Blue Sea Rooms & Studios — Hotel in Municipality of Eastern Samos

We stayed at The ’Blue Sea’ for two weeks from August 21st –September 4th 2014. We went with another couple, so booked two twin bedded rooms on a Bed and Breakfast basis.||This was our 10th visit to Samos and 8th visit to Kokkari, and had visited the Illias Bar and Pool at ‘Blue Sea’ on many occasions, but this was the first time we had stayed in the accommodation. We found the rooms to be very clean and well appointed. They were the best rooms we have ever stayed in, anywhere in Samos.||Blue Sea is on the main road through Kokkari (although this is a quiet road) and the beach is opposite. There are plenty of bars and restaurants close by and the harbour, shops in narrow streets are within a few minutes’ walk. ||Our bathrooms had recently been completely refurbished, with very attractive pale and dark grey tiles. The towels and sheets were changed every couple of days. There was a TV, but the sound wasn’t as good as it could be, but we were able to keep up with the news via the BBC World News. The small fridge was handy for drinks, fruit and milk (as we took our own tea making facilities). There was plenty of space for our clothes and suitcases. The Rooms had new beds with Memory foam mattresses that were so very comfortable, better than mine at home! There were extra pillows and blankets in the wardrobe.||We had a small balcony that overlooked the garden, snack bar and attractive swimming pool. The balcony was furnished with two Blue chairs and a table. There were new glass doors to the balcony that had a full length shutter fitted if required, plus a heavy net curtain. ||Air conditioning was fitted and we had to pay an extra €6 per day to use it. Well worth it in August to get a good night’s sleep!||The swimming pool had plenty of sun beds and matching parasols. The outside eating area was covered, this was where we could order and eat lunch or snacks.||We had our breakfast in the front area of the Illias Bar. Everyone’s breakfast was served on an individual tray and we had a choice of tea or coffee to drink.||The ladies who cleaned the rooms always said good morning and were very pleasant and helpful. The owners Costas, Nana and Illias their son all have very different personalities, Costas has a very dry sense of humour and once on his wave length, he can be very funny and we all had a joke with him. Nana is a little dear, very chatty and always had a smile, Nana took care of the pool and the garden. Illias is very quiet, but mad about football, Liverpool is his favourite team, he made a point in telling my husband when Liverpool was playing, and would happily discuss the matches.||I would definitely recommend The Blue Sea and will definitely stay...

We started off badly: finding the place was a nightmare, there is no "Blue Sea" sign visible anywhere from the road. [From the centre of Kokkari, go west along the seafront a couple of hundred metres.Just after the Post Office and Kalidon Hotel on the left, the Blue Sea is behind Ilias's bar (Ilias is the proprietor of Blue Sea), you go in through the bar].||||Once we'd found it, however, it was ok. Ilias (not grumpy, but not a natural smiler either) welcomed us and showed us to our room - actually an apartment on the ground floor near the swimming pool.||||Most things worked, as is common in Greece, and the place was clean. Breakfast was portion controlled, and basic but adequate - actually, given that Blue Sea is pretty cheap for the centre of Kokkari, the whole deal was good value. I probably wouldn't stay in Kokkari again, not really my sort of place, and I'm not raving about it but the...

We hebben twee weken in Blue Sea Rooms & Studios gezeten, in studio 14. Het hotel ligt echt perfect: direct aan het strand met gezellige strandtentjes op loopafstand. Ook is er een zwembad met genoeg ligbedjes en wordt de kamer elke dag even nagelopen door de schoonmaak. Handdoeken en beddengoed worden 2x per week verschoond. Airco is te huur voor €8 per dag, wat in de Griekse zomer geen overbodige luxe is.

De studio zelf is wat klein, verouderd en soms behelpen. Binnen stond een tweepersoonsbed en een opklapbed, een klein tafeltje zonder stoelen, wat losse meubels en een plafondventilator met afstandsbediening. Wifi is aanwezig in de kamer.

De keuken is minimaal: losse kraan, koelkast zonder goed vriesvak en weinig opbergruimte, maar wel een waterkoker, koffiezetapparaat en kookplaat.

Het balkonnetje (ca. 3 m²) had drie stoeltjes en een klein tafeltje, maar de verf bladderde af en kwam op je kleding terecht. ’s Ochtends heel even zon, daarna vooral schaduw. De airco-unit hangt boven het balkon en blaast warme lucht over je heen als hij aanstaat.

De badkamer was functioneel maar gedateerd: een losse douchekop die niet goed in de houder bleef staan en die je moet vasthouden tijdens het douchen, een eenvoudig douchegordijn en twee aparte kranen voor warm en koud water (geen thermostaatkraan).

Het bed bestond uit twee losse bedden op wieltjes met harde matrassen. Wel fijn: rolluiken en een hor tegen muggen, want die zijn er genoeg.

Minpunten vonden we dat het gebouw in het algemeen oud is en weinig onderhoud lijkt te krijgen. Veel dingen zijn provisorisch gerepareerd met schroefjes, draadjes of plakband, verf bladdert af en het oogt wat rommelig. Het zwembadwater was niet altijd even schoon (er dreef regelmatig van alles op het oppervlak). Ook viel de vriendelijkheid van de eigenaar en het personeel tegen: kortaf en beperkt Engels sprekend. Parkeerruimte achter het hotel is schaars, met maar vier plekken voor huurauto’s.

Al met al: de ligging is top en het strand voor de deur is heerlijk, maar als je waarde hecht aan comfort en netheid, kan het wat...