Ktima Faki, Olympus Mountain Accommodation & Retreat

We booked this property for a two-night stay in mid-May 2022, having enjoyed a pleasant stay there five years earlier. We had to pay for both nights in advance but were happy to do so, based on the experience of our previous stay. Κtima Faki is an event venue (wedding receptions etc.) with guest room accommodation attached, located on the lower slopes of Mt. Olympus, just outside Litochoro. When we arrived at the property on a Thursday afternoon, we were surprised to discover the front gates closed and, at first sight, chained and padlocked. The gates were not in fact locked but when we gained entry and drove up to reception, we discovered that no hotel staff or management were present and that at least two thirds of the total guest rooms were under substantial refurbishment by a team of foreign workmen, who spoke only limited Greek. A telephone call to the number given in the booking information was not immediately answered but we persuaded the construction foreman to contact the owner/manager. He was instructed to show us to our room, on the understanding that someone from the hotel would arrive within five minutes to greet us. The room we were shown smelt strongly of drying plaster and when trying to recall the booking info we discovered that the WiFi signal was very poor. There was no evidence of any other guests in residence, and in view of the total absence of any hotel staff and the isolated location, we did not feel comfortable staying in a property where we risked being the only occupants once the construction workers had left for the evening. Nor did we wish spend two days on a partial construction site. Not five, but almost fifty-five minutes after our arrival, and while we were contacting the booking service we had used to make the reservation, someone from the hotel appeared, assured us briefly that everything was in order, but then left to make a prolonged telephone call. By this time, we were feeling decidedly uncomfortable and contacted the booking service to inform them that we did not wish to stay in the property and to request a refund. We received conflicting information from two different customer service representatives, but decided to leave anyway and look for alternative accommodation, in the hope that we would receive either a full or partial refund. The booking service contacted us later to advise that they were unable to negotiate a refund with the hotel proprietor and suggested that we try to do so ourselves directly. We do not think this worthwhile, but we believe that it was extremely unprofessional behaviour to accept a booking for a period when it was not able to provide either a pleasant and relaxing environment or an acceptable level of service. Interestingly, the booking service staff informed us that the accommodation was listed as homestay accommodation, which was not correct. We are posting this review so that any potential guests for Ktima Faki will take time to check that all construction work has been

The outdoor environment is very nice. You are really in the middle of the woods and the pool is nice... However, the positives end here. This is definitely not a 4star boutique hotel in any way. The photos of the rooms are misleading. We booked a triple Superior Suite and were surprised by how small it was and inconvenient. It did not even have a closet or plugs available (only 1). We asked if there were other rooms available and they offered to move us to another room (at an extra charge) which was more spacious but... the lock on the door was not working and it had to be fixed while we were there, the air condition could not be shut off by the remote control we had to use the electrical switch board, at some point it did not have warm water, it was INCREDIBLY DIRTY! The bathroom was dirty, the sheets were dirty, the decorative pillow cases had probably never been cleaned. Also they do not make the bed... Instead they just threw the blanket over the bed so it is not apparent that they have not made the bed. The hosts are not rude but definitely not warm or welcoming. The staff is completely unprofessional. They really do not know how to run the business, I definitely do not recommend this place. With the total cost we paid we could have booked MUCH BETTER OPTIONS. Extremely expensive for what it offers and horrible service/attitude. I was misled by the high scores on reviews but after my experience I went through the reviews again and unfortunately, it is one of the few times that I can relate with the negative ones.