Elix, Mar-Bella Collection — Hotel in Igoumenitsa Municipality

OK, so I have very mixed feelings about this place. We stayed there for a few days at the end of our honeymoon. We travelled across Greece and islands. This was our last stay. Let's start with positives : Beautiful beach with amazing water. Lift for the ones who want to have an easy drive down or stairs for the ones who want to have it a little bit harder Great yoga sessions, etc. Nice rooms (nothing above nothing beyond) standard 4* 5* star bedrooms Nice bar if you want to have a drink or rest for a bit with a book Staff at the beach was very nice Some walks around so you can stay active. I think you need a car if you go there as otherwise you can not freely move around. We had a car so thay was not a problem for us. Beautiful sunset Nice cleaning staff

Negatives This is the worst food I ever ate in the so-called 4-5star hotel. It was just pathetic. My husband and I live in the UK. It is basically Cosmos or worse. For anyone outside of the UK, Cosmos is a buffet place with very average food, but you pay 14 pounds or so, and you eat what you want. The smell of the food was screaming chemicals. Desserts were disguting. So fake and defrosted just in front of you. You could taste that food was not a good quality. The restaurant is tiny for this number of guests. It was just shocking. Everyone was squished and was fighting for a place. There were not many kids when we were there, but I don't know what happens when this place is full. Yes you can be in a different restaurant they have got few options but it is not in the standard price and as the majority of the guests stay in the main restaurant I was just shocked how tiny it is. I have never seen such a small place to eat in the hotel with this . I assume what has happened was that first, this hotel was way smaller, but then they started expanding without thinking where to feed all these people. Just because of that, I would reduce the number of stars to 3. In 4-5 stars hotels, you want quality of the food and space and comfort. We don't drink, so we did not have an alcohol package, but I have seen cocktails at the beach bar, and they looked great. When selecting a room, we said this is our honeymoon, and we want a one king bed or at least two beds together. When we arrived we found in our room a welcome gift which was very nice (cake, fruits and wine and a card to wish us nice honeymoon) but we also found two separate beds ...when we went to the reception we said it must be an error as we requested one bed. I need to say I have never faced so unpleasant receptionist. She said we didn't say anything this is our honeymoon (ignore the gift from them), and there is no request for a one bed. Instead of she was super rude. Finally, she said they would sort this out by bringing two beds together and putting one mattress on the top. I dont think I need to mention that my husband and I could not feel we slept on one bed. It was just pathetic. I believe our original room was given to someone else as when we arrived at the restaurant and we have given our names they said there are 3 people assigned to our room. Interesting. We went to the reception again and said that the staff in the restaurant said they have 3 people under the room. Our "lovely" lady again said this is impossible. We wanted to make sure we would not get a bill for something in the end we didn't order. Overall, very unpleasant receptionist staff. Attitude which should not be allowed in the 5 hotels .. Overall, if you only care about the beach and you don't mind overpaying for bad food, then it is a place for you. I am very happy we only stayed there a few nights before our flight. It's totally not worth the money compared to what other Greek locations got to offer. Maybe it is a thing. I dont know, but out of the whole Greece, this was our least favourite stay last September. I have seen some reviews from people to not believe in bad food reviews... without sounding rude and impolite, I don't think any of these people have ever been in a real...

The property itself is beautiful, very well kept, cleaned and presented. We loved the botanicals the most - the group clearly give a lot of attention to their gardening work and it really shows. A truly beautiful and alive feeling premises.

The beach is excellent and in my opinion, Elix' greatest asset. The lifts going to and from the beach club is an excellent solution and worked throughout our entire stay, with limited wait times, if any at all.

Beach service on the beach was ok. The staff are excellent down there but we did frequently feel as if we needed to walk over to the bar to get their attention. Although they were clearly busy the entire time (no one was just standing around), there was an absence of regular pass-by check ins for drinks or top ups. This is nit-picking though...the beach had clean toilet facilities, plenty of sun beds, kind staff and good food! The gyros was especially nice.

Rooms are excellent and housekeeping did a great job at cleaning each day. We had absolutely no complaints here and the pictures the property uses to advertise are real to life and capturing accurately.

We did get in touch with the property a couple of weeks before going to check out room was as advertised through BA. We were informed that despite BA using a picture of a deluxe room with a swim up pool, we did not have a pool on our booking. I sent reception a screenshot of what BA advertised (with pool) and they kindly upgraded us for free and apologised for the mistake. I was pleased with this outcome and felt the team dealt with the matter professionally and to my expectations. Just be mindful if you're booking through 3rd party sites like we did that you get the room you're expecting.

The front desk also provided a cake, free of charge, for my wife on her birthday. A lovely gesture.

All food was to a good standard and we had no issues with anything we ate. We did feel that the buffet restaurant felt a touch claustrophobic and crowded, but that's not a constructive comment, as there isn't much they can do about that. The other three restaurant options were all nice. I liked the idea of the 'eat local' dinner we experienced - the restaurant own a taverna just down the road next to the sea. The spot is beautiful but the food was average. Great idea though and Im sure that the offering will continue to evolve.

I've given the property a four star as it isn't a five star experience. Front desk, beach and pool staff were all great but there was a number of notable instances where the service was lacking that luxury touch. Attention to detail in the staff is missing and further training would probably be a good thing to raise that experience to exceptional rather than good.

I think it's important to caveat that I am being picky. I work in the creative industry and work with luxury hospitality brands regularly, so small things really stand out. If you're a family and looking for a comfortable, easy holiday at a beautiful property, Elix will be awesome and Im sure you'll have a great time.

We felt marketing the property as five star luxury is a bit inflated if we're comparing to the likes of AMAN, Four Seasons or Ikos. These are groups that are outstanding and Mar-bella has a bit of work to do on their customer facing operation, from a details perspective to really raise that overall experience.

We had a great holiday and enjoyed the room and the beach.

Thank you to the team for taking care of us.

We rented a car at PVK airport - £80 for the week. A no brainer to be honest as transfers with BA were £240! We also enjoyed using the car to visit Pargos and got alot of value for renting...

We recently spent 6 days at this beachfront 5-star hotel in Greece, and while there were some great aspects, several issues detracted from the experience, leading to a 3/5 rating.

Upsides: The hotel’s infrastructure is impressive, with a prime location on a hill offering stunning views of the beach and surrounding area. The beach itself is beautiful, with modern deck chairs, and the views from the swimming pool were breathtaking. Our family room was spacious and clean, and the hotel offers a variety of entertainment activities, including pilates, yoga, and water sports led by professional trainers. The kid’s club was a standout - our child loved it thanks to the excellent program and attentive babysitters. The guest relations team was responsive, and the beach bar service was decent.

Downsides: Unfortunately, the hospitality and value for money left much to be desired. Despite the higher price we paid for the family room, it only offered a limited sea view, which was disappointing given that the price was higher than a room for three adults. The price-to-value ratio was poor, and we didn’t feel like the added cost was justified.

The reception staff were also inflexible when we requested a one-hour checkout delay, despite knowing our transfer time 48 hours in advance. For our outbound journey, we were given a budget taxi in an outdated car instead of the branded transfer, which made us feel undervalued as guests. Overall, there was a noticeable lack of hospitality, with barely any greetings from staff outside of restaurant areas, which created an unfriendly atmosphere.

The restaurant experience was another letdown. At Saffron Restaurant, the American-style buffet for half-board was mediocre at best, with limited variety across the days. Any freshly cooked items came with long queues, and the food quality varied greatly depending on the chef. In general, the ingredients seemed low-quality and bland. What made things worse was that beverages, including water and coffee, were overpriced and served in cheap glasses, which didn’t match the high prices. Even a glass of water for our child wasn’t provided for free.

Additionally, the hotel seemed to be cutting costs in some strange ways for a 5-star property. There was no complimentary sparkling water, and regular water came in plastic bottles. The Nespresso machine in the room was stocked with cheap coffee capsules. Basic amenities like after-sun lotion, sponges, and combs were missing, which felt out of place for a hotel of this caliber. Even slippers and a bathrobe for our child were only provided upon request.

Another oddity was the cheap iron provided in the room, which we didn’t trust to use on any expensive clothes. This, along with the anti-theft hangers in the wardrobe, gave the impression that the hotel didn’t trust its guests, which felt inappropriate for a hotel charging €400 per night.

Most of the activities offered by the hotel came with an extra cost. Even something as simple as looking through a telescope cost €30 per person, which felt excessive. These charges, coupled with the already high room rate, made the stay feel overpriced.

Overall, while the hotel’s location and facilities were excellent, the weak hospitality, poor dining experience, and obvious cost-cutting measures, along with the limited sea view in the overpriced family room, made for a disappointing stay. It was hard to justify the premium price when it felt like the hotel was skimping on...