Philippos Xenia Hotel — Hotel in Serres Municipality

We stayed in this hotel in late October 2024 for two nights. The hotel is on the perimeter of Serrres and a cheap (€5) taxi ride from the bus station. There is no train service to Serres, however the hotel does have a car park. The hotel has 57 rooms and we believe it to be part of the Xenia programme of the Greek Government in the 60’s. It is however, thoroughly modern but with homage paid to the design ethos of the Xenia programme. It has three stories and is on the margins of the countryside. Entry to the hotel leads to a small reception desk but allied to a large and very comfortable seating area – itself letting onto a restaurant and separate bar area. There is further seating for drinking and dining in an added-on conservatory and in two small external areas. There is a rooftop bar open during the summer and therefore closed when we were there! The whole of the interior was in excellent condition with high quality furnishings reflecting the past design impetus. Everywhere was comfortable and (in October) warm! There is a health and fitness club with a swimming pool on the ground floor which we did not use. There are function rooms and a conference area but we were not troubled by groups during our stay. We do not believe Serres is in on any mass tour group itinerary. ||Our room was on the second floor overlooking a small area of woodland. It was clean and comfortable and appointed in line with general hotel facilities. There was a desk of sorts but only with a pouf at the wrong height to work comfortably at the desk. There were, however, two very comfortable easy chairs and a small table. For guests anxious to do business there is a fully equipped business centre. There was a full width balcony with furniture. The room was spacious. The bed was large and comfortable and the linen good quality. The bathroom was disproportionately large and beginning to show its age. Our room had an oval, two-person, sunken bath with glazing to both the bedroom and the hall – there were curtains. We did not find it functional, but we are old, and many people will. The hand held shower in such a big bath presented an early morning challenge. But all that we used worked. There was plenty of hot water and the whole bathroom was very clean. We experienced no noise from either outside or inside the hotel. On our second night there had been a major football match in town but there was no impact from noise or the fact that the visiting Athenian team was staying in the hotel. The precautions taken by the hotel were superb. We had private security and local police to safeguard everybody. Wifi was acceptable. Housekeeping was good.||We only took breakfast which was good, but limited – particularly for vegetarians. The dining room was spacious enough to ensure that there was no congestion at any time. We did not take dinner, but we did have a light lunch with wine in the bar. Service was good. There was a limited menu.||Staff were exemplary – particularly on reception. Most had good English and all were professional and attentive. ||We are uncertain about guests with mobility problems but believe they would be able to access all areas of the hotel, especially because there was a lift serving the exterior of the building. Corridors were wide. Public areas were not sectioned off and the rooms were capacious. ||This was the best of the remaining Xenia branded hotels we have stayed in. We would recommend it without hesitation. Whilst the town of Serres held limited attractions this hotel was worth the visit in itself. It was designed by K Stamatis in 1960. It is an exemplar...

My daughter and I stayed at Philoppos Xenia Hotel for two weeks--aka it became our home, and what a lovely home it was! The modern is situated slightly out of the main flow but a five block walk brings you to the vibrant town square filled with families, babies and lined with charming traditional and neoclassical buildings housing restaurants galore. This makes for a tranquil urban setting--add to this a river and a shaded park that runs for miles one street away (ideal for long morning and sunset walks), a roof top deck that beckons for cocktails and dinner, an open air dining space downstairs for morning coffee and you have the best of all worlds. The rooms are simple and clean (we had a deck that overlooked a small park, which was truly a bonus). The restaurant and public spaces are sophisticated with any number of places to sit and work, relax, converse. We had the good fortune to meet the lovely owners of the hotel, and with their generous suggestions we saw many of the beautiful and unique sites in this under- the- radar- region of Greece. A good friend of theirs,Yannis, gave us a private tour of some of the archeological highlights, his own hillside town, a hidden restaurant alongside a Roman-era bridge on a shaded river bank, and a tour and tasting with the gracious owners of a stunning organic winery just outside of town--WINERY NERANTZI. We plan to return and hope to have a chance to visit their sister hotel in...

We just stayed a couple nights with a large group at the Xenia Philippos in Serres. Our family had a nice, clean large room with plenty of space to spread out and cool down.||We enjoyed the morning breakfast included in our stay and the communal areas for guests (lobby, bar, rooftop garden.) ||My only criticism is the underground pool. It needs a||Major update, the two seats available were both broken, and clearer communication as to when its available. Bringing my kids down expecting to swim and being told there is a class in session was a bummer but worse was the actual facility. It doesn’t look like it belongs in the otherwise modern, sleek hotel. Not worth docking a star as it is an amenity but still disappointing.||||The room itself had a balcony perfect for reading in the sunshine. The bathroom was large and the shower had perfect water pressure.||It wasn’t a fancy room but it was well appointed with anything you would need while traveling abroad. The hotel was quiet and the staff went above and beyond to accommodate requests. ||A major draw for us was the location as it was easy to walk into town and to and from the nightlife spots (Sinatra Lounge, etc.) ||If you happen to travel to Serres, I recommend staying...