Nikiana Beach Club — Hotel in Lefkada Municipality

There were 12 of us vacationing this year in Nikiana, Lefkada. Six of us stayed at the Nikiana Beach Club in three studios (1, 4, and 5) in Simos House from September 1st to September 15th, 2024. We had one extra night paid for, but we decided to leave a day earlier. The rest of the group stayed five minutes away from us in other, cheaper, and much better accommodation units.

At first glance, Nikiana Beach Club looks perfect from the outside. The location is indeed great, and two out of our three apartments had a sea view, with the beach just a few steps away. However, that's where the positives end regarding this accommodation.

I could overlook the extremely small size of the apartments and the lack of basic items such as plates, cutlery, kitchenware, a kettle, or even a hairdryer. We had to gather items from all three apartments and swap them among ourselves. I don't even mind that everything is old and in desperate need of renovation, but the fact that everything was dirty and that my apartment smelled so strongly of sewage is something I cannot forget.

Under the bed, we found men's slippers and toys left behind by previous guests, and the floor hadn't been cleaned in who knows how long. Had they mopped under the bed, they would have found those items. Towels and linens were supposed to be changed every three days but were only changed twice in two weeks (and both times after we insisted). The third time, they were changed on their own initiative the day before our departure on September 14th.

Since the smell in my studio (Studio 5) was unbearable, we complained to our host, Mavra. As a result, a septic tank truck came three days in a row to empty the tank, which temporarily resolved the odor issue. However, in the last few days, the smell returned, likely because the septic tank had filled up again. The water pressure was quite weak, and there was often no hot water, even though all three studios were on the ground floor. Sometimes there was no water at all on the beach, but I can understand that, given it’s an island and there had been a prolonged drought.

What is unacceptable, however, is the absolute lack of hygiene, unlike anything I have ever experienced. We scrubbed and disinfected the studio upon arrival just to be able to stay there for two weeks. What baffled us the most was that this accommodation had good reviews on Booking, where we made the reservation, as well as on other platforms.

The truth is that Nikiana Beach Club is not really a hotel in the traditional sense. It consists of four houses, each with a name. In addition to Simos House, where we stayed, there are three other houses within the same accommodation complex—Maria House, Aelous House, and Thalassa House. Each house has a different host. The café within the complex belongs to Thalassa House. Most of the guests are from England. The pictures of the studios and bathrooms on Booking are probably from one of the other three houses, not Simos House, where we stayed. However, the exterior photos are of Simos House, which has a central position and a beautiful view.

When making the reservation, there’s no clear indication of which house you are booking; you only receive the studio number, and even that wasn’t as written in our email. We were supposed to get Studios 1, 2, and 4.

I would not recommend Simos House in the Nikiana Beach Club complex to anyone. It’s a disgrace. As for the other three houses, I can't say anything because I didn’t enter them, nor was it possible to tour them, as there’s no central reception or point of contact. Don’t be fooled by the nice location...

We have just returned from two weeks with the Seafarer team at Nikiana. There were nine of us in our group, and we had a great time. With a mixture of experience and appetite to get on the water, the team at Seafarers were able to cater for everyone. The teenagers within our group loved the "Beach Bums" club (big thanks to Ben and Amy!) whilst as parents, we loved that the kids were out paddleboarding / sailing / windsurfing / just messing about on the water!

As with last year, the small community feel of the holiday (there was only around 50 guests each week) means you get to know your fellow holiday-makers and the staff.

The setting is small, so don't go expecting big/expansive MW/Neilson type lay-out but the STAFF are ace and really make the holiday! The bar/taverna staff continue to be excellent, hard-working and attentive - thanks to Dora, Paris, Maria, Terry and Nancia for looking after us!

With 60%+ of the beach/UK staff being the same from last year it was nice to see continuity and a friendly welcome from the beach team. They really make an effort with guests joining in on theme nights, and responding to some of the more wild requests from some of our kids - Daryll especially deserves huge thanks for dealing with the various random requests including "Daryll I've locked myself out of my room again" (happened 8 times) through to "Daryll can you run a water Zumba session?"

This was our second time at Seafarers and it was encouraging that some of the feedback we gave last time has been listened to (pillows were much more comfortable!).

Weather was HOT, especially for the first week which killed some of the sea-breeze however we had some good wind in a handful of afternoons where we could get the most out of the performance boats / Cats up on one hull etc which was nice. Don't go expecting the consistency of wind you would see at Vassiliki. NOTE: we had better / more consistent wind at Nikiana last year so I do just think that the first week was just a bit of...

Nikiana Club Hotel & Apartments is a beautiful place on Lefkada island that has literally everything within the accommodation units, a beautiful sea with clear and turquoise water, no winds or waves, so it is always clean without dirt or sea foam that is created. The water is also extremely warm, where it is possible to enter directly from the deck chair :) It is in the natural shade under the olive trees, vines and apricots, the deck chairs are free of charge and are within the apartment. After leaving the apartment, the beach is after 5m, where there are several steps leading directly to the sea. It is a paradise for children, because it does not go out onto the main street with traffic jams, but is tucked away in a quiet part of Nikiana. There is a shop right there that has literally everything, from food, to drinks and fruits, cosmetics, chemistry and everything you want at 50 m. Within the garden, there is a swimming pool generally intended for children with a depth of 1.45 m, in which adults can certainly swim as well. What also adorns this place is that within the complex it has a tavern - a restaurant where the prices are more than decent with an exceptional offer of food and drinks. The guests are mostly English, although there are quite a few Italians and Serbs. If you like surfing and sailing, the club is right there where you can rent equipment or hire an instructor. Sailing can be individual or group as desired. All in all, this accommodation complex is extraordinary and unreal that such a thing...