY for us to check out two hours later at no extra charge. We were lucky with out flights coming home (leaving the hotel at 12:00pm)although I don't think they would apply this for more than two hours.
There are no showers only a hose. If you have a bath the floor will get flooded and the bathroom will be covered in water. There is no way around this - just put it down to Greek plumbing.
The breakfast is horrible as there is not much choice. There are boiled eggs, hard bread and very sweet jam. The owners seem to have given up trying in this department so I would just avoid this altogether! The pool bar is pricy so we bought drinks and food from outside.
There are sun bed wars on a daily basis. Towels are put down overnight so if you get up after 8:00am you have no chance. The hotel say they will remove the towels but never do.
The food in Argassi is poor. Do not go to Stars! Terrible. Chips, chips and chips. If you are a foodie then this is not the place for you.
Molly Molones is the best bar - nice staff and live music.
TOURS: Stay away from Peter who sells tours close the hotel. We arranged to go on the boat trip round the islands. The coach was late and in 40 degree heat that was not fun. When we got to the port we are told Peter had booked us on the turtle spotting boat - something which we didnt want to go on.
We had to get a taxi back to Argassi (25E) and Peter still refused to give us back our money despite us being booked on the wrong tour. We tried three times but had no joy. He gave us a cd of Zante as compensation! Grrrrr.
TURTLES: DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS. A couple I met who went on the turtle spotting tour said that about four boats followed one turtle for ages. They ended up crowding it so it couldn't come up for air. They said it was really cruel. Hence the reason why I would never have signed up for this tour!
Thats it I suppose. Hotel okay if you just want a bed and bath. Argassi however really was a let down - a run-down resort which needs to improve. I can't imagine many people wanted to return to be honest!

I've never written a review before, but this was SO BAD I had to warn others....
My partner and I booked bed and brekky after seeing a review saying it was better than self catering.
We arrived late at night and just wanted to sleep but our room which was in a different building and in the basement! Was damp, musky and had mould in the wardrobe. Our balcony view was a brick wall!
We complained straight away to reception - the girl rolled her eyes and called the owner! We were then basically told as we booked last minutes you get what you pay for! Well, as we paid over £1000 i excpected a hell of a lot better! They moved us the next day to a room in the main building. This room was much better apart from the baby lizards running around, no holder for the shower and warm air out of the aircon vents!
I was shocked how rude the reception staff were(aside from one) even the owner walked around without greeting you!
There was another chap complaining about the noise and music thats on til 2am and a woman had two rooms (family) they also had no airconditioning. Becareful...some of the you have to pay per day for the air con! Even if your only in there to sleep and shower! RIP OFF.....
The pool was nice but there wasn't enough sun beds or enough room around the pool for the number of sunbeds there were. everyone felt very close to each other - horrible! There is no restaurant at the hotel and no entertainment - ANYWHERE! Food and drink is pricy or horrible in Argassi and there is NO BEACH!!!!!!!There is a free bus (coach)that leaves at about 10:30 every morning from the main road that takes you a 30 min journey to a nice beach, TAKE YOUR OWN FOOD TO THIS BEACH! There is only one place to buy food and its over priced.
All the bars seemed to be serving under 18's alcohol and played British 70/80s music - no Greek culture here at all.
Overall - this is in my bottom 2 holidays, I travel a lot and was so dissapointed I couldn't wait to get home.

1 reader found this review helpful

Katerina Palace is a nice little complex in the centre of Argassi, a busy little resort on the north coast of Zante. There are either B&B rooms or you can stay like we did in the self catering studios. The self catering studios are basic - very small cooking facilities and a tiny little shower facility (but no shower curtain quite bizarrely, leading to very wet floors which could have been quite dangerous). We had a couple of twin beds and a small but adequate balcony. To be honest, we were only going to be using the accommodation for a roof over our heads, so we didn't need anything fancy and this met our needs pretty well. There is a good pool and pool bar which served food and drinks throughout the day and into the night. We didn't have to use the reception very often but we found the staff on the reception quite unfriendly and rude when we needed their help. Location wise, the hotel is spot on; you're very close to all the main restaurants and bars within the resort but far enough away from them to get some peace and quiet when you need it! As a resort Argassi was nice;the lack of a decent beach was a problem and we didn't fancy cramming onto the free bus to St Nicholas Beach. The local people were just wonderful and so warm, friendly and genuine, they really made the holiday special. I wouldn't go back to Argassi in the future however there is lots more we would like to see and do in Zante so would definitely recommend anyone thinking about having a holiday there to consider it.

2 readers found this review helpful

We, as a party of 9, went to Argassi in late july for two weeks through to early august. We stayed in the Katerina Palace hotel which is just at the top of a busy strip of shops and bars (although wasn't particuarly noisy). Katerina Palace was an O.K. hotel, I wouldn't reccomend it for a luxury stay as it was very basic and the rooms weren't all that big. You don't get a fridge in the room even though you can only opt for bed and breakfast as there isn't a hotel restaurant. You get 10% off the restaurant down the road but the food wasnt fantastic there. The air con comes on at certain times which to be honest was just not sufficient for keeping us cool in the hotel at night. Extra air con was charged at five euros a night and you couldn't do it for just one night.
The staff were polite and helpful, no faults there, and the cleaners were also good. As clean as the rooms were, there were a few bits and pieces that just weren't up to the standard that the hotel had led us to believe. The plumbing (not sure if this is the whole of the island or just certain hotels) was awful, you had to let the water out of the bathtub very slowly to avoid flooding the floor as it came back up through the drain grate if it went too quickly. On the odd occasion the water would not run hot, and on one occassion did not run at all for about half an hour and when it came back on it was dirty and muddy. Not good if you're all trying to get ready to go out. Personally I wasnt a big fan of the dried paint down the side of the bathtub which hadn't been put on properly, it just didnt look professional and whilst everything was fairly clean, the stains on the bedsheets that wouldnt come out and hadnt been replaced with new ones all was a bit off putting. The TV in our room worked fine and it became a little routine of mine and my boyfriends to watch ER every night before going out! However, our parents TV's in separate rooms had no signal and didn't work so there were a few issues there. It is a very basic hotel, and for a lower budget holiday it wasn't bad but it depends how picky you are and how used to pristeen conditions in other hotels you are. We have been in cheaper hotels elswhere that were much nicer. If you have the option not to pay for breakfast then don't, It is very basic, the food was ok (the yoghurt and honey was nice) but you might do better to get up and pop down to the food places down the road which we did even though we had paid for breakfast. There wasnt much variation on a day to day basis and you just get bored of having the same food every day.
Having said this, our stay was pleasant on the whole. The pool is quite big and there is a smaller shallow one for children. Beware of those saving sunbeds overnight though, it happens often and when there are a lot of you it means you have to get up really early to get your sunbeds. The area was mostly quiet (with the exception of the car wash facility behind our rooms) but if you want a bit of nightlife there is quite a lot to do. The bars and clubs further down the road don't really get busy until about 1am so if you can stay out that late then go for it. There are some lovely bars that we went to regularly, Molly Malones is a bit out of the way, down at the right at the bottom of the road, but was really nice company, the bar staff were really nice and we made good friends. Rossi's is another great place to go for your breakfast and general chit chat, Vanessa was fab and kept us in the know about all the places to visit. For good food, visit the Thai restaurant 'Summer Moon', Ethnic Grill, Papillon, and the one next to 'double' with a pirate themed interior.
There is quite a lot to do sightseeing but be wary of the trips that you can go on and really look at some reviews before committing. We did the free bus to St Nikolas beach which was a bit difficult. As a party of nine, we got there early so we could get on the bus, but two of us were left off and had to wait for another one as some of the other tourists were very rude and everyone pushes to get on. The beach was ok as beaches go, the food a little expensive and was quite small but the water was clear and considering the bus was free (you have to pay for sunbeds each but that gets you the ticket back to the bus anyway) was quite a nice day. The waterpark was also enjoyable, there wasn't much in terms of rides compared to other waterparks in the canary islands and places like that, but the boys seemed to enjoy it and it wasn't that expensive.
Don't go on the boat trip around the island unless you really have to. You are led to believe that you will see lots on your way but Smugglers cove was a shipwreck from the 1980s full of graffiti, the other stop offs were basically swim stops and unless you are a strong swimmer you wont spend long in the water. They tell you that around 200 people can get on the boat and advise you not to go on the glass bottom ones as they get too cramped but our large boat had at least 400 people on board, it was very difficult to get seats and we had a herd of foreign people sleeping on the chairs taking up lots of room and jumping off the top of the boat into the water at the stops. The rest of the journey was about 2 ours full of cliffsides and a few caves, we didnt get close enough to see the turtles which was supposedly the highlight of the trip, and on one side of the island the winds are very strong and everyone spent about an hour and a half feeling very sea sick. I would suggest maybe looking into the coach trip, at least it has air con and you dont waste the whole day looking at cliffs. If you do go on the boat, take the advice of the tour advisors and take a packed lunch, the prices on the boat are ridiculously high.
One thing i would definatley recommend is going to play crazy golf! Everyone enjoyed that, and both places (molly malones and world golf) have lovely bars to sit in and play pool, watch footie and listen to some music were really good.
On the whole, we had an enjoyable stay, we were able to relax at the poolside, the food overall was very good. For me and my family, it wasnt the nicest hotel to stay in and we should ahve done some more research into trips as we missed out a few that would probably have been very good. Having said this, the evenings were great, there are lots of places to go and visit and bars and restaurants are really good where we were. I would recommend seeing if the rest of the hotels in Argassi have the same situation with fridges, air con, water systems etc. before booking but on the whole not a bad holiday.

katerina palice is NOT all its somed up to be. many people staying there wer dissapointed. it's like world war 2 to try and get breckfast in the morning, food is too basic and barely have warm or fresh food. the pool's are too small and beds are always taken early.i reccomend the beach bar remmezo/remmizo absolutely fabolouse staff and free sunbeds plus it's nicer than the pool because there is a breeze. also the rooms are not cleaned tidy and towels are not changed regular enough. the maids always complain accusing you of [--] everywhere basicly. i reccomend the snack bar oppise the hotel they do brilliant chessy chips. plus the piccadily does superb lamb! and for the night life bar rossi is brilliant, the beer acadomy but mine and my partner's favourite place to party was magic mushroom where i suggest you try a fat frog! also the price of the air conditioning is over priced it should be included! many complaints where for the studios,one couples lock on they'r door wouldnt lock and the staff just tould them not to keep any valubles in they're room! also another couple made many complaints that they'r balcony was falling apart, and one day they had no water and asked if they could use another room for a shower and the manager replied 'do you really need to shower' it is disgracefull and i wouldn't ever go back!

Do not pay for the bed and breakfast its a waste of money. All you get is fresh orange juice, french bread, boiled egg, ham, cheese, luke warm cornflakes its disgusting!!! Rooms are very basic and a big let down for us, no shower curtain and shower holder so gets very slippery in the room. No kitchen in the bed and breakfast rooms and maids do not mop the floor!!!! There is nooooo beach in aragassi, you would have to rent a quad/car to visit other beaches. Not much nightlife neither!

This is our 2nd year at this Hotel and despite having a comfortable and enjoyable stay we did however notice certain flaws that made it feel more like a 1-2 star than a 3 star which it so rightly deserved in 2007. The issues we had were mainly in the bathroom of our apartment and are as follows:-
1. No shower curtain and bad plumming which resulted in the floor becoming so wet it was like a death trap!
2. No plug for the sink, may seem minor but when you want to wash or shave it proves difficult.
3. Brown dirty water from taps on several occassions.
4. Boiling water coming from both hot and cold taps on several occassions.
5. Broken toilet seat and bin.
There are a few minor faults with the complex as a whole which are as follows:-
1. Air-conditioning charge was too much as it is a neccesity in that heat!
2. Reserving of loungers around the pool is a major problem and causes unneccessary stress when you should be relaxing.
This is a lovely hotel in a fantastic location but rooms are basic and if you are looking for a more luxurious stay and polished finish then this hotel is not for you, however it is a good all round hotel for the price!

1 reader found this review helpful

Just returned from a wonderful two week holiday at the Katerina Palace, we stayed in the new building room 337 perfect we had a pool view & to the right a sea view. we couldn't fault the room we were expecting basic because it is a greek island but no it was excellect. The bar staff were great very friendly hi to George & his family.The only reason I didn't give it a 10/10 is because there is no day/evening entertainment at the hotel & as Argassi is a quieter resort it would be nice to have the option, once you had eaten your evening meal there wasn't much to do, there are bars for younger ones but we had our 12 year old daughter with us & my husbands parents. You must try one of the pool bars they are great they dont bother you to buy drinks or food & the sun beds are free, the views are lovely, our favorite one was the Dimitrios pool bar hi guys & scooby, & there is Remezzio next door if you dont like the music to loud. If you like the beach go left from Demitrios & walk 5 mins or so to the left there is a lovely beach. We would go back again definetly.

BEWARE of ROOM 322....the hotel have absolutely no right to even dream of putting anyone in this room...it should be a store room not a bedroom!!!! Its location is just above Reception and directly at the side of the main air conditioning system chilled water plant that serves the main hotel block. When this little beauty fires up in the early hours its like sleeping at the side of a jet fighter.....the noise is absolutely horrendous!!!!
Funnily enough though the hotel agreed to move us the first morning we complained, they didn't even argue (you could see the "problem room" expression written all over the receptionist's face!). However they did try and charge us for the apartment block air con until I refused owing to the fact that Thompson had already charged us this for being within the main hotel. Apart from the unsettled start the hotel facilities turned out to be fine. Eating out was very good but after trying out a number of restaurants/tavernas the two that shone out way above all the rest were Stars and Granada, both at either end of the main strip. In terms of beach...there isn't one apart fron a few pebbles and bits of concrete but what the hey, there are loads of very good pool/bars to choose from. All in all Argassi is good place for a relaxing, sun-filled holiday.

Ahh what a place to stay! Katarina Palace has t be one of the best I've stayed in easily. As soon as we arrived we was shown to our studio which over-looked the pool area. The room was cleaned every day by the excellent maids, the pool area was tidy and everywhere in the whole accomidation was clean. The staff were really nice especially Mirella behind the pool bar, she instantly made me feel welcome on our first day at the pool. The only small bad thing I can note is that the showers are tiny! The shower curtain kept on getting stuck to me and the bathroom got soaked everytime me and my partner had a shower but we only used the studio to wash and sleep as there is so much to do!
Theres a 24/7 cafe literally outside the hotel so you can grab a kebab at 4am if you wish to do so if you been on the razzle all evening. Plenty of shops open late and George's supermarket which is also just outside has loads of gifts for the family as well as food/beer etc all decently priced. And with all the lively night activity you are never bored (especially as theres a mini-golf next door too) and even though there is all this, you still manage to get a peaceful night sleep (provided you have some air-con or you sweat yourself dry)
Overall you cant really say much negative things about Katarina Palace. I know where I'm going next year...