Apollonion Asterias Resort And Spa

“Very Beautiful!”

We stayed at the hotel for a week and really enjoyed it. The pool staff were very helpful, as were the bar staff. What we particularly liked, however, was the food—especially the desserts. There was a large buffet with a wide variety of options! Everything was excellent, congratulations to everyone… more

We stayed at the hotel for a week and really enjoyed it. The pool staff were very helpful, as were the bar staff. What we particularly liked, however, was the food—especially the desserts. There was a large buffet with a wide variety of options! Everything was excellent, congratulations to everyone, including the kitchen and pastry staff!! I highly recommend it!!!

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“Good hotel”

We had a lovely week at this hotel and overall really enjoyed our stay. From the moment we arrived, the reception staff were friendly and welcoming. A special mention to the gentleman who took us (and our luggage!) to our room in the golf buggy, it felt like a lifesaver after a long day of travelli… more

We had a lovely week at this hotel and overall really enjoyed our stay. From the moment we arrived, the reception staff were friendly and welcoming. A special mention to the gentleman who took us (and our luggage!) to our room in the golf buggy, it felt like a lifesaver after a long day of travelling. The room was nice, although a little smaller than we're used to. We did ask at reception about upgrading, but understandably there was nothing available as it is peak summer, which was absolutely fine. Our first impression of the snack bar was that it was ok, with a reasonable selection. We did notice flies around some of the hot food, so we opted for the covered sandwiches instead. The pools were great, especially the splash park pool where we spent most of our time. There was a good choice of drinks available, and on most days it was easy to find a sunbed. Our final day (Weds 29th July) was much busier, and we noticed quite a few people struggling to find somewhere to relax. The food was good, although not exceptional. There wasn't a huge amount of variety, and on one evening we found it difficult to choose what to eat. We were away from the hotel for two days, so only had dinner at the evening buffet four times. Breakfast was excellent, I'd recommend going early as it's much calmer. Lunch was good too. The hotel is in a fairly quiet location, so we hired a car twice and explored the island. I'd highly recommend doing this, Kefalonia is absolutely stunning. I would happily have hired a car for a third day, but the rest of the family weren't quite as enthusiastic! There's a car hire company right next to the hotel with lovely staff. There are also a couple of small shops near the beach selling souvenirs, beach essentials, snacks and ice cream. The beach is only a 5–6 minute walk from the hotel. We often had lunch before wandering down for a swim. There's also a path from the splash park that leads to another part of the beach, which we only discovered a day or two before we left. The gym is probably the hotel's weakest point. I like to keep active on holiday, so this was disappointing. The treadmills are well past their best and occasionally stopped mid-run. The exercise bike and stepper weren't working, there was only one weight machine and one leg machine, and the heaviest dumbbells were just 4kg. Thankfully I'd packed resistance bands after seeing photos beforehand. There is also a TRX setup. If you enjoy running, I found a nice 2km loop near the hotel—head past the beach shop and follow the road around (check Google Maps). There were plenty of other walkers and runners using the route. We didn't spend much time watching the entertainment, but we did join in with the music quiz, which was great fun. We also caught the end of a few mini discos, and they looked like they were a big hit with the children. Overall, we had a really enjoyable stay. Would we return? Probably, but because Kefalonia is such a beautiful island, I think we'd choose self-catering next time so we could spend even more time exploring. Some of the beaches are among the most beautiful I've ever visited. We also took a taxi into Lixouri one evening (€15 each way), which I'd definitely recommend. There are plenty of restaurants, a lively square, and lots of little shops to browse. A couple of final tips: if you're prone to mosquito bites, pack plenty of repellent. The journey to and from the airport, the ferry crossing is actually a lovely way to break up the trip and enjoy seeing the stunning scenery that makes Kefalonia so special.

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“Beautiful place. 4 stars just a few tiny niggles.”

PROS: Beautiful resort! We really loved it and would return. Very clean and chilled . It’s very big resort so doesn’t feel busy around pools. We always managed to get sunbeds even when we spent the morning in the water park there was always beds around the pools at 2pm. Rooms are kept so clean. The… more

PROS: Beautiful resort! We really loved it and would return. Very clean and chilled . It’s very big resort so doesn’t feel busy around pools. We always managed to get sunbeds even when we spent the morning in the water park there was always beds around the pools at 2pm. Rooms are kept so clean. The cleaner even folded my kids clothes for them that they’d dumped on the floor. Food was gorgeous, so much choice, you’d have to be extremely picky if you didn’t fancy anything at all. The snack bar by the splash pad did burgers, chicken nuggets, fish fingers and chips so kids are deffo catered for. Staff incredible. The ferry transfer is beautiful and it breaks up the journey so feels so quick. Cons: the beds are like rocks my lilo was actually comfier (they are not 5 star in my opinion). There is lots of noisy bugs, you can’t see them but can hear them all day very loud but it didn’t bother us. Drinks are self service at breakfast again this wouldn’t stop us going back it was just something we noticed. Restaurant can get busy between 7&8 but I suppose that’s the same everywhere. Air con is COLD (I know that’s the point) but bring extra blankets or long pjs for kids. Other than the beds being awful I can’t see one single thing that would make us dubious to return. Not a con for the hotel but the airport is a small and horrendous. 90 minutes just to get through border when we landed and again for check in on the way home. Gate changes for every flight on the way home. The all inclusive confused us a bit. The hotel is both HB and All-in but there’s no wristbands to tell a difference. Meaning we were wondering what’s to stop people who have only paid half board from using your room number and gaining all in access because you have to tell them the room no when you get drinks/food. Bit bizarre! Tips: pedal boat down on XI beach is only 20 euros for an hour and you can all go on as a family. Theres no extra charge per person. I don’t know what the limit is but we saw a couple of boats with at least 6 on. So really cheap. Life vest are provided so you can just bob around in the sea even if you’re out of depth. Ideal for kids.

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“Good family holiday but not the 5★ experience we expected”

We stayed in a 2-bedroom Premium Room on an all-inclusive basis. Overall, we had a good family holiday, but it didn’t feel like a true 5★ hotel. There are some great features, but also several areas that need improvement. Arrival & Check-in Our first impression wasn’t great. After a long journey,… more

We stayed in a 2-bedroom Premium Room on an all-inclusive basis. Overall, we had a good family holiday, but it didn’t feel like a true 5★ hotel. There are some great features, but also several areas that need improvement. Arrival & Check-in Our first impression wasn’t great. After a long journey, the only welcome refreshment available was some warm orange juice left on the side, which felt like a poor welcome after travelling. We then had a long wait to check in, and when we eventually got to reception, our room still wasn’t ready, despite seeing other guests arriving around the same time being given their room keys. As a result, we missed lunch and the only food available was the snack bar, which was quite disappointing. It mainly served fried food, with a few wraps, rolls, cakes and ice cream. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the best start to our holiday. Our Room The room was comfortable overall. The air conditioning worked really well and the shower was excellent. Housekeeping came every day, but the floor never seemed to be properly cleaned as we always ended up with dirty feet when walking around barefoot. We also noticed the top sheet wasn’t changed during our stay. Also very limited hangers, we asked reception for more but they never arrived! Pools & Splash Park We spent most of our time between the top pool and the splash park. We never had too much trouble getting sunbeds. We’d usually go to breakfast around 9:30am, put our towels on loungers afterwards and still found plenty available once the splash park opened. That said, I do think there should be more loungers, especially around the splash park. The splash park itself was great for families, but it would really benefit from having a proper bar and appears to be plenty of space to accommodate this. At the moment you can only get soft drinks and beer and the beer pump wasn’t even working. It would also be nice if the all-inclusive drinks were branded, as the local fizzy drinks lacked flavour. Aqua Park The aqua park was great fun with a selection of slides, a lazy river and a swimming pool and was a real hit with our children. Food & Drinks Breakfast offered a good variety, although a few more cereal choices would have been welcome. Our favourites were the crispy bacon, French toast, pancakes and pastries. Lunch became repetitive, although after our first experience at the snack bar we chose to eat in the main restaurant for the rest of the holiday. A deli-style section with cold meats and fillings to make your own rolls would have been a nice addition. Dinner always had plenty of choice and our boys loved the pizzas. There were also lots of Greek dishes to try, although the menu became repetitive by the end of our holiday. The main restaurant could get extremely busy, with some of the longest queues we’ve experienced at any hotel. The staff worked incredibly hard and were constantly cleaning tables and mopping up spills, but because the doors were left open there were often flies inside and it never felt particularly cool. The Greek restaurant was one of the highlights of our holiday. We visited for my husband’s birthday and the food was excellent. He was surprised with a birthday cake after receiving a birthday voucher in our room, which was a lovely touch. The only downside was the number of wasps due to the outdoor setting. Bars & Drinks Cocktails are pre-mixed. I mainly drank the Piña Colada, which wasn’t bad, but I definitely drank fewer cocktails than I normally would. My husband didn’t enjoy the beer and often chose water instead. The soft drinks were all local brands and lacked flavour. The top pool bar had rolls and ice cream, but we’d have loved more snack options during the day. The ice cream was always the same four flavours (banana, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla), and it was disappointing that milkshakes weren’t included on the all-inclusive package. Some of the staff at the top pool bar were genuinely lovely. All-Inclusive One thing we found quite strange was that there were no wristbands to distinguish between all-inclusive and half-board guests. Instead, every time we ordered food or drinks we had to give our room number for staff to check our board basis. It became repetitive and frustrating throughout the holiday. A simple wristband system would make things much easier. Entertainment & Facilities The cinema was a lovely idea, although the children’s film didn’t start until 9pm, so ours couldn’t stay awake until the end. The games room was very small and several machines weren’t working. The hotel shop was surprisingly limited. We wanted to buy a ball but had to walk to the nearby shop instead. It would make sense for the hotel to stock these, along with a wider range of snacks. Location & Days Out Mega Lakkos Beach is only around a 10-minute walk and is well worth visiting. We took a taxi to Lixouri (€15), caught the ferry to Argostoli to see the turtles, then hired a self-drive boat for 45 minutes for €40. It was one of the highlights of our holiday and perfect with children. We looked at organised boat trips, but most were full-day excursions, which would have been too much for our family. We then caught the bus back from Lixouri for €2.20 per person, which stopped right outside the hotel. Other Things We Loved One of our favourite things was seeing all the cats and kittens around the resort. Our children absolutely loved them. Overall We had a good family holiday and there are certainly positives, including the pools, aqua park, Greek restaurant, friendly staff, the nearby beach, the cats and kittens around the resort, and the hotel’s location for exploring the island. However, we don’t feel the hotel currently lives up to its 5★ rating. Although we had a good holiday, there were times when the experience fell well below what we’d expect from a 5★ hotel, and even below some 4★ hotels we’ve stayed in. The disappointing arrival experience, busy restaurant, repetitive food, underwhelming drinks, inconvenient all-inclusive system and some areas that still appeared to be under development meant it fell well short of our expectations.

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