Pallas

I was in two minds about writing this review because I never like leaving negative feedback for a small, family-run hotel. However, I do think it’s important that future guests know what to expect, as our experience was very different from what we anticipated. My partner and I are both in our 30s and booked this hotel expecting a relaxing four-star holiday. Instead, we found that around 90% of the guests were young adults whose main priority seemed to be partying on the Laganas Strip. On arrival, the pool area was extremely loud, with constant shouting, diving, ball games and generally disruptive behaviour. Many of the young women were wearing very little around the pool, which is entirely their choice, but it certainly wasn’t the atmosphere we were expecting. Thankfully, we had booked a swim-up room, which was lovely and allowed us some distance from the main pool. The room itself was one of the highlights of our stay and was clean, comfortable and well presented. Unfortunately, I don’t feel the rest of the hotel lives up to its advertised four-star rating. In my opinion, it is closer to a two or three-star experience. The all-inclusive drinks were particularly disappointing. The cocktails weren’t freshly made but tasted like watered-down spirits mixed with fizzy drinks and cordial. Even basic options such as dark rum weren’t included. My partner and I would have five or six drinks in an evening without feeling anything at all. We’re certainly not looking to get drunk, but when you’re paying for an all-inclusive holiday, you expect decent quality drinks. The wine was unfortunately undrinkable and tasted like vinegar, so we ended up buying our own bottle of rum from a local shop, which rather defeats the purpose of paying for all-inclusive. One thing that genuinely concerned me was that everyone appeared to receive the same wristband regardless of age. Some guests looked very young, and seeing what appeared to be underage drinking made me feel uncomfortable. If this is the case, I think it raises serious questions around guest safety and responsibility. The food was acceptable for a buffet, but I was disappointed by the lack of traditional Greek cuisine. I had expected to see more authentic dishes throughout the week, including simple staples such as Greek feta and Greek yoghurt, but these were noticeably absent. The evening entertainment was also underwhelming and didn’t add much to the overall experience. I’m reviewing the hotel based on the price we paid and the four-star rating it advertises. For only £100 more the previous year, we stayed in a genuine five-star hotel, and the difference in quality was significant. I work in hospitality myself and always try to be fair when reviewing businesses. I understand that every hotel has its own target market, but I don’t believe this hotel is suitable for families with young children. We witnessed behaviour throughout our stay that I personally wouldn’t want children exposed to. The hotel may promote itself as family-friendly, but given its location just a five-minute walk from the Laganas Strip and the atmosphere created by many of its guests, I don’t feel that accurately reflects the experience. The owners themselves are lovely people who clearly care about their business, and I genuinely appreciate their friendliness and hospitality. However, I do think the hotel needs to be more transparent about the type of clientele it attracts, and if underage drinking is taking place, that should be addressed immediately. Finally, one lovely aspect of the hotel was the number of friendly cats that visited throughout the day. They were all very affectionate, although many looked extremely thin. I would encourage guests to look out for them, especially the little grey and black cat. It was heartbreaking to see, and I hope more could be done to ensure they are cared for. Overall, I wouldn’t return. The rooms are lovely, but in my opinion the hotel is overpriced for what it offers, the food is average, the drinks are poor, and the atmosphere is far better suited to young partygoers than couples or families looking for a relaxing holiday. I would recommend doing plenty of research before booking to ensure it matches the type of holiday you’re looking for.

I am a travel agent and booked some of my customers into this hotel for a wedding that I was planning. The hotel was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. They were responsive to any questions that I had and really went out of their way to make my customers feel welcome. It's a small family run Hotel. They went above and beyond for my guests by supplying champagne and flowers to the bride on the morning of her wedding and supporting with a room reconfiguration The location is slightly away from the main strip which is perfect for a quieter holiday. My guests said that the food was good and there was always a choice there. One of them has already asked a book again for next year. The added bonus is that you can book a private pool room which for is great for those who prefer a bit of peace and quiet but with an all-inclusive option. I would absolutely recommend this hotel for your clients if you want hoteliers who actually care about their guests experience.

Really enjoyed my stay. But this was down to one man. His name was Christopher and he should be given a raise imminently, he took my experience from a 10/10 to a 20/10. Thank you the barman Christopher.

When I booked this hotel for myself and two friends, I booked purely on reviews and was a bit naive in that I had no idea Lagana is a clubbing area. This was pointed out, after booking, by my daughter, and my friends’ son. However I need not have worried. The hotel is tucked away with roughly a 10 minute walk to the strip. ALL staff were very welcoming, polite and friendly. On arrival the receptionist asked if we wanted to have lunch before checking in to go straight to the restaurant as it would be closing in 15 minutes. Having been travelling since the early hours of the morning, lunch was much needed and appreciated. When we went back to check in we were told that the resort tax of 70 euros was payable in cash. We knew there would be a resort tax but it was not evident on the TUI website when booking that it should be cash. Being all inclusive and having debit/credit cards, we didn’t have a lot of cash. But between us put together the 70 euros. The local ATM charged £3.95 for me to take 30 euros out. On arriving in our room we noticed a smell coming from the drain in the shower. After reporting this to reception a member of house keeping came and sprayed some disinfectant. We noticed the smell a couple of times after, but it appeared to be when people in other rooms flushed the toilet. So wasn’t a forever lingering smell. The room was clean and comfortable, although a little cramped. Another odd thing is that the sink is in the bedroom. The shower room is small and felt a bit claustrophobic. On the plus side there was always hot water, and fresh towels. The food was delicious, with plenty of choice whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner, and there were snacks in between main meals. One small negative is that the juice served at breakfast is concentrated rather than fresh. This was also the case with cocktails in the evening, making them a little sickly. The inclusive cocktails were the same 6 or 7 everyday made with local spirits. Branded drinks were charged. On a few evenings we took a night cap back to our room. We were under the impression that all branded spirits had a charge of 5 euros, as per the price list on the bar. However when we received our bar bill (we put these on our room tab) we had charges of 9 euros for certain drinks. Thinking back this was probably because we had liqueurs. Evening entertainment was Bingo, a quiz night, musicians, a singer, and the best of all Greek dancing which guests got involved in and was very enjoyable. We went early June and there were guests of all ages, but with more party goers arriving as the days went by. The hotel seems to have a zero tolerance policy and although we didn’t hear any noise, we were told that a small group of lads were spoken to about being more considerate to other guests. The pool is fairly small and the same depth, apart from on the stairs, all the way along. We did find that a couple of small groups of younger guests tended to take over the entire pool when playing catch, or similar ball games. Although not intimidating it did feel like they were a bit inconsiderate of others in the pool. If you are of an age where you don’t want to be out numbered by party goers, don’t go between mid June and- mid September. There didn’t appear to be any public toilets around the pool area, and the toilets on the lower floor were blocked both times I used them. I think this was more a guest issue than a cleaning issue as unfortunately people had attempted to flush toilet paper. There also didn’t appear to be any non smoking / vaping areas around the pool or bar . Being non smokers this was a little irritating. All in all this is a lovely family run hotel which my friends and I will definitely recommend. Owners are often present ensuring everything is running smoothly. On the other hand TUI were a bit misleading. We booked a half day trip to the ship wreck. We were told that the coach journey to the port would be 50 minutes. This turned out to be 2.5 hours. We were picked up by mini bus, driven for about 50 minutes before we stopped and were told we would be joining a coach. The coach arrived about 10 minutes later, then waited almost an hour, for 2 more guest to arrive from somewhere, before carrying on to the port. The boat trip lasted about 1.5 hours, and was pleasant enough. However we then had a 2 hour journey back to our hotel. As we were picked up at 7.30am the hotel supplied a takeaway bag for breakfast. Being a half day trip we expected to be back for lunch. However we arrived back at 2.35pm. Lunch finishes at 2.30pm. Fortunately the staff were kind enough to let us take some food as they were Clearing away. Another negative for TUI was our journey home. We were told that we would be picked up at 10.50am for our journey to the airport by coach number 36. We were advised to be ready 10 minutes before as coaches can arrive early. At 10.40 Coach number 46 pulled up. About a dozen people from The Hotel Pallas started boarding. I went to check with the driver just in case our coach number had been changed. The driver started yelling at me and was very abusive. A young couple who had already boarded and heard the commotion, then asked him if they were on the correct bus. He was also abusive to them, and at this point decided to check if our names were on his list. Which they weren’t. All the while he was cursing and probably swearing at us in Greek. His coach number was 46 and registration numberZAH-1798. If he is ever your driver , beware. It was a very upsetting end to what had been a very enjoyable, lovely holiday.

We arrived very late 2 adults and 16 year old. The room we were given was awful! 2 single beds pushed together and a COT!!! Was told by chap he was new and only security and didn’t know what to do. Finally someone came and removed cot to give my daughter the hardest small bed possible ! When I asked if bigger rooms we were told all the same. Which was a lie as next day one was being cleaned and was loads bigger. No talk of upgrading nothing. Then we heard baby night after in that room so clearly gave us wrong rooms Our shower leaked badly into toilet area we were given more towels to put down by cleaner . The sink is in bedroom not bathroom so annoying in night if you need loo and want to wash hands you wake everyone. Last night air conditioning kept going to holiday mode so it was mega hot!! Food was basic and only breakfast lunch, two things for late afternoon noon normally chips and something from lunch. Coffe is from machine nothing special Worse thing is it was full of youngsters very loud in pool. It’s a very long road to strip and horrible at night as dark and bending its dirty area. The turtle boat trip wasn’t great saw one turtle. Best one was in the harbour by someone’s boat! Coke at hotel was vile!!! Worst I’ve ever tasted as this was the only diet soft drink it made it hard so spent loads loads on soft drinks from shop. Entertainment was shocking !! More for old people yet hotel full of 18 year olds No showers to use before flying out so have no choice but to keep room on at £40 for 4 hrs so we then had to sit in lobby for 3 hrs with very little if no air conditioning. Hotel toilets are vile! Wouldn’t go again