Roulla Apartments

1 reader found this review helpful

We booked last minute with Olympic and got a 2 bed apartment for 3 of us, after reading the reviews I took my Dettol antibactical cleaner, Towels & sheets for my 2 year old, and
crockery for him! We went expecting the worst but actually it was ok, we had plenty crockery, a fridge, toaster, kettle and oven with grill!! the towels and sheets were clean even though they were on the old side & had seen better days. The pillows & matresses could do with renewing but having lumpy bed at least got you up in a morning!
The pool area was fine, The owners/bar staff were not that friendly (they were not rude but keep themselves to themselves) but we found that unlike other greek resorts we have visited over the years the island generally isnt as friendly as others we have visited.
The room cleaners could do a kick up the bum, or you should be provided with a brush to do it yourselves as under the beds was dusty with rubbish underneath when we got there, and the floors were never cleaned or brushed the whole time we were there, however the bins were emptied every day and they kept the public areas clean. Our rep was friendly enough & lived on site but her people skills & local Knowledge wasn't great & i did take offence to her withholding our departure infomation until we have completed her holiday questionaire as she stated ' Her job next year depended on it !'
The local beach was good & safe for children but watch for the big wave twice a day caused by the fast ferry (something the rep should have mentioned) and dont think its a tsunami. The bus service is good with the bus stop 2 minutes walk away but they do get crowded in peak times. The resort has little to offer on a evening so you (& the rest of the island)catch the bus to skiathos town which is 1 euro 40 cents each way which for 2 adults is 5 euros 60 each day with can add up if your there for 2 weeks!
The on site supermarket is expensive how ever the one 2 mins down the road is about a third cheaper so go there! Also the on site restuarant I would give a wide berth as a few
dashs to the loo had been reported by us & fellow holidaymakers after eating there!
But all in all the apartments are in a good location with a descent pool area and are typically greek so if go with the flow and relax you will have a great time!

1 reader found this review helpful

£327 pp for me and my partner to spend a week here through Olympic. Break it down yourself: Flights, Transfers, Taxes, Agents Commission... Essentially the accommodation is costing you between 7-11 quid a night so be realistic! Basic, very basic, but clean and suitable for us as a young couple looking for a base to explore and enjoy. Two cracking Restaurants (The View & Infinity Blue) within a few hundred yards walk either way, smashing beach bar connected to the 5* Hotel directly opposite and the most fabulous bus system I have ever experienced (TFL would do well to take heed!)
The staff were friendly enough if you took the time to engage them and were respectful - not exactly 'charismatic' but acceptable.
Olympic are not the best I have ever traveled with, but far from the worst. The rep. was OK, could have been a bit more clued up on transfers & general info. (Was a bit annoyed to miss out on car rental for the day when it was 'assured' - a fax went missing apparently... This kind of information could have been communicated before half a day was wasted, but hey ho these things happen!)
None of the above would put me back going again, cracking value for money and a really beautiful Island.
Overall,
WOULD recommend for young unfussy couples looking to have a good base to enjoy an exquisite island on the cheap. Families with older kids who are looking for value for money, older couples who are up for a bit of fun.
WOULD NOT recommend if you have kids that cant swim (as the pool slopes sharply with little shallow end), if you intend to try and be 'Delia' for the week as the closest I came to cooking a meal was buttering toast, or if you are unrealistic about what you get for your money!

Booked a very cheap holiday for husband,daughter and grandson (4) Having been to Greece many times before we know what basic /clean means... this didn't apply to the rulla apts. The 2 bed apt was gloomy and dirty. Ants everwhere crockery poor, cutlery mmm, not much of it.
Cleaning consisted of the maid swilling the shower-room with the shower, I had taken cloths and tea towels and ended up buying cleaning stuff and doing the cleaning myself! There only seemed to be 2 cleaners for 30 apts they were bulgarian and lived on-site in a small apt and seem to spend all their time arguing loudly.
In all of our visits to Greece we have never come across such an arrogant, unfriendly family of apt owners, there where dreadful, the general comment around the pool were that if anyone had paid the full price for the holiday they would be very unhappy!! All they and their large extended family seemed to do was spend all their time in the bar area smoking and chatting. The only people who had a smile on their faces were the 2 barmen, well done under trying circumstances. maintenance was an issue, our toilet was repaired with a piece of wire and was still like that as we left, the plastic chairs on the balconies 9 of them collapsed as people sat on them, a lot of people didn't have a kettle in their apts and the owner kept saying I'll get you one on Monday..Which Monday...perhaps they were supposed to go and buy their own in his supermarket for 25 euros!
The pool had a very deep end - 3.2metres, bit scary for parents with youngsters. The supermarket on site again run by the family was sooo expensive, the word got round and everyone made the short journey further down the road to the friendly cheaper one. We wanted to go out one night and asked if they could book us a taxi the answer was no! use the public phone not very good when you don't have a list of taxi numbers available. The other holday-makers made our holiday as they were all so friendly, but I doubt if the Rulla will have any repeat bookings!

Take heed of any reviews you read about this place it really is as bad as it sounds. We've been to Greece before, done basic and paid a lot less money and always been happy - but the Roulla!!
It was filthy to start with - after just walking around the apartment when we got there our feet were black, cobwebs around the furniture, chewing gum under the bed! Yuk!
There was no living area to speak of even though it was a two bedroom apartment and had horrible dark green stained furniture.
Also BEWARE of the pool it is 3.2 metres deep and has hardly any shallow end and the baby pool is dirty and dangerous. There were too many sunbeds around the pool with hardly any space to walk around. Its also noisy.
Definately not a safe place for young Children.
After two days there Olympic couldn't (or wouldn't ) find another place for us so we moved ourselves to a gorgeous place up the road - Marialena Village and thankfully got to enjoy the rest of our weeks holiday.
If this is the sort of accommodation olympic are offering then I've no intention of travelling with them again. I will be writing a complaint but if people have done in the past, olympic obviously haven't done anything about it!

1 reader found this review helpful

After returning from a two week break, I thought I would give others the benefit of my experience at the Roulla Apartments, Aghia Paraskevi Skiathos. In 15 years of travelling to Greece, various islands, I have never stayed anywhere so dirty and unkempt. The room itself was a good size, but it was so dirty and not at all looked after. My 1 year old daughter crawled around the floor and within ten minutes, she was black! I complained to our rep, who spoke to the guy behind the bar, and they sent up the 'cleaners'. Well, if they're cleaners I'll eat my hat. I realised then I might as well do it myself and bought a mop bucket and disinfectant. In two weeks the room was never swept, and the 'cleaner' used the same bucket of mop water for each room (I'm sure), the bathroom was never cleaned, their idea of cleaning it was to spray the shower head on the floor...!! No bleach or cleaner used. We had ants in the kitchen, and the dirt under the beds and under the kitchen cupboards was unbelievable. Do yourself a favour, dont stay here! The island itself is beautiful, but our holiday was marred because of the accomodation. Terrible.

we went to the roula apartments in may 2007 and have been trying to book again but cannot find it anywhere. can you tell me if they are still doing holidays and if so can you tell me how to get in touch with them.. i would be very greatful if you could help me because we enjoyed our two weeks in their apartments
helen davidson