Avra Imperial Hotel

I recently stayed here and it was all just a bit disappointing Summary version: Not suitable for little ones. Nothing to do and the pool is bone chillingly cold The long version: I stayed for four nights in early june. I went with my partner and 18 month old. I felt the hotel was misrepresented on the websites for several reasons. Firstly I will point out that the staff were all friendly and helpful, and there was a good selection of food in the restaurant. The room was nice and clean However (the bad bit)... Do not come here if you have a little one, despite what the websites say, The main appeal is the swimming pool which is gorgeous at first glance but its actually bone chillingly cold, literally freezing. I didnt even like it so im not surprised my little child would find it hard to get into and end up crying because its too cold (just to point out he usually loves water). Theres a smaller toddlers swimming pool which was closed for half our stay.  But there is actually nothing for kids to do in them. No slides or sprays or anything. Nothing interesting at all. So they were just freezing and boring. There is a small playground for kids, but the word I would use to describe it is bleak. Its a slide and swing and other little bits but nothing worthy of a 5 star resort. The public playgrounds near me at home are far better. The website said there was entertainment. On one night there was a pianist in the bar. That was it. No shows or anything. The website said there was a games room. This was nonexistent. The map for the hotel said there was a family playroom. This was nonexistent and the staff seemed puzzled when we mentioned it and just said it was closed. There is a crèche on site, however a session is 25-35euros. I did not use this but it looked nice, well equipped and the staff were helpful. There is nothing much to do in the local area as its a small town. You have to travel for nearby entertainment. The beach isnt sandy but rather pebbles and small stones. You have to travel for a nice sandy beach. If you're an adult and want a nice quiet getaway with nice food and sit by the pool, then its ideal. If you're a parent with a little one, then prepare for yourself and your child to be bored. I did complain by email to the hotel but it seemed like a template apology response. All in all it was a disappointing holiday.

My husband and I booked a 9-night stay at Avra Imperial Hotel (June 16–25, 2025) through Agoda to celebrate a special birthday in a luxurious setting. We ended up staying only two nights before leaving — because of shockingly poor service, a total lack of compassion, and broken promises. The hotel now refuses to refund the €1,617.63 for the 7 unused nights — despite clearly promising to do so. 🎂 No Birthday Response – No Communication Before our stay, my husband contacted the hotel multiple times to arrange something small for my birthday — even just a greeting or a cake. He received no reply. Not even a basic acknowledgment. ✈️ Disappointment from the Moment We Arrived We arrived on June 16 around 11:00 PM after a long travel day. As we stood in the reception area with our luggage, staff spent 20 minutes helping another couple with restaurant options — completely ignoring us and didn't call colleague for help. When we asked where we could eat, they said everything nearby and on-site was closed, but “maybe room service works.” There was no room service menu in the room — the receptionist printed a 20-page stack for us. To make things worse, the phone number listed on the room service menu was different from the one printed on the hotel room phone, which led to unnecessary delays and confusion. We had to find the right number ourselves. We ordered from room service: – Beef sirloin (medium) – Chicken dish – Sparkling water What we received: – The steak was completely raw and inedible — the knife didn’t cut through it – Sparkling water arrived an hour later – When we called room service to request a replacement, they said the kitchen was already closed and there was nothing they could do – They didn’t even know if we would be charged and told us to ask reception the next day After a full travel day, we were exhausted and hungry. No solution was offered, no apology — just disorganization and coldness. My husband ate half of my chicken dish and we went to bed hungry. 🍳 Confused Breakfast Service The next morning (June 17), we called room service at 10:35 AM to order breakfast. The printed menu clearly stated that breakfast was available until 11:00 AM. The staff member laughed and said breakfast was closed. I insisted that I had the printed menu in front of me, and only then did they accept the order. However, it was clear they didn’t know their own menu — I had to explain every dish I was ordering, and the person on the phone kept asking me what the menu said, because they didn’t know what was on it. 🛁 Room Was Not 5-Star Quality – Rust and heavy limescale in the bathroom – Paper towel dispenser was empty on arrival – Shower bracket was broken and couldn’t support the showerhead These are basic functional issues that should never occur in a hotel claiming five-star standards. 🐱 Heartbreaking Animal Welfare Incident On the evening of June 17, we witnessed a 4 week old kitten being thrown around by young children like a toy, right on the

we stayed for 8 days in July in the Avra Imperial. If you are looking for a 5 star- please look elsewhere!!!! it is not 5 star. There are some good things such as the bedrooms, good availability at the pool and friendly staff in the kids club but that is as far as it goes. The mini bar is stocked once per week…. last year when we stayed in a 5 star in Kos it was stocked daily. Everyday I had to ask for coffee sachets so I could have coffee in the room. You need to buy your drinks and water for the room. The adjacent beach is really not nice. You can only book one of the 3 restaurants on one occasion in the week. The italian and blue dong were nice enough but so so slow. The sea side was lovely and the staff were really nice. I asked could we go to one of the restaurants another time as we were stating 8 nights and they said you aren’t a priority and usually it’s on the 10th night you could avail of the restaurant again. The air con in the buffet area is non existent. The drinks in the bar are nice. There is minimal evening entertainment which was okay for us but other people might like more entertainment. It’s very expensive overall for what you get so if you are looking for a 5 star experience please do not waste your money as it is not what you get. The final point which I found baffling was on the menus when you see the volume of food with the * beside it which indicates frozen food - i don’t understand why so much of the menu is frozen food- including sandwiches!

Absolutely nice people working there. Very good restaurants ala carte and drinks. Rooms are very clean and comfortable. The employees from the restaurant on the beach helped us to get the table for dinner even if I did a mistake with e a booking date. 😉 Good swimming pools with nice temperature of water. Everything was really good :).

This is the second time we visit this lovely place, and this time it is also a great experience. The rooms are lovely, clean and bright. The food at the ala carte restaurants are great and of a higher standard compared to restaurants in Greece. The buffet restaurant is well equipped, but personally it gets a bit boring doing the week so we choose ala carte or restaurants in town every evening. The small pool area and beach club at the beach is very cosy, but almost always full because of the small size, so its tricky to get a sunbed there. Would recommend this place if you are looking for a luxurious standard without all the turist noise and hazzle from traditional hotel entertainment - here it is nice and calm.

My daughter and I have returned to the Avra imperial after 3 years and have been to other so called 5 star hotels and this comes out as the best. We cannot fault the service, food, and rooms. We have had a relaxed chilled week. We chose the all-inclusive package, we were able to eat in all 3 restaurants which were lovely. The staff work long hours and although could smile a bir more are always courteous and polite. We will be returning next year.