Astra Village (Kefalonia) — Hotel in Argostoli Municipality

We have been to Kefalonia around 6 times over the years, from very expensive to quite small and relatively cheap places. All have been wonderful until we stayed at the Astra Village Hotel and suites Spa. We do not do many package holidays as a rule but thought we would try a different place in Kefalonia, this time and the hotel is sold as a four star , suites/Spa Hotel, so for one week we thought it would be ok. |BIG MISTAKE. Not sure where to start actually. ||OK I'll go for the positives first as they are few. The pool area is quite nice actually, the bar and lounge is OK. The grounds are kept fairly well, in fact better kept outside than inside. There is a very good little restaurant across the road from the hotel, to be honest doesn't look much but quirky and the food is good authentic Greek food with no fuss and is very tasty. There is also a good car hire facility also across the road from the hotel, decent price and cars are also fine. ( restaurant and Care Hire have nothing to do with the hotel) |OK here is the bad, restaurant and food terrible, cheap and unappetizing , lucy if it is as good as school dinners. Not really a lounge area as such , open to elements, so if you go in May can be very chilly, so take a coat. Quite far away from decent facilities, definitely no good for disabled travellers, we met a few disabled people there and there was nowhere they could go without driving, taxis etc. There is a bus stop down a dirt track road, about 10 minute walk, but very uneven, not even great for a wheelchair to be honest . Location is poor, unless you are able to walk a distance, even then not much in this area at all. Planes fly right over the hotel, a very near the airport very loud, must be awful in height of summer. The worst park is the room, we were in a 1st floor room in one of the blocks. It was basic to say the least , not sure where the word suites came from in this hotel as it is a more than gross exaggeration. They were basic at the very best , and a disgrace at the worst. The head board was disgusting, the bathroom had a mottled damaged mirror, flaking silver plastic toilet flush on the wall, a large steel plate over a whole in wall at the sink. The door handle was missing as you came into the small corridor at the room entrance. The television was placed on to of the extremely high wardrobe nearly at ceiling level ( a joke really ! ) The worst of all things was the infestation of flies/bugs. We asked to be moved but were told we had the type of room we booked and asked if we were opening the french doors to the small balcony , really !!. They came and cleaned them up and the next day they were back again, we finally found out that they were coming through from the walls at the skirting where there were gaps , they had a problem with an infestation in the wall. The Tui rep tried to get us moved but they also told him they had nothing, he did actually offer a refund , which is unusual so you know there is a problem when they do that. Not a big discount, but at least an offer. He to be fair was nice, so were the chamber maids who tried to help get rid of the bugs. It was so bad we made the decision to moved out for three days and went up to Fiscardo were we have been previously, to a fabulous "real" 4 star hotel, at our own cost, which is amazing and cheaper that the one we were in. (Balhambra suites - try them they are amazing, so is Fiskardo. |All in all I do not recommend this Hotel at all, cheap and cheerful at best, not sure where the 4 stars come from ??? TUI have a cheek selling this at the price they do and as a 4 Star Hotel. Thankfully we were there in May , so cheaper than prime summer season, when you can pay up to around £1500 per person . Avoid at all costs. Look at the pictures, they don't lie. |Please also let me say that Kefalonia is a wonderful Island , places like Fiscardo, Assos, Ketelios, Aigha Efemia, are wonderful , go to Kefalonia , just not...

Food - was ok, didn't starve. The meat was almost always very overcooked and chewy, the pork and beef were extremely fatty. Flavours nice. Not enough drinks options in the way of cocktails for all inclusive, have stayed in lots of other all inclusives where they offer a lot more. The food that is on the separate menu, to pay for, was very very nice - shame that all inclusive isn't as good. Not much options in the way of food - must say the salad and fruit daily was very fresh and lovely.

Room - lovely view (room 43), felt clean, shower was decently powerful but went from extremely burning hot to extremely cold every minute which is annoying of course. Bed was ok, comfortable enough. Shutters to the balconies/patio areas are a nice touch - air con is very good.

Location - ok if you don't really want to leave it for your entire stay. If you want to venture out to the other areas of the island you need to pay for either a coach day trip (excursion) or a taxi or bus. Felt secluded, if you've already been to Kefalonia and are coming back just to relax then this is good for you.

Other notes - check out at 11am otherwise 80 euros for later check out. If you have an evening flight make sure you have money to hand to eat and drink of course as at 11am that inclusive wrist band is taken off you. Staff are smiley and friendly, quick service and chatty. Have to pay for using the pool table, a lot of other all inclusives don't charge for this. The staff don't make an effort to try and get rid of the stray cats or shoo them away - this is irritating when you're trying to eat and the cats are quite literally climbing onto your chair. The hotel bar and pool and restaurant area are well kept, clean and lovely decor. Right by the airport, you WILL have noise up until 11pm most nights - it rumbles through the hotel rooms, not much of a bother for us but definitely wasn't a quiet hotel for that reason. The only close beach, isn't easily accessible if you struggle on your feet, and it's very small - sunbeds are 20 euros charge, which is ridiculous. We felt the staff didn't communicate, as we were disturbed at 10am whilst finalising our packing on our last day by the cleaners. They also tried to enter our room at 11am the day after we arrive to change our bed, we told them we've only just arrived the night before and they seemed confused. Felt they could've communicated better but hey ho, only mentioned as we were of course tired and just settling in and found it a bit annoying at the time. Our room was cleaned up every day whilst we were out which was nice and was appreciated - however we noted they don't mop the floors in the 7 days we were there so maybe apply Sun cream elsewhere and wear shoes in your room - again a bit annoying. We felt for the price we paid it wasnt fully worth it. They need better and more food options, more Greek food like souvlaki and Gyros, and better air conditioning/fans in the bar area. Also - we were denied a bottle of water before 10:30am because the bar was closed. It was 26 degrees with UV 6, we were not impressed by this at all. So stock up the night before if you're a fairly early riser. The pool toilets were vile, they really need to update and clean them. We give it a 6/10 for the hotel. Would come back as a base for 2 nights max and then move somewhere else...

I think this is a GOOD Hotel with lots of potential if they just respond to some of the feedback and hire a few more staff in some areas (I understand this is not as straight forward as I put it).

The main reception area and pool are well equipped and tastefully decorated and establish a sense of sophistication and class for the hotel. That feels less slightly evident once you step into the room (this may vary with room selection). I can see from previous reviews/photos that this hotel is improving incrementally over the years and I hope they continue this.

Pros Pool has a spectacular view Very clean Nice pool area with very comfy loungers Comfortable bed Good drinks options Breakfast was good and varied somewhat Friendly staff Good area and facilities Pool bar is a nice area to relax and cool off Nice modern wet room/ en suite Placed in a very good location for access to bus services, eateries and the airport Very close to Ammes beach. On site shop is great

Neutral We did not even try the food offering in the evening, party to explore local cuisine but we did book half board but were put off by reviews. We had some chips from the pool bar which were piping hot (contrary to other reviews). Shower was powerful and had two nozzles but seemed to fluctuate from the set temperature to boiling hot to freezing continuously?

Cons Woken up by someone spraying water on the roof, which was hitting the roof of our terrace and making a lot of noise as well as dampening towels at 8am. Bar staff are great, but I really think they could use some help (there only ever seemed to be 1) when it’s busy during the day. Long lead times, standing around waiting, etc. I have seen the hotel has claimed to have updated the rooms recently. The bathroom is well updated, however the bedroom, specifically the light fittings and kitchenette/woodwork are likeable to a caravan from the early 2000s. Could do with a little spruce up. I can see from old photos this furniture has been the same for at least 10 years. Having to request access to the gym put me off completely. Could this not be accessed using door card keys instead? Loungers so comfortable that they get busy very quickly. There were two days where we sat for hours waiting for a lounger and eventually gave up as selfish individuals left their towels to go out whilst retaining their sunbed. I know this isn’t the hotels fault but I think the rule of not reserving beds should be enforced more rigorously.

Overall, we had a brilliant stay, and would consider returning to this hotel (although we’d probably like a more...