Astra Village Apartments, Koutouloufari, Crete
Hotel Information
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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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Astra Village Apartments Reviews
" booked last minute, was not disappointed "
Submitted By: sarah/heather
Myself and my seven year old daughter have just returned from here, we were only there for week and wished it was longer.booked it at the last minute.
The rooms were cleaned every day, after two nights our bedding and towels were changed.
Basic facilities for catering for yourselves, but enough to provide yourself with breakfast etc, plenty of little supermarkets with-in one minute walk, all well stocked.
Excellent base for exploring, and if you just want a week chilling out by the pool(WHICH WAS CLEAN)
The staff at the Astra village were great and made you very welcome, Alex and Jon in the bar were great, always happy and cheerful.
It was very sad saying goodbye.
Will return again, and hopefully have a longer stay.
Recommmend the Astra Village to anyone, and the village was lovely.
Fantastic holiday.Thank You Astra Village.
The rooms were cleaned every day, after two nights our bedding and towels were changed.
Basic facilities for catering for yourselves, but enough to provide yourself with breakfast etc, plenty of little supermarkets with-in one minute walk, all well stocked.
Excellent base for exploring, and if you just want a week chilling out by the pool(WHICH WAS CLEAN)
The staff at the Astra village were great and made you very welcome, Alex and Jon in the bar were great, always happy and cheerful.
It was very sad saying goodbye.
Will return again, and hopefully have a longer stay.
Recommmend the Astra Village to anyone, and the village was lovely.
Fantastic holiday.Thank You Astra Village.
Advice: wonderful village which came to life at night, great base for exploring, away from it all
Activities: ate out a number of times, all restaurants were very good, some pricier than others, good service
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" Koutouloufari - hidden gem "
Submitted By: EllenC
Just returned from 2 weeks in Astra Village, the apartments were very clean and tidy. The only let down was the pettiness of staff. Air Con is €9 per day - extremely expensive and into our 2nd week we were told not to take our own water/food down to the pool and that we had to buy drinks from the bar which were warm! So we all waited until the pool bar shut at 4pm then raced to get our own!! We had to complain about the cleanliness of the pool, it wasnt nice but they did clean it everyday after that, even if the cleaner was dipping a bleached up brush into the pool water!
Koutouloufari itself is just lovely, a magical place full of Greek tradition, our favourite restaurant was Ariadne, just across the road, the staff knew our names after the first day and the food was fab, loved Manos, Toni and Yannis. Also Galini's is a very special restaurant where you get the best customer service ever. The walk to Hersonissos is fine, the walk back to Koutoulafari is not advisable but a taxi will cost no more than €7 although Koutouloufari is much nicer than Hersonissos. I would highly recommend Koutoulafari not so much Astra and this is only because of the staff, the apartments themselves are in the perfect spot, clean and roomy. Our rep, Alisha, was fantastic, best rep we've ever had, always happy and smiley and nothing is too much trouble. Overall we had a great holiday and met some brilliant people there (you know who you all are!).
Already looking at a week in September to go back!!
Koutouloufari itself is just lovely, a magical place full of Greek tradition, our favourite restaurant was Ariadne, just across the road, the staff knew our names after the first day and the food was fab, loved Manos, Toni and Yannis. Also Galini's is a very special restaurant where you get the best customer service ever. The walk to Hersonissos is fine, the walk back to Koutoulafari is not advisable but a taxi will cost no more than €7 although Koutouloufari is much nicer than Hersonissos. I would highly recommend Koutoulafari not so much Astra and this is only because of the staff, the apartments themselves are in the perfect spot, clean and roomy. Our rep, Alisha, was fantastic, best rep we've ever had, always happy and smiley and nothing is too much trouble. Overall we had a great holiday and met some brilliant people there (you know who you all are!).
Already looking at a week in September to go back!!
Advice: Koutouloufari is full of Greek tradition, definatley go back!
Activities: Favourite restaurant was Ariadne and Galini's
Good for: Beach
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Good Holiday "
Submitted By: Jan Greaney
The accomodation was comfortable and adequate and normal for Greece. Two pools, everything clean and tidy. Rooms cleaned ever day. Koutouloufari is agreat place to stay. Gentle walk -downhill - 15 minutes to Heronisis. Taxi back 7 euros.
My only complaint, which I think is a big one is the cost of air conditioning. Priced at
9 Euros a day is the most expensive I have ever come across!!!! adding over £100 to the cost of the holidy accomodation!
My only complaint, which I think is a big one is the cost of air conditioning. Priced at
9 Euros a day is the most expensive I have ever come across!!!! adding over £100 to the cost of the holidy accomodation!
Advice: Make sure you have a pool because the beaches locally are not good
Activities: favourite restaurants were "Mezes" and "Lichos" which is in Piskopiano (2 minutes away).
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" astra villige "
Submitted By: michellewarren
we arrived at astra village to find a very small swimming pool, and also to find later on how dirty the swimming pool was, the pool was not cleaned once all hoilday the edge of the pool was lined with yellow scum as well as the top layer of the pool water, the bottom of the pool was full of flys and wasps all week.As well as this the water turned everyones bikins yellow and also made rips in peoples bikins The rooms were ok with all equipment needed although the cleaners managed not to change the towles or bed sheets all week. The staff were not very friendly except one bar staff called john who was lovely and very helpful. The location of the apartments is brilliant and the place itself is great just a shame about the staff and dirtiness of the apartments. Koutalafari is lovely really quiet but everything there that you would need its a walk to hersonnosis but is not worth going to very loud and not very nice.
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Portland Direct
" August 2008. We found these... "
Submitted By: Mrs L Kirby
August 2008. We found these partments to be an excellent base for a family holiday in Crete. The standard of furnishing, kitchen equipment and decor is basic but clean and recently decorated. Cleaners attend daily (with towel, sheet and toilet paper top up sufficient) and we found staff to be pleasant. There is a local charge for air conditioning and safe hire which for two weeks cost a total of 150E. As we had researched beforehand we were expecting this cost but others weren't. As everywhere, some apartments were better located than others with some enjoying sea views and private patios. There are two small pools but both enjoying good sunbathing spots and, again, they were clean and well maintained. The village itself is excellent with a good choice of friendly bars, restaurants and supermarkets, many with large terraces enjoying lovely views towards the sea. If you want Irish bars, nighclubs, theme pubs and fast food restaurants you need to walk 30 minutes to the coast. We would recommend Orion rent-a-car which is near the 'wishing well', with private parking very close to the apartments. A trip to the nearby waterpark (aquaplus park) is a must as is the boat trip to Dia from the port (El Greco tours). Having hired a car, the day trips we did showed the tour company days out to be very expensive in comparison to doing it yourself. The apartment BBQ is held c 2 weekly was excellent and a cheap alternative - but no less enjoyable - than an organised 'Greek Night'. Knossos and Spinalonga also unmissalbe and our favoured beach was the one nearest Malia Palace archaelogical site ('Sun Beach'). There are many others if you want something more lively.
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" The Astra was a lovley base for our... "
Submitted By: Ms J A Knight
The Astra was a lovley base for our holiday. Our room was clean and bright with a lovely sea view from the spacious balcony. The kitchenette was also well equiped. The staff are, on the whole, very pleasant - Alex, the barman, is a bit of a legend! The two pools are small but nice and safe for the kids. We really enjoyed this holiday and I hope to return.
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" I booked and paid for a last minute... "
Submitted By: Mrs L DICKER
I booked and paid for a last minute deal with Thomsons for the Astra Village in Koutouloufari THEN read the reviews! I was deeply concerned about going on this holiday after reading them, but I am writing this to let any future travellers know that all is not bad. We had no problems with cleanliness, toilet rolls, sheets, fridges, towels, and anything else criticised in previous reviews and once you get used to the miniscule shower room it is not too bad.The reception lady (Helena) was reasonably friendly but because we had locked ourselves out of the apartment on our last evening, and she did not open the reception on time (45 minutes late) we could not get a key and missed out on the Greek evening that we had booked with Thomson and a fair amount of money as a result.
The bar staff are exceedingly friendly, and contributed greatly to the enjoyment of our holiday. We had an apartment overlooking the road, which I was a bit dubious about at first, but there was no adverse noise at night, and in fact it was very pleasant to sit on the balcony and people watch.There are an abundance of tavernas in the village, some better than others (beware of the Sea View taverna - they don't bring your change back, and service was not good - they brought the main course while we were still eating our starter, and the food was not as good as other tavernas. I would recommend Emmanuel taverna, although it is a little bit more pricy. On our last night in the Windmill Tavern (a very friendly place), we were given a bottle of ouzo to take home, with instructions on how to drink it!
There are some down sides to this location- one being the abundance of quad bikes and scooters travelling along the small roads and lanes, and the absence of a decent beach nearby, I do agree with a previous review that said Hersonissos is horrendous - indeed it is if you are over 25, as is Star beach from the afternoon onwards. The walk there, even downhill, is difficult in hot weather, and we only did it to go to the bank.We hired a car for the last two days, and found a lovely beach the other side of Aghios Nicholaos, albeit 50km away!
All in all, this was a very pleasant holiday that was much better than I was expecting.
The bar staff are exceedingly friendly, and contributed greatly to the enjoyment of our holiday. We had an apartment overlooking the road, which I was a bit dubious about at first, but there was no adverse noise at night, and in fact it was very pleasant to sit on the balcony and people watch.There are an abundance of tavernas in the village, some better than others (beware of the Sea View taverna - they don't bring your change back, and service was not good - they brought the main course while we were still eating our starter, and the food was not as good as other tavernas. I would recommend Emmanuel taverna, although it is a little bit more pricy. On our last night in the Windmill Tavern (a very friendly place), we were given a bottle of ouzo to take home, with instructions on how to drink it!
There are some down sides to this location- one being the abundance of quad bikes and scooters travelling along the small roads and lanes, and the absence of a decent beach nearby, I do agree with a previous review that said Hersonissos is horrendous - indeed it is if you are over 25, as is Star beach from the afternoon onwards. The walk there, even downhill, is difficult in hot weather, and we only did it to go to the bank.We hired a car for the last two days, and found a lovely beach the other side of Aghios Nicholaos, albeit 50km away!
All in all, this was a very pleasant holiday that was much better than I was expecting.
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" We have been returning to these... "
Submitted By: A&P Carty
We have been returning to these apartments for a number of years now. The family run apartments are always very well looked after, the rooms are cleaned to very high standard daily.
There are two pools which are well maintained with a good pool bar. The bar is always welcoming and is well run by Soula and her friendly staff; they serve good mixture of food and now and again show movies.
The apartments are situated on a lovely street that has a wide choice of tavernas and a well stocked supermarket run by a very friendly family. We have travelled to a lot of the Greek islands but find Crete to be one of the most friendly and welcoming......Roll on June!
There are two pools which are well maintained with a good pool bar. The bar is always welcoming and is well run by Soula and her friendly staff; they serve good mixture of food and now and again show movies.
The apartments are situated on a lovely street that has a wide choice of tavernas and a well stocked supermarket run by a very friendly family. We have travelled to a lot of the Greek islands but find Crete to be one of the most friendly and welcoming......Roll on June!
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2007
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" This was our second visit to this... "
Submitted By: Mr C Leach
This was our second visit to this part of Crete. The Staff at Astra are excellent. Alex and the bar crew are fun, funny and go out of their way to make you welcome.
Extra cost for air-con, safe and late check out are irritating but this it would seem is they way they do it in Greece. The air con is a must if you want to sleep and survive the 45 degree heat we had.
A car is a good idea if you want to get the best out of your stay (lots to see in the region) but you can do taxis & excursions as an alternative. Big variations in price for cars so check out the internet before you go. Auto Union were good for us.
Only down side was reception woman who has an unfortunate tone, accused us of doing stuff we hadn't and made mistakes over charges. "Sorry" is not an English word she has mastered yet!!!
We'd go back tomorrow. Great place, great people. Thanks!
Extra cost for air-con, safe and late check out are irritating but this it would seem is they way they do it in Greece. The air con is a must if you want to sleep and survive the 45 degree heat we had.
A car is a good idea if you want to get the best out of your stay (lots to see in the region) but you can do taxis & excursions as an alternative. Big variations in price for cars so check out the internet before you go. Auto Union were good for us.
Only down side was reception woman who has an unfortunate tone, accused us of doing stuff we hadn't and made mistakes over charges. "Sorry" is not an English word she has mastered yet!!!
We'd go back tomorrow. Great place, great people. Thanks!
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2007
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" The apartment was clean tidy and... "
Submitted By: Mr A Buttree
The apartment was clean tidy and reasonably decorated. Cool (hot) water was sometimes very cool. Maids came in every day, linen changed once in mid week, maids turned the place over even if you were there which could be a bit disturbing and I’m talking 9.45am.
The village was small and compact with prices on average 30% dearer than any other Greek island we have been on, and that included food costs. All restaurants were much of a much ness.
Dutch cafe was very good with great coffee and service.
Huge huge drawback was heart attack hill! Unless you are mountain fit and under 45 then I just don’t reckon this area at all. Everything else was down the hill - then the slog or a taxi back up the hill - more expense.
The village was small and compact with prices on average 30% dearer than any other Greek island we have been on, and that included food costs. All restaurants were much of a much ness.
Dutch cafe was very good with great coffee and service.
Huge huge drawback was heart attack hill! Unless you are mountain fit and under 45 then I just don’t reckon this area at all. Everything else was down the hill - then the slog or a taxi back up the hill - more expense.
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2007
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" This was our first visit to Crete and... "
Submitted By: Mrs I McLuskie
This was our first visit to Crete and most enjoyable it was too.
Koutouloufari is a lovely village and the people there are extremely friendly. We had a beautiful sea view which was absolutely gorgeous.
There are plenty of tavernas and restaurants to choose from but be warned - you get plenty.
Our apartments were spotlessly clean - the maids came every single day (which could be a bit of a nuisance the morning after the night before) - however they had a job to do and you have to appreciate this.
The staff at the apartments were also lovely - a special mention to Alex for he is surely an asset to these apartments - he is very likeable and well the ladies love him - so guys remember to hang on to yer gals (joking!!) - Actually the guys like Alex too - he’s such a nice chap - oops forgot to say Alex is the barman.
The other people there - Soula and John were also lovely people and whilst there Soula got a marriage proposal - she has such a beautiful smile and always remains so calm.
Really all the staff was ever so nice and the receptionist Lena was very helpful at all times.
We met some lovely people and I have to say all in all we are thinking about returning next year as we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves so much - and the hospitality of the Cretans is superb.
Koutouloufari is a lovely village and the people there are extremely friendly. We had a beautiful sea view which was absolutely gorgeous.
There are plenty of tavernas and restaurants to choose from but be warned - you get plenty.
Our apartments were spotlessly clean - the maids came every single day (which could be a bit of a nuisance the morning after the night before) - however they had a job to do and you have to appreciate this.
The staff at the apartments were also lovely - a special mention to Alex for he is surely an asset to these apartments - he is very likeable and well the ladies love him - so guys remember to hang on to yer gals (joking!!) - Actually the guys like Alex too - he’s such a nice chap - oops forgot to say Alex is the barman.
The other people there - Soula and John were also lovely people and whilst there Soula got a marriage proposal - she has such a beautiful smile and always remains so calm.
Really all the staff was ever so nice and the receptionist Lena was very helpful at all times.
We met some lovely people and I have to say all in all we are thinking about returning next year as we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves so much - and the hospitality of the Cretans is superb.
- Date of Holiday:May 2007
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" Our second visit within 3 months.... "
Submitted By: Mr M Colman
Our second visit within 3 months. Please do not believe reports that the hotel isn’t great, it is.
I and my girlfriend are very picky and we both love it. Alex, Soula and Niki are all great and we are planning another visit soon.
The resort is also good with a good selection of taverna's and bars which will suit most tastes.
The only bad point is the airport but it is worth putting up with it for an enjoyable holiday.
I and my girlfriend are very picky and we both love it. Alex, Soula and Niki are all great and we are planning another visit soon.
The resort is also good with a good selection of taverna's and bars which will suit most tastes.
The only bad point is the airport but it is worth putting up with it for an enjoyable holiday.
- Date of Holiday:Sep 2006
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Portland Direct
" Stayed for 2 weeks in the Astra... "
Submitted By: Mr C Johnson
Stayed for 2 weeks in the Astra Village in September of this year.
We stayed in a 1 bedroom apartment which was very clean, well equipped with cooking utensils, a very adequate bathroom and nice balcony. The maids were in every day bar one too which was nice.
There are two pools, one which is generally quieter than the other. Both are about the same size but did tend to be quite dirty on top as there was no filtering system to remove the dead flies and sun tan oil. The pools are not very big either and you can't really enjoy a good swim there.
Make sure you go to the BBQ that Alex puts on for you, as if you don't you will become an outcast for the remainder of your stay (trust me it happened!) and in general we found the staff to be quiet and seemingly unfriendly. Also make sure you check your room door as ours could be opened easily unless double locked - something which we were not happy about.
We managed to survive without Air Con during our stay, but any time in August you would need this - at a cost of €7 a night. Safety deposit box is €15 a week too!
The only good point about Astra is the location - right in the center of Koutouloufari. We had friends at nearby Petra Village who were 10 minutes walk away yet had a much better pool area and great barmen / women. We spent more time at the Petra pool than Astra because it was so much better and became very friendly with Dimitris and Rita.
If you have the choice I would choose the Petra Village over Astra any day.
We stayed in a 1 bedroom apartment which was very clean, well equipped with cooking utensils, a very adequate bathroom and nice balcony. The maids were in every day bar one too which was nice.
There are two pools, one which is generally quieter than the other. Both are about the same size but did tend to be quite dirty on top as there was no filtering system to remove the dead flies and sun tan oil. The pools are not very big either and you can't really enjoy a good swim there.
Make sure you go to the BBQ that Alex puts on for you, as if you don't you will become an outcast for the remainder of your stay (trust me it happened!) and in general we found the staff to be quiet and seemingly unfriendly. Also make sure you check your room door as ours could be opened easily unless double locked - something which we were not happy about.
We managed to survive without Air Con during our stay, but any time in August you would need this - at a cost of €7 a night. Safety deposit box is €15 a week too!
The only good point about Astra is the location - right in the center of Koutouloufari. We had friends at nearby Petra Village who were 10 minutes walk away yet had a much better pool area and great barmen / women. We spent more time at the Petra pool than Astra because it was so much better and became very friendly with Dimitris and Rita.
If you have the choice I would choose the Petra Village over Astra any day.
- Date of Holiday:Sep 2006
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" We had a lovely holiday. We went for... "
Submitted By: Mrs L J Carpenter
We had a lovely holiday. We went for one week but we wish that we went for two. The studio apartment we had overlooked the wonderful views of the sea. The room was cleaned every day.
Staff were friendly. We would recommend eating at the Esperos Restaurant which is right next door to the apartments. We are definitely going back next year.
Staff were friendly. We would recommend eating at the Esperos Restaurant which is right next door to the apartments. We are definitely going back next year.
- Date of Holiday:May 2006
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
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Plenty of entertainment on the flight and the flight staff were friendly and attentive. Transfer to resort was another area where Thomsons rate highly - no sitting in the coach awaiting other flights - onto the coach and away! The reps for Thomson seemed to be a little more professional then from other companies providing just enough information and guiding to the accommodation.
We arrived at Koutoulafari at around 23.00 hours but the main street was bustling and plenty of shops and restaurants still open. I had read mixed reports of the Astra apartments but have leant to make my own judgements and have visited various Greek Islands over the last twenty years.
Astra Apartments are made up of five blocks around two swimming pools. We received a warm welcome at reception. Our two apartments were made up of a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen diner with a sofa bed, TV (limited channels but enough to keep up with news and sport), a fridge and two-ring hob (the usual in Greece although the TV was a nice addition).
The apartments were scrupulously clean and were kept that way by the cleaners who visited every day. In my opinion the apartments were amongst the best I have stayed in Greece
Plenty of sun beds around the pools, never had to go without and the pools although small were great for dipping in and cooling off. There was a friendly bar that made breakfast and snacks and drinks during the day – and satellite TV to keep up with all sorts of sport.
I would say that Koutouloufari is a cut above the normal Greek resort -it is up in the mountains above Hersonnisos and about twenty minutes walk down to the sea and a further five minutes to Star Beach which is great for teenagers, free entrance but a charge for slides, bungee etc. The restaurants and shops are just a little more sophisticated then found on the beach front resorts, that is not inferring any less friendly, perhaps because it is a little smaller we found it more friendly and you soon got to know a lot of the characters in the restaurants and shops. Don’t get me wrong there is plenty of choice – you could eat at a different restaurant every night for a fortnight and still have choices where to eat.
We did not have a bad meal whilst we were there, the boys went for breakfast each morning at Fabrica, where they veered between waffles, crepes and full English breakfasts all prepared and served with a smile and a joke by Yiannis, the owner (they often returned for a Crepe on the way home in the evenings as well!)
The Ariadni restaurant was virtually opposite the apartments - Manos was always helpful, friendly and important for us Brits never pushy. Great pizzas and well-served traditional Greek plates – we also had nice meals at the Restaurant at the end of the village next to the adjoining village of Piscapiano. Can’t remember the name But there are lots to choose from but we ran out of holiday!
We would definitely return to these apartments and the resort of Koutouloufari.
Advice: A little classier then the normal greek break
Activities: Fabrica and Ariadne
Good for: Beach