Hotel berhampiran Kariauli Beach, Halkidiki

We stayed in this hotel for three nights in mid-September. It has 40 rooms situated over 7 floors. It is a 2 minute stroll to the beach and seafront and about 5 minutes from the main shopping street. It is at an extreme end of the seafront and therefore marginally quieter than other hotels facing the sea. The hotel provides a chargeable shuttle service to the centre of Thessaloniki and to and from the airport. We do not believe it is easily accessible by public transport. The hotel has a small car park which can prove vital because on-street parking appears a nightmare. The hotel sits on the roadside, the front of the hotel is taken up with a small bar and a small pool. The pool has no privacy but was very pleasant and well-kept and had loungers and chairs. Reception is a small area with limited soft seating. There is no public space that is not either part of the dining room or around the pool and this we felt to be a drawback. To the left of reception is a sizeable dining area which extends out to the pool. This is used for breakfast and dinner. After 19:00 there is a rooftop bar with spectacular views but it can be windy. There are plenty of restaurants and bars on the seafront *****. Breakfast was an extensive buffet with numerous Greek specialities and everything was of the highest quality. It was regularly topped up but the toaster left a lot to be desired. There was a coffee machine but speciality coffees could be ordered. We breakfasted early and although the hotel was quite full there was no particular crush. Our room was on the 4th floor with a partial sea-view. It was spacious and there was a full-width balcony with table and chairs. The room was modern and well-kept. There was a safe and a fridge. Air-conditioning was VERY effective and wifi was satisfactory. The balcony had a retractable sunshade and could easily be used for sun-bathing. Bed linen was good quality and the bed was both large and comfortable. The bathroom was a good size with a walk in shower (but ask for an anti-slip mat). Toiletries were good. The room was spotless and housekeeping was proficient – although once was very late in the day. There was no inter-room noise but there was some noise from the street. Reception staff were excellent with good English. Some other staff members were not wholly fluent in English but nonetheless helpful. We think the hotel accommodates guests with mobility issues. The hotel is relatively modern and has been looked after. It has a spa facility that we did not use but which appeared to be very professionally organised and run. The hotel is available at a sensible price – given its location - and provided us with a comfortable stay. The hotel provided a calm atmosphere in what is essentially a seaside town heavily frequented by weekenders and day visitors from Thessaloniki.

1) The hotel is new with excellent rooms. It also has excellent outdoor and indoor spaces. 2) I gave 4 instead of 5 to the location because the sea in front of the hotel has rocks and is very cloudy. When I say rocks, I mean lots of rocks, small, big and sharp. In a word, the sea is bad. 3) I gave 4 instead of 5 to the service because I was not informed at check in about the sharp rocks. I was cut badly by the rocks. You can only swim with beach shoes. 4) At the hotel restaurant, we ate pizza with mushrooms. The pizza was not eaten. Unacceptable for a 5* hotel. 5) There are beaches near the hotel, about 500 meters away, that you can go to with your car. They have sand, no stones, they are crystal clear, you can see everything at the bottom and they are not very crowded. 6) The breakfast is fantastic. It even has things you didn't think of. Would I go back to the hotel? Of course yes. I will swim in the nearby beaches and eat in the village of Ierissos. It's an excellent hotel, but a bit expensive.