Filoxenia

This hotel has a lot of good points but a few things to consider. Listed are the pros and cons but if you pay the price of other hotels half board for all inclusive its a good base. PROS 1. Very clean rooms and communal areas. 2. Towels etc changed regularly. 3. Staff are polite and friendly. 4. Fairly good choice of food. CONS 1. All drinks unbranded and limited choice. No cider and if you want a cocktail or anything branded an extra charge. 2. No waiter service anywhere so feels like a canteen. 3. Water in a dispenser no bottles so that feels like your on a budget. 4. Entertainment only 3 times a week. 5. Walk into town 15 minutes and nothing close by. Greece doesn't really suit all inclusive so we ate out a few nights in the tavernas. Every night went into town later to get a bit of atmosphere. If we had paid more would have been very disappointed but is a pleasant hotel if you don't expect the usual all inclusive drinks and entertainment.

Our family has just returned from a wonderful stay at the Filoxenia. From the moment we were greeted by Maria we felt the warmth of the Greek hospitality and could see that this place was quite special :) The team there care deeply about their guests’ experience and are rightly proud of their beautiful space. We were lucky to be able to try their newly opened dining space on our last evening - it’s a real gem and finished to such a high standard. It was so lovely that the team was so excited about it! The hotel itself is positioned really well. It’s not part of the immediate hustle and bustle, so is a little quieter, but from just outside the hotel you can catch a short bus which would take you to the main strip of restaurants along the beachfront, or into Kalamata old town if you want to venture further. (All very walkable too.) We stayed in a family room, which consisted of a double bed in one space and a separate living area with a sofa bed. It definitely had the best layout of any family room equivalent we have stayed in on other holidays. It has been thought through really well. It was such a happy place to be and our kids are already campaigning for a speedy return!

Weather was changeable but that’s to be expected for the firts week of May. We were pleasantly surprised at the spotlessly clean and aesthetically pleasing room allocat d overlooking the swimming pool . Yes we heard the cockerels - which I personally enjoyed - and which enhanced the semi rural feel ! The hotel has a walk in to town which should be no issue to someone of reasonable fitness. Walk off the calories gained with all of the delicious cakes on offer . Meals were , in my opinion, perfectly adequate and always something to eat. This is the smaller of AI hotels we have visited and ,dependent upon price paid, good value . You can always top up with the odd meal out if you do want the full restaurant experience ! The hotels setting was good for us and we walked out in all directions .Zante town was quite an easy walk and enjoyable - albeit be prepared for a fair amount of road walking . We veered off course and found some lovely country lanes, views and coastlines . Depends what you expect from a holiday I found the Greek charm and friendliness far outweighs any negatives - just go and enjoy you holiday .There is nothing really to complain about …….

I have given this hotel 2 stars purely based on the staff being pleasant and the room being clean, those are the only two positives I can say about this place. The food is truly dreadful, there is no other way to describe it, lack of choice and what choice there is is very poor, I don’t expect gourmet dining in an AI resort but some choice and at least edible food would be good. Secondly the hotel is situated on a very busy road with constant traffic throughout the day making in impossible to relax around the pool because every 30 seconds a coach goes by or a speeding motorbike or quad. There is also noise throughout the night due to the hotel being situated next to some sort of farm with roosters on that are going at it all night from 1am right through to 8-9am making it impossible to sleep at night. The drinks on sight leave a lot to be desired as well with no cocktails being made by bar staff so your drink options are beer, white wine, red wine or a local spirit and a mixer. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to stay in this hotel.

Rooms were lovely and spotlessly clean, plenty wardrobe space. Bathroom shower decent size. Staff were all lovely especially the cleaner who did our room and the the bar staff were great. Journey from airport about 20 - 30 mins first drop off so that's a bonus!! Rooms cleaned every day and clean towels, bedding changed every second day. Generally quiet around the pools during the day. At night after entertainment finished was also quiet, only problem was in the early morning getting woken up with the cockerels. Restaurant was clean, food was decent but personally I dont like buffets much so I stuck with bread, fruit and salad when I ate there. The nearest town is about 20 minutes walk but hotel offers a free taxi service 3 times a day. Lots of beautiful restaurants and shops with a relaxed vibe. Staff at reception are extremely helpful. It's a lovely clean hotel and really chilled.