Katerina Palace Hotel, Argassi, Zante
Hotel Information
Hotel Description:
The central location of the Katerina Palace Hotel combines views of the green mountains with being close to the sea. Argassi’s many restaurants are within easy reach, as well as the shops and bars of this bustling resort.Nearby Hotels Viewed by Other Travellers
Katerina Palace Hotel Reviews
" Katerina Palace "
Submitted By: ThetaylorsThe 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.
Advice: a good location for a bit of nightlife but not like the 18-30s places!
Activities: Ethnic Grill, Molly Malones, World Golf (beer acadamy), Papillon.
Good for: Beach
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Portland Direct
" dissapointing. "
Submitted By: Annonymouse.Advice: as above.
Activities: as above.
Good for: Beach
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2009
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Katerina Palace "
Submitted By: tashacoles- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" This is our 2nd year at this Hotel... "
Submitted By: Miss R Sims1. 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!
- Date of Holiday:Sep 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Portland Direct
" Just returned from a wonderful two... "
Submitted By: Mrs J Howard- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" BEWARE of ROOM 322....the hotel have... "
Submitted By: JimminickFunnily 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.
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" Ahh what a place to stay! Katarina... "
Submitted By: Mr J DellTheres 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...
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" we stayed in studio apartment number... "
Submitted By: Mr M EVANSps
drink the greek alfa beer it is superb.
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" superb! rooms are fairly basic, very... "
Submitted By: Mr Ian MarrisonIan and Alison
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" Just got back from Katerina. Even... "
Submitted By: Mrs J Armstrong- Date of Holiday:May 2008
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" just had a week in katerina palace.... "
Submitted By: Mrs M Conaghan- Date of Holiday:May 2008
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" just back from one weeks holiday at... "
Submitted By: Mr J Flaniganis ROSSI,S PLACE and BEER ACDEMY grate snackbar is 24/7 just as you come out of
katerinas good bar on the beach is seashell hotel NICO theowner makes you very
welcome new airport now open also ETHNIC restaurant on mainstrip very good
- Date of Holiday:May 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" I have just returned from a stay at... "
Submitted By: Miss V HewittThere is loads to do in Zante and I would recommend the island hopper to Kefalonia, Simply Zante and Sunday night live excursions. The Sunday night live was excellent and we had a brilliant night. As it was nearing the end of the season, Argassi was quiet but it is a lovely place to go and have a relaxing holiday. I would recommend staying at the hotel and certainly recommend going to Zante for a holiday.
- Date of Holiday:Oct 2007
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Portland Direct
" My partner and I stayed at The... "
Submitted By: Ms Debra ScottNice pool area although I can imagine in high season it would be extremely difficult to get a sunbed as nowhere near enough space if hotel is full.
We hired a quad bike for the day (Euro15) and visited Kalamaki, Laganas and Zante Town which was a great day! Nice places to eat are Ethnic and Zorbas (both serving traditional Greek and English food) or the Chinese Restaurant on left at bottom on street. The Beer Academy (to left of hotel as you walk out) served good cocktails at very reasonable price (Euro 3.50) and had good atmosphere despite its name! Avoid the Factory unless you like very loud music and drunken teenagers! Not much of a beach at Argassi, but travel to Kalamaki and decent one there and at Laganas.
- Date of Holiday:Oct 2007
- Board Basis:Bed & Breakfast
- Tour Operator:Thomson






Advice: Great resort for small families/couples although lacks a good beach
Activities: Peppermint and Papilon were both excellent restaurants, Beer Academy & Snack Academy great bars