“Prachtig hotel”

Prachtig hotel. Mooie kamer met zeezicht. Mooie zwembaden. Vriendelijk personeel. Heerlijk eten en drinken en goede aquagym.

“Superschön ...”

war mal wieder unser 7. Urlaub im Astir. Nach wie vor alles perfekt. 2027 ist schon wieder in Planung!

Lovely staff without exception

This was our first visit to this hotel, and although we wouldn’t return, it is absolutely worth the 5* rating that I have given it. First impression was that the hotel was immaculate, the lobby being clean and bright, and with a lovely view out of the back door towards the walk down to the pool areas. After an early morning long flight, it was quite a surprise not to receive a welcome drink on arrival, however, but the staff were warm and accommodating, and it was a blessing to find our room available before the 3 pm arrival time. We had booked a shared pool room, and found the room to be spacious, beautifully cleaned, and with welcome gifts that most definitely made up for the lack of drink on arrival. Thank you for those! The bathroom was pleasant and functional, with lovely toiletries and fluffy towels. What disappointed us a little was that our room (502) was almost at the end of the pool strip, and it was narrow and attracted a build up of pool debris very quickly. The room was also relatively dark, and we never got to enjoy any sun on our balcony. For the extra money we paid for this room, we regretted our choice. However, we did love watching the house martin activity from behind our net curtain, as the mother bird fed her babies, and eventually persuaded them to fly the nest during our stay. We noticed nests all over the complex, and we loved that fact that wildlife is clearly nurtured here, and that housekeeping duly clean up the daily droppings without disturbing the occupants of these nests. There are various pools at the complex, and all are kept immaculate – as are the gardens. Though the crazy golf was a bit tired, but it did entertain us several times! Everywhere you look there are staff members working tirelessly, and I must say that staff at this hotel are absolutely fabulous – en masse! There was always a pleasant greeting to be had, and the whole ethos of the place was one of genuine friendliness and staff who were happy in their work. We tended to use the main pool, and as early risers, we often had it to ourselves early in the morning. A swim down the length of it and back set us up nicely for breakfast! It would have been nice if the sun loungers there had cushions (as per the upper pool), but it was lovely to be so close to the beach. And yes, beach shoes are useful here, but not essential. If you enter the beach at the bar end, the beach is less rocky going into the sea. The beach area was also kept immaculate by the staff. The food in the main restaurant was excellent, in our opinion – a huge selection of hot and cold dishes. And thank you in particular to the staff at the Argo, who made our celebration meal extra special, when we visited. We are predominantly vegetarian, and although the majority of the dishes catered for the meat-eaters, there were always many things to be found that suited us. However, a mere offering of French fries only at the hut by the pool was a bit of a poor show for veggies… The ambiance in the restaurant was a little cafeteria-like, but the outside seating was very nice. And once again, the staff were lovely, and completely turned a blind eye as we fed the cats at the table, and took food out of the restaurant in bags for those who missed out. After all, we had paid for the meat we didn’t eat! I mention the cats, because animal welfare means a lot to us. The cats at this hotel were not only well-tolerated by the staff, it seems, but also very much liked in many cases. As most of the cats were ear-tipped (and in excellent condition), we did contact Animal Rescue Kos regarding three very small females that were possibly pregnant, and one older boy who looked to be suffering with his teeth. Sue from ARK met us the next day at the hotel. We managed to catch all three girls, but two had recent kittens, and so were released – for now. The other little girl was whisked away to be spayed, and she was returned to the hotel the next day. The older boy with the mouth problem had recently had a dental through ARK, and was actually recovering nicely; he went from strength to strength during our stay. Several unneutered boys are now on borrowed time, regarding their “bits”! The reason I mention all this is because the manager of the hotel couldn’t have been more helpful or accommodating. We did make a sizable donation to ARK, which will help to pay for a lot of veterinary care, and also hopefully maintain a sense of peace within the cat community at the hotel. But without the support of the hotel, those cats would be living very compromised lives, as so many do on the island. Please do feed the cats where you can (preferably including some cartons of cat food in your luggage), and perhaps place a donation in the charity box by the back door. Every Euro makes a world of difference to the animals on Kos. Despite the complex being fabulous, we did have a couple of gripes. There was no dress code whatsoever enforced in the restaurants, which means we could have travelled lighter and more casual. And many sunbeds were left reserved and unused for several hours – towels not being removed at a certain time, as stated that they would be. However, this seems to be a common thread running through even the best hotels nowadays, and maybe we’re just a bit old fashioned. The reason that we wouldn’t return, is because of the extremely high volume of families with babies and toddlers. The complex is perfect to accommodate such guests, but there was no getting away from the sound of babies and toddlers screaming, and dodging the many pushchairs and unruly children – not the hotel’s fault. Given the huge size of the lagoon pool, an area sectioned off for adults-only would no doubt be appreciated by many. And as a safety feature, it might also be as well not to allow young children with armbands to enter at least part of the main pool. There is already a designated children’s pool for the little ones, and the practices of many of the parents with children in the main pool left a lot to be desired… Overall, however, a lovely break, and an absolute pleasure to meet such fabulous people during our stay. Thank you for making things special for us, and if our own daughter was 30 years younger, we’d be back in a flash!

“Geen 5 sterren”

Astir odisseus is een goed hotel. Wij zijn algemeen tevreden over het hotel, de kamer, het eten, de hygiene, … . Al word het hotel aangeschreven als 5 sterren. Dat is het zeker niet. Ik zou er eerder 4 sterren geven. Voor die 5de ster verwacht je toch wat extra. En dit was er zeker niet. Weinig variatie in het eten, doch lekker. Animatie was ook ondermaats. Ook de swim-up kamer is zeker niet de moeite. Terras te klein voor de ligbedden en geen zon. Je zit de ganse dag in de schaduw. Maw, is de swim-up geen meerwaarde. Tip: neem all-in. Het resort ligt in de middle of nowhere.