Venus Hotel

After reading about the hotel on this and the Zante web site, we booked direct. Fantastic value for money, a truely lovely clean hotel with very friendly service. Central to everything that Kalamaki has to offer. Certainly going back next year - and we NEVER go back to the same place twice! We have stayed in many 5 star hotels and they have never been as friendly and as welcoming as Nick and his team.

I have to say this was a super hotel. Well worth a visit and best to book direct with the hotel. We book via the web site and had no problems nike comes to pick you up from the airport which is about 10 mins away so before you know it you are at your hotel. The staff are all friendly from the owner to the cleaners they are like one big family. The hotel is handy for the resort and beach of which we did both each day. Breakfast was basic but enough for our needs and you could buy a full cooked breakfast if you wished. Nothing no matter how small seemed to be a problem for the staff. We had to problems while we were there and both were sorted 1 / we were not happy with our room as it was too noisey for us nick found us another room and we were moved by lunch time. 2/ Kettle didnt work in fresh room it was changed within the hour. A big thanks to all the team there and hope to see them again.

I always find reviews a tad worrying, merley because of their subjectivity. As Summer approached the Hotel Venus jumped up several places on this site in popularity and I couldn't help fearing that by the time we visited in late Aug/early Sep I'd be expecting too much. I'm very happy to report that this wasn't the case at all. If you book direct with the website (and you really must) it works out considerably cheaper than booking through say Thomson and you get a fridge, air con (and God you need it) and safe as part of the package rather than paying for them as extras and, most importantly, it is so much cheaper anyway. You also get the lovely Nick (manager, his parents own the hotel) picking you up for the ten minute drive from the airport. Our flight was delayed 4 hours and he'd patiently been back three times to see if we'd arrived. As a family of five, we'd hired a suite which comprised of two single beds and a large double bed settee (and still plenty of room) in the main area and a large double bed in the bedroom. (Yes- you did read correctly, a double not two twins pushed together and forced shut with a double sheet). There is a sink with a kettle and cups etc outside the bathroom, a BATH (a rarity in Greece) with a good shower and shower curtain and sink and toilet. We also had constant hot water whatever time of day and night it was and you get clean towels every day. The suite has it's own private garden with outside shower and four sun beds. The room was cleaned every day and the cleaner (bless her) managed to make our pit resemble a tidy hotel room without fail. The pool is lovely with plenty of sunbeds to go around. A mattress can be hired for 1 euro per day. There are plenty of tables to sit and drink and eat in the shade also. The snack bar has very very tasty snacks from omelettes, to souvlaki to waffles, to wraps to ...well ...whatever you feel like really and they're all very reasonably priced. Donna and Danny who manage the bar are very very good at their jobs - there are a lot of repeat customers who have been 7,8,9 etc times but both of them never make you feel anything other than very welcome. Their daily changing cocktails are sensational and they can whip up non alcoholic or milk shakes for the kids too. Donna was very friendly and a bar in UK should snap her up, they'd make a fortune! Breakfast was good - not the full English liked by some people but it certainly suited us - Greek yoghurt and honey, cake, criossants, cornflakes, muesli, scrambled eggs, toast, fresh breads and jams, orange juice, peaches and tea and coffee. The reception staff were wonderful - very friendly and helpful. The piece de resistance though was Nick, a fantastic manager who couldn't help enough. He was very knowledgeable, made lots of sugestions and sorted out any problems instantly. He was never ever intrusive though which is always a good thing. [--] is the website. It is worth booking direct because also that way, anything at all that you purchase you will receive a 10% discount off, That's ANYTHING. Drinks, food, mattresses, pool table games, internet access etc. It's all charged to your room and you can have a printout of your costs whenever you want. The hotel runs Greek nights, quizes, karaoke and show a lot of the major sports but you can either opt in or opt out, there's really no pressure either way. Most of the customers return and I can now really see why. Eveyone was really friendly but not in that overbearing way you sometimes get on holiday. People leave magazines, books and the usual inflatable dolphins for others to enjoy when they're finished with them too. Kalamaki has the usual bars with huge tv's in but it also has some wonderful Greek restaurants - Diaz, Paulos, Artemis and our favourite, Parthenon to name but a few of literally many. We hired a car and would highly recommend the Blue Caves for a visit where we saw shoals of jumping fish, a seal and swam in the most crystal clear waters teeming with fish I have ever seen. I hope this helps someone who is undecided about making their first foray into non package travel. Book here and you won't regret it and neither will your credit card cos the money is better in your pocket than some tour operators. Flgihts can be booked easily on line. We flew through xl.com

Diane & Paul Would like to firstly thank Nick And Angela The management of Venus Donna, Danny & Spiro The Amazing Drinks Engineers :-) Maria & Sula the hardest working kitchen staff on the whole planet who from early morning till early evening some how manage to turn the simplest of snacks into a wonderful eating experience. Also the cleaning maids who keep all the rooms fantastically clean on a daily basis. BIG THANK YOU. We have stayed In hotels all over the world but Venus Hotel Kalimaki is the only place we keep going back to, so much so we got married in Tsilivi on the 27th July 07 and based the whole wedding party over 60 people at Venus everyone had a fantastic time and most are arranging to go back again soon. I can’t recommend this hotel enough every thing is of the highest standard and the staff just cant do enough to help you at all times. Make sure you book direct with Nick and get the full benefits of included Air Con, Safe airport transfers and 10% discount on all your food and Drink in the Hotel oh yeah and don’t forget to Tip the Bar staff for the Amazing 1 pint cocktails. If you read this and book ask If were in the hotel and you can buy us a Drink for recommending this fantastic hotel to you. We hope to meet you sat at the bar in the years to come. HAPPY HOLIDAYS. DIANE & PAUL GIBBONS.

My boyfriend and I stayed here for 10 days from the 13th July. It was our first holiday together and we were chuffed with the hotel we picked. It was fantastic. Great Staff, lovely bedrooms with very clean bathrooms that i think had been recently fitted. Terrace was very pretty too although we never sat out at night because of the mozzies...there are loads in greece-be prepared!!! The bar area was really stylish, from reading other comments i gather it has only recently been revamped, and what a good job they did too. No matter what time you visited reception, the staff were always lovely and polite & helpful, i was genuinely sad to say goodbye to them. Pool & Bar area were so cheap, with a vast array of choices for all, extremely impressed with that. The breakfast was average though, we mostly just had toast & tea but on the rare occasionn that pancakes were available we wolfed them down! That was the only negative thing i could think about the Venus and that's not bad at all. Overalll, a fantastic stay at the Venus. Great location (100m approx to Kalamaki strip) which i was pleasantly surprised with, plenty of bars, shops and restaurants. Cant wait to visit again, but would book direct this time as you get more in your room (air con, fridge, safe etc). Thank you Venus!

We have been coming to the Venus since 1998 and have stayed at least 10 times, twice in one year a couple of times. Originally booked via Thomsons but we now book directly with the hotel (since 2004). The hotel just goes from strength to strength and has been refurbished, extended and improved over the years. 2007 sees even more evidence of this with a superbly decorated Reception/Lounge/Bar Area plus over half of the bedrooms.(2008 sees the rest of the rooms upgraded) The pool area has been upgraded including the Snack Bar area. The whole team of staff from the Management to the Cleaners are warm, friendly and accomodating. The rooms are very very clean as is the whole hotel and if you book directly then you get Aircon, Safety Deposit Box & Mini fridge as part of the deal. (on cost options if you book via the Holiday Package Company) Ideally located for Kalamaki beech and only 5 minutes from the airport so no long journey to travel once you have landed. Looking forward to our next "Venus Fix" in 2008 (or even October 2007!!)

We stayed at the Venus Hotel in Kalamaki for 1 week at the beginning of June 2007. The hotel is clean, comfortable and the staff are very friendly and helpful. The rooms are basic, as Greek hotels are, but our room was cleaned and the towels changed every day. The breakfast, served between 8 - 10am, was ample, cereal, fruit, eggs, toast, pancakes, beans, sausages, tea, coffee and juice. The pool area was clean and there were always free sunbeds whatever time of day you surfaced. Our only gripe with the hotel is the paper thin walls, but you seem to have that everywhere in Europe. I am guessing the rooms have been re-furbished as they were spotless as were the bathrooms. There is a snack bar by the pool which has an extensive range of both English and Greek food at very good prices and the drinks are reasonable too. All in all this is an above average 3* hotel in an ideal location, 5 minutes from the beach and 5 minutes from the main street.

Myself, Mother, Daughter, Sister in Law and two year old nephew stayed here in June 2007. We booked direct with Hotel. This is a great hotel. It has a perfect location, friendly staff and a great atmosphere. Our rooms were on the top floor, very clean and bright with safety deposit boxes, air conditioning, fridge and teas making facilities all included in the price. The hotel has recently been renovated and is very comfortable and stylish. Our bed linen was changed every other day and our towels were changed every day we also had a power shower in the rooms. The staff are very helpful and friendly. The hotel itself has great facilities, a lovely pool a great snack bar for food and drink throughout the day. The continental breakfast provided which has enough choice to suit any taste is included in the price. The hotel is located within easy reach of the main Kalamaki strip and a short walk to the beach. Our party was aged between 2yrs and 70yrs and all our need were catered for.

We recently stayed at this three star hotel, and was pleasantly suprised how well maintained the property was. The owner clearly takes pride in ensuring that standards are maintained. Having said that, although this hotel is centrally located, there is very little to see or do in this particular resort. We were unlucky with the weather which possibly did not help, resulting in us feeling throughly bored even after one week.

Me and my partner stayed here last July and have just booked to stay in September(booking direct with the hotel this time). This is a lovely little hotel and one of the best on the island. It has a perfect location, friendly staff and a great atmosphere. Our room was on the top floor (one of the newly renovated ones) and was spacious, very clean and bright. In room safe, air conditioning and fridge were locally charged (but this is the norm and was expected as stated in Thomson brochure) Although we booked through Thomson last year, we did not recieve different treatment to those who booked direct. The hotel itself had great facilities, a lovely pool with plenty of sunloungers. Would also recommend the snack bar for food and drink throughout the day. Enjoyed the continental breakfast but if your looking for a full english the snack bar was very reasonably priced. The hotel was located within easy reach of the main Kalamaki strip and an easy walk to the beach. Enjoyed many lovely restaurants in Kalamaki, partically 'Panorama' which was a roof top restaurant with lovely views over the island. Really looking forward to going back to the Hotel Venus this September!!!