Astra Village Apartments, Koutouloufari
Hotel Information
Hotel Class:
Hotel Description:
These friendly family-run apartments, previously known as the Ikaros Royal Apartments, are set on a hillside and have lovely views over the sea and surrounding mountains. You’ll have the best of both worlds with a traditional Greek atmosphere in the local village, yet with all the activities in Hersonissos close at hand. loading...
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Rating: 8 / 10
Louis Creta Princess Club Hotel
Chania, Crete, Greece, Europe
Distance: 97.1 km / 60.3 mi
Astra Village Apartments Reviews
" We stayed here in late October 2004... "
Submitted By: Mrs A Wilson
We stayed here in late October 2004 and were most uncomfortable. We left after day 2 and found other accommodation on the island. Our little apartment was dark, with no window in the small shower room. A persistent odour of urine pervaded the place when the windows were closed and when they were open, the local mozzies flew in and made free with our life blood.
When I had located the source of the terrible smell to the curtains in the bedroom, I asked the manageress to replace them with clean ones. She was adamant that her curtains were new and could not possibly be the cause of the smell. I removed them from the window and gave them to her in the reception area and she was extremely rude, threatening to penalize me for the 'damage' to her curtains.
We were provided with sheets so stiff that my son, who was sleeping in the 'kitchen/ living area' of this hovel, was unable to sleep soundly. Again, the response when I asked for better bedding, was rude and unsatisfactory.
Having decided to try to rescue our holiday, we drove down to Ierapetra for two nights and found a wonderful hotel down there. We spent two further nights near Rethymnon in a comfortable hotel and only returned to the awful Astra Village on the final night in order to take advantage of the transfer coach trip to the airport.
Even though it is true to say that it was clean, it was not comfortable and certainly not hospitable.
We did, however, very much enjoy the ambience in the nearby Dutch cafe garden where we ate lunches and breakfasts of a quality superior to that provided in the bar of the Astra Village.
When I had located the source of the terrible smell to the curtains in the bedroom, I asked the manageress to replace them with clean ones. She was adamant that her curtains were new and could not possibly be the cause of the smell. I removed them from the window and gave them to her in the reception area and she was extremely rude, threatening to penalize me for the 'damage' to her curtains.
We were provided with sheets so stiff that my son, who was sleeping in the 'kitchen/ living area' of this hovel, was unable to sleep soundly. Again, the response when I asked for better bedding, was rude and unsatisfactory.
Having decided to try to rescue our holiday, we drove down to Ierapetra for two nights and found a wonderful hotel down there. We spent two further nights near Rethymnon in a comfortable hotel and only returned to the awful Astra Village on the final night in order to take advantage of the transfer coach trip to the airport.
Even though it is true to say that it was clean, it was not comfortable and certainly not hospitable.
We did, however, very much enjoy the ambience in the nearby Dutch cafe garden where we ate lunches and breakfasts of a quality superior to that provided in the bar of the Astra Village.
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- Date of Holiday:Oct 2005
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" The hotel itself is on a hilltop,... "
Submitted By: Miss M McShane
The hotel itself is on a hilltop, which provides great views but means a lot of walking! The hotel and pool areas were lovely, very clean and well-maintained, however our room was slightly less attractive; it had quite old, shabby furniture. However, aside from the furniture it was great - it was very clean and the maids came regularly.
It is within walking distance of Gumbet centre, but walking back can be a killer as it's on the top of the hill! There's a bus you can catch which is really cheap and you can get off wherever you want - it also takes you all the way into Bodrum.
The food was ok, I'd never been all inclusive before and am quite a fussy eater but I was pleasantly surprised - and my boyfriend loved all the spicy food! Breakfast is good, with freshly cooked eggs and a buffet of bread, cheese, meat and fruit. For lunch the chef made pizza or breads with different fillings and there was another buffet. For tea there was more choice, and there were often chips and spaghetti Bolognese as an option alongside more adventurous dishes!
You can eat inside or on the terrace, which is lovely - the only problem with the restaurant is the walk back up the stairs! (there are lots of stairs in the hotel so it isn't really an option for less mobile people). During the day the poolside snack bar opened for a short period and you could get burgers and chips.
The staff in general were very pleasant and helpful, and there were poolside games during the day although it was usually pretty quiet and relaxed. There are two pools and also a small jetty that you can walk down to. There is a small sandy area, and sun loungers are spread around the jetty - you can also use the free kayaks which was great! But the bar down there is not free so it's a bit of a walk back up to get a drink!
Overall, we had a great time and I'd definitely go back again!
It is within walking distance of Gumbet centre, but walking back can be a killer as it's on the top of the hill! There's a bus you can catch which is really cheap and you can get off wherever you want - it also takes you all the way into Bodrum.
The food was ok, I'd never been all inclusive before and am quite a fussy eater but I was pleasantly surprised - and my boyfriend loved all the spicy food! Breakfast is good, with freshly cooked eggs and a buffet of bread, cheese, meat and fruit. For lunch the chef made pizza or breads with different fillings and there was another buffet. For tea there was more choice, and there were often chips and spaghetti Bolognese as an option alongside more adventurous dishes!
You can eat inside or on the terrace, which is lovely - the only problem with the restaurant is the walk back up the stairs! (there are lots of stairs in the hotel so it isn't really an option for less mobile people). During the day the poolside snack bar opened for a short period and you could get burgers and chips.
The staff in general were very pleasant and helpful, and there were poolside games during the day although it was usually pretty quiet and relaxed. There are two pools and also a small jetty that you can walk down to. There is a small sandy area, and sun loungers are spread around the jetty - you can also use the free kayaks which was great! But the bar down there is not free so it's a bit of a walk back up to get a drink!
Overall, we had a great time and I'd definitely go back again!
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2005
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Vision Holidays
" The Astra Village apartments are... "
Submitted By: I Wall
The Astra Village apartments are clean, friendly and right at the heart of Koutouloufari.
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Koutouloufari itself is a very pleasant village with lots of restaurants and shops. Not far from the village is another village called Piscopiano which has a proper Cretan restaurant and the food is superb, unfortunately the restaurant only has a Greek name!
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The downsides, certainly not the accommodation, or the hotel bar. Too many quad bikes and scooters on the narrow roads! Hersonissos, if you like Blackpool. I don’t.
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Otherwise a brilliant holiday (try the horse riding), and a lovely place. <br>
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Koutouloufari itself is a very pleasant village with lots of restaurants and shops. Not far from the village is another village called Piscopiano which has a proper Cretan restaurant and the food is superb, unfortunately the restaurant only has a Greek name!
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The downsides, certainly not the accommodation, or the hotel bar. Too many quad bikes and scooters on the narrow roads! Hersonissos, if you like Blackpool. I don’t.
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Otherwise a brilliant holiday (try the horse riding), and a lovely place. <br>
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2005
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" The apartments were spotless and we... "
Submitted By: Mr G N Harbord
The apartments were spotless and we had a fabulous balcony view to the sea. The village was lovely we never had a bad meal in the two weeks we were there, the food was excellent. The pools were lovely although they could get busy the day after new arrivals came! We loved the village and made almost daily afternoon visits to a wonderful coffee/cake Taverna run by two lovely welcoming Dutch couple. Think they are the reason we put on so much weight. All in all lovely apartments, lovely hot weather (94c at 0920 in the shade) lovely people and great food and choices. If I could just be a little bit negative you should be aware of the additional (optional) costs e.g. air-con = 8 euros per night, safety deposit box in apartment = 25 euros for 2 weeks, check out time seems early at 1000 so we asked and got a late check out extending our time until 1600. This cost an extra 20 euros plus another 8 euros for the air-con. This added up to quite a bit extra that left us a bit short of cash. If we had had some idea of these costs we could have budgeted better before we left home, oh and by the way the air-con don’t work unless your key is inserted and widows are closed so unless you leave the door unlocked you can’t come back to a pre chilled apartment.
But don’t let this put you off just be aware that options do cost and make allowances in your budget. There is however no way we could have survived without the air-con and the safety deposit box is just sensible.
But don’t let this put you off just be aware that options do cost and make allowances in your budget. There is however no way we could have survived without the air-con and the safety deposit box is just sensible.
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2005
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" I have never visited Greece before so... "
Submitted By: Mrs S Robinson
I have never visited Greece before so chose Crete as I had read that the people were lovely and that it was a beautiful place. I booked on line and wondered if the info held would be anything like the real thing. When we got there it proved to be everything and more.
The apartment was spotless, well stocked and had a beautiful view going right down to the sea. The 2 pools were crystal clear and were cleaned every day by the 2 maids who always smiled. The reception area was well stocked and the staff were extremely helpful. The bar area was wonderful with amble stocks of ice cold beer, the food was plentiful and delicious with the right blend of British and Greek options. The TV showed both up to date British films and important sporting events. We were lucky enough to be there when the Greeks won Euro 2004, that was really something I can tell you!
The village was pretty and although a bit touristy had a number of good tavernas close by where all the staff spoke enough English to help you chose the best meal option. I must admit everyone had their favourite but I never heard anyone say they had a bad meal anywhere. There was also a Chinese Restaurant and a bar with crazy golf just to make a change as well as an Irish bar and a sports bar where they also had Karaoke nights. There were plenty of gift shops selling locally produced goods as well as several well stocked mini-marts including one literally across the road that sold huge croissants. You could easily hire a car, moped or quad bike from several locations around the village.
The village is about 20 minutes from Hersonissos, the nearest main town and about half an hour from Heraklion by car. The only thing to remember is that there is a very steep hill to climb. We tended to walk down and get a taxi back which only cost 5 Euros for the 2 of us. From Hersonissos it was easy to catch the local buses or grab a taxi to almost any main place on the Island and it was very cheap as well.
Whilst there we took 2 of the Thomson’s tours (there were a number to choose from) both of which were very good value because they used local guides who were very knowledgeable. Firstly we went to Knossos, the main tourist attraction on the island which is an old Minoan palace. The tour guide took us all over the site and told us plenty of history along the way. The tour then went on to Heraklion for lunch, where we could either spend the afternoon free or go again with the guide to the local museum. We chose the museum and weren’t disappointed. The second tour was called ‘Bargains and Beaches’. This tour took us to the south side of the island which is a lot less touristy but much hotter. We found the scenery spectacular and again the guide was very knowledgeable and spoke good English. The bargains part didn’t work for us but it was good to see the Cretan people in their own surroundings and certainly the beach was the best we saw all holiday.
All in all it was a magical holiday and I will certainly be looking at other parts of Greece for my next holiday. The people were very special and the whole island is certainly big enough to have something for everyone.
The apartment was spotless, well stocked and had a beautiful view going right down to the sea. The 2 pools were crystal clear and were cleaned every day by the 2 maids who always smiled. The reception area was well stocked and the staff were extremely helpful. The bar area was wonderful with amble stocks of ice cold beer, the food was plentiful and delicious with the right blend of British and Greek options. The TV showed both up to date British films and important sporting events. We were lucky enough to be there when the Greeks won Euro 2004, that was really something I can tell you!
The village was pretty and although a bit touristy had a number of good tavernas close by where all the staff spoke enough English to help you chose the best meal option. I must admit everyone had their favourite but I never heard anyone say they had a bad meal anywhere. There was also a Chinese Restaurant and a bar with crazy golf just to make a change as well as an Irish bar and a sports bar where they also had Karaoke nights. There were plenty of gift shops selling locally produced goods as well as several well stocked mini-marts including one literally across the road that sold huge croissants. You could easily hire a car, moped or quad bike from several locations around the village.
The village is about 20 minutes from Hersonissos, the nearest main town and about half an hour from Heraklion by car. The only thing to remember is that there is a very steep hill to climb. We tended to walk down and get a taxi back which only cost 5 Euros for the 2 of us. From Hersonissos it was easy to catch the local buses or grab a taxi to almost any main place on the Island and it was very cheap as well.
Whilst there we took 2 of the Thomson’s tours (there were a number to choose from) both of which were very good value because they used local guides who were very knowledgeable. Firstly we went to Knossos, the main tourist attraction on the island which is an old Minoan palace. The tour guide took us all over the site and told us plenty of history along the way. The tour then went on to Heraklion for lunch, where we could either spend the afternoon free or go again with the guide to the local museum. We chose the museum and weren’t disappointed. The second tour was called ‘Bargains and Beaches’. This tour took us to the south side of the island which is a lot less touristy but much hotter. We found the scenery spectacular and again the guide was very knowledgeable and spoke good English. The bargains part didn’t work for us but it was good to see the Cretan people in their own surroundings and certainly the beach was the best we saw all holiday.
All in all it was a magical holiday and I will certainly be looking at other parts of Greece for my next holiday. The people were very special and the whole island is certainly big enough to have something for everyone.
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2004
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
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The place is kept very clean and all the staff are very friendly. A special note to say the one member of staff was especially good, Alex the Romanian barmen. I would recommend the hotel to anyone.
Koutouloufari is still a great little place and if use Steki taverna and Fabrica you won’t go wrong.