Amaronda Resort & Spa

“A very relaxing family experience”

We spent a long weekend with our 4 year old. An altogether great experience: clean and comfortable bungalow by the sea, rich buffet, very clean swimming pool (and a friendly lifeguard), excellent and very polite service. We will definetely come back!

“Ok better for families..staff great...NO heated pool..that is free.”

Staff are amazing and do speak English, they make this hotel. We came off season on the understanding that there was a heated pool available. They said there was but we found out it is attached to the Spa and you pay 20 EU for 30 mins and you can barely swim in it as is so small. Not impressed..we … Mais

Staff are amazing and do speak English, they make this hotel. We came off season on the understanding that there was a heated pool available. They said there was but we found out it is attached to the Spa and you pay 20 EU for 30 mins and you can barely swim in it as is so small. Not impressed..we got it all inclusive and the food is really good but we ate out to enjoy local restaurants also. A decent family hotel if on a budget...scraping 4 * sadly. Luckily we booked another area in Greece for our 2 Nd week that DOES have a heated pool available the whole time.

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“It should be 4* all year round!”

We went for 4 nights during last week of October and fully expected a quiet stay in a quiet area, however, we thought - based on the website- that the hotel would offer more to counter the middle-of-nowhere location and colder weather.. it doesn’t. The hotel is very clean and modern looking.. that’… Mais

We went for 4 nights during last week of October and fully expected a quiet stay in a quiet area, however, we thought - based on the website- that the hotel would offer more to counter the middle-of-nowhere location and colder weather.. it doesn’t. The hotel is very clean and modern looking.. that’s about it. There is nothing to do. The “gym” is a few bits of equipment on the beachfront, the “indoor pool” is only accessible if you’ve booked a spa treatment, there’s only one massage therapist so couples massages or going together is out of the question. The bicycle rentals are only for use on the hotel premises which I’m not sure how you’d manage that. Boat tours- seasonal, though no one can possibly give you dates or prices upfront. There was a board of entertainment for each day of the week and yet nothing happened at those times or places. By the third day we had only seen one event which was the “white party” which consisted of one staff member serving a container of cocktail with about 30 volovants on a table. No music, no engagement. There were equipment such as balls and tennis rackets you could ask for from reception and a few things like darts dotted around the hotel grounds. We played tennis once but as the court is by a main road and the top isn’t netted, gave up after the ball went over and we had to go searching in the dark. During our stay the temperature got up to 29c but the wind made it feel more like 17. I was out in trousers and a thick cardigan and still chilly. The pool was cold and with the wind it wasn’t appealing so we didn’t go in once. On our last day we had a massage (separately as only one therapist) and spent time in the pool after but being in there alone with a deafening “waterfall” wasn’t much fun so stayed maybe 20minutes. The pool itself is lukewarm, about chest deep and the bottom of the pool lining is bubbled. There is a quite obvious greenish water line around the pool. You can press a button to turn on the jacuzzi jets which was the saving grace, there are also towels available in the pool area. The massage itself was lovely - €110 for 50minutes, she was very good and it was relaxing. They give you a robe, slippers and net underwear to wear and you’re provided with a lockable cubby to leave your things. The spa area is pretty but you’re asked to shower in an unlocked room with no towel before the treatment and again afterwards if you want to use the pool. The food is cold. Spaghetti bolognaise served three meals in a row out of a possible 7 dishes per sitting. 3 of those being carbs- plain pasta, rice and potatoes; one vegetable dish and one meat (as well as 2 variations of the bolognaise sauce) One time there were chicken nuggets and chips, one time there was a man cooking pork, the other times it was the same lukewarm dishes being regurgitated. Cold salads for sides or bread that’s been sitting out since breakfast and some mediocre dessert which all tastes the same. Nothing seemed traditional, Greek or 4stars. I was hoping for moussaka at least once while there, though I did see yoghurt and honey at breakfasts. Food runs out quickly and is slow to be replenished to the point where people were stocking up on their desserts with their mains because otherwise you went without. There are “snacks” dotted around throughout the day, these being rock hard biscuit, tasteless cakes or stale bread with a mixture of dull fillings. Drinks are strong and rarely made with a smile. The coffee machine wasn’t working one of the days. We arrived late from the airport and despite emailing in advance to ask about food we had no response and instead, on arrival, were told about the snacks by the bar (stale sandwiches) Plastic cups everywhere and plastic spoons in plastic wrappers for every meal- though the plastic straws come in paper wrappers. However, in order to be more sustainable they only wash your towels every 3 days. In our room - where we spent a lot of time due to having nothing else to do, dogs barked and traffic noises were loud late into the night, our lovely neighbours woke us every day at 5:20am with their crying child and conversations you could hear clearly through the walls. The room has no storage besides a built in clothes rail with about 8 hangers. No drawers, just a bench which is too low to slide a case under and 2 shelves. Even the side tables are wicker stools you wouldn’t trust to hold your drink upright. The bathroom door is a frosted glass panel with two holes in place of a handle so be sure you’re sharing with someone you’re comfortable with. The mirror is on the wall opposite the window so you’re backlit when trying to see yourself. The staff, seemed to be a skeleton crew. Bar and dining staff rarely smiled or interacted with us, the cleaners are smiley and will say hello on passing and the reception team are polite. I assume the “white party” staff member was part of the activities team but she barely spoke and I didn’t see anyone else. There is a taller man (can’t remember his name) at reception who helped us immensely with ordering taxis and advising on how to get to places. At first impressions he seems quite standoffish but we managed to make him laugh and he was the highlight of our stay there. It seemed we only did things because of our own research of the area rather than suggestions from anyone. Exploring: We walked to eretria which took about 30-40 minutes and was hair raising as people rarely stick to the speed limits and you’re walking along the main road. I’d suggest a taxi which can be called from reception - just ask them to write down the number so you can call you return or there’s a taxi rank along the port. €9 to eretria (a 4 minute drive), €30 to chalkida. We were told by the hotel to try the bus service, a local told us they come every 2 hours or so so not to bother. In eretria there is a museum you can visit for €5 consisting on 2 display rooms and an outside area- all signs are in Greek or French so download the google translate app before you go. There are also a few ruins dotted about, all within walking distance of each other. We hopped on the ferry one of the days from eretria to oropos. They come every 30 minutes and cost €3 each way for a 30 minute trip. More restaurants and shops as well as a tiny lighthouse about 25 minutes along the coast. Chalkida is the capital and is home to the “crazy waters” which switch directions every 6 hours. We also visited the Karababa castle which is a tough walk up a very steep hill but worth it once you get there. If you’re hoping for an off peak relaxing holiday… you’ll get that (if you take earplugs) because that’s about all there is to do, but you won’t get much else for your money. Thankfully the weather was dry so we could sit on the beach and admire the beautiful view but I feel totally mislead by the website and came away really disappointed with the hotel.

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