hi, we have been trying, without success to locate a small villa or self catering house near hanioti, can anyone help?we ofen made the walk from polycrono to haniot and there were a lot of houses under constuction but none for rent thet we can find. my boyfriend proposed to me in hanioti 2 years ago and this is to be our honeymoon!!

Miki Wrote:
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> Hi all, i was the rep there this summer! it is the
> best set of apts you will find anywhere in greece
> to be honest. you are all aware that greece equals
> basic...but this family has gone the extra mile to
> provide the rooms with a bit more! trust me, no
> one will be disappointed.
>
> just to clarify about the old block - we no longer
> use that side, which is located on the other side
> of the main gates. it is derelict and a bit run
> down, so dont fret, you wont be in there!! all
> rooms have air con - which is free...and if there
> is ANYTHING you want, please do not hesitate to
> ask the family - they are so happy to help!!
>
> Polichrono is a traditional greek resort, and this
> will be the only apts by thomson in this area. but
> first choice, first choice and olympic are still
> in the area. the beach is lovely and the choices
> for food are brilliant...totally spoilt for
> choice!!
>
> if there are any more queries then please drop a
> line.
>
> xx

I have booked two weeks in may at the kostas apartments ,Can anyone who went there in 2005 let me know their thoughts.

going to the Royal Kostas apartments (June 26 06) is it as good as you say?
hear a lot about the old block, any info would be great. x

i stayed at the royal kostas appartments with my partner during the end of june beginning of july (2 weeks) 2006 and here are my thoughts and advise........

the food at the snack bar:
very basic, a hotdog, chips, omelette, cheese toastie. thats all they serve other than drinks and ice cream. prices for an omelette was around 3 euros. very expensive for small portions.

cleaners:
they do a great job they are so nice but cant speak english, partner is greek so it was ok.

the owners:
people seemed to have got on with alex but i find him very sly and sneaky, didnt like his attitude at all, didnt like him. kosta is a moody old man, he will like you if your greek though.
alex acts as though he cant speak english, dont believe him as everyone else has mentioned. alex walked into our room one day (opened the door himself) and jus came in (to give us the remote for the FREE air conditioning) we didnt have clothes on, ready for a shower......had to shout several times to get him out until he realised we were in the room. didnt feel safe in my own room thinking someone would walk in any time. how can you do that? and still run a business? they are useless no communication.

the pool area:
your not allowed inflatables but trust me, plenty of families had them. very annoying when not in use and just sitting in the pool. also the pool is tiny dont be fooled. theres no space to swim with inflatables. its not very clean water either. plenty of wasps around the pool.

*be careful on the tiled stairs, they get slippert when wet and you can fall, as i did. very painful.

the beach:
was great, full of locals. water is very clean. when the sea is rough it brings in a lot of seaweed you cant even see through the water. its warm and you see a lot of small fish in the shallow end its nice to watch them, i tried catching them.....doesnt work haha.

resturants:
most of them have decent food but not great. go to the blue and white resturant called 'AYPA' along the sea front as they sell great fish dishes (as its a fish resturant) the guy that owns the resturant isnt very happy, be nice to him.
also theres a side street to the right just as you get to the resturant 'AYPA' if you go to the end of that small street theres a very posh looking resturant thats also a hotel.....go in there its a must there food was really nice the best, not very generous portions but enough to fill you. the people that work there are very nice too.
the road that takes you to the seafront just off of the main road goes down hill slightly, as you get the bottom before you walk along the sea front you will see a small cafe, unsure what it is called. they have a board outside with pictures of the doughnuts on. they sell the best doughnuts ever, with melted chocolate and nuts on them, wow only 3.50 euros, well worth it because you get 5.

EMAIL ME IF YOU NEED ADVISE OR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. I WILL BE HONEST, TRY NOT TO PUT YOU OFF (haha) many thanks!!!

pinkypic20@aol.com

that cafe is called Billys Land


next door does a great GYROS

well, you certainly did not enjoy your time there.....but as far as im concerned, you have had your own personal opinions....dont inflict them onto others!

everything you have said is out of context, and you should know that....you have not made mention about the apartments themselves or the grounds that they are one. you dont seem to realise that the standard they offer is excellent compared to many other self catering apartments on the greek mainland, and the islands for that matter! (who offers air conditioning for FREE????)

wasps....it is a normal occurrence, and if you bothered to find out why they were there, you would have realised that it is due to the types of flowers that are about at that time of year.(dont think they can help the natural flora and fauna)

The place you were staying might i also add, was a self catering set up, NOT a five star hotel....snacks would be the only thing you would find in that situation. so i dont believe you have done it justice by being negative about that particular aspect.

As for the owners....you only mentioned one man....i believe you failed to mention maria, her children and of course Kosta's wife.....but since you seem so one track minded, then you probably did not pay much attention to anyone else!

ok, you may have had a one off incident with Alex, but does that give you the right to slate him completely and make him out to be a peeping tom pervert...laying in wait for those unsuspecting guests to go into the shower so he can sneak in and catch a quick fix.....get your story straight before you start spreading slander about innocent people!!!

Yeah, the pool is not the size of the ocean, but it serves its purpose. people will be holiday makers, and they will have inflatables.....its is clearly sign posted that they should not be in the pool...but there will be those that ignore signs......did you report this issue to your rep to deal with? i think the answer might be no, because then you would not be on here writting about it would you?

And do you want to know why in summary i know you did not enjoy your holiday.....because you did not even have anything good to say about the local people in the village itself, or even about the tavernas! im not sure which polichrono you went to, but i am sure its not the one anyone else has been to on this site.......there are some excellent tavernas, with the best people in them....the portions are large and the atmosphere is amazing......

by the way, did you go anywhere else? Hanioti or Kalithea?

Dont be so small minded in future.....get out there are explore a little bit more...you clearly wanted to be in a five star resort.....sorry to say, Polichrono is not the place for you!!!!!

We are off to Royal Kostas on 17th July 2006, can anyone help with the following:-

Is there a Cash Machine in Polichrono?

Is the air conditioning really FREE?

Do you need to take towels for the apartment?

Thanks for any help and suggestions good places to eat/visit.

Yes a cash machine is just over the road from where Hotel Kostas is, Next to a little wooden hut.

Yes, Air con is FREE, You just need to ask for the remote control from Alex. (the barman/receptionist/handyman)

They do supply towels, That they change 2-3 times a week I think, but are only small. Might be wise to maybe take a couple of your own though.

Have a good holiday!

hey, thanks for your feedback on 'my opinions' great that you took time to read it, thank you very much i appreciate that.

i didn't write that to put people off, i don't think what i wrote was in any way bad or negative. i stated the truth of what i experienced. there wasn't any need for your attitude towards my comments.

i didnt write about all the resturants and tavernas because i didnt know all the names but they were great. i wouldn't go on a forum and post up things that weren't true because it's obvious people experience different things on holiday....and situations in my case.

if anyone did take my comments the wrong way i will set the record straight for you, YES the apartments were lovely and sooo clean the best in greece by far, you are very correct. YES i did have a great time!!!!!

this site is not for people to start slating eachother. you have your opinions and i have mine. thank you for sharing them it's nice to see someone with different views to myself.

Hi

We are just back from a week at the apartments and we have to say it was lovely. They are set back from the main road and away from the 'strip' of restaurants etc which means you don't get the noise but you still get the convenience. The apartments are extremely clean - I have never been self catering in Greece where you get a cleaner every day who washes up your dishes as well as the floor - they change the towels and bed linen and yes, the air conditioning is free, just see Alex.

The pool is small but I certainly would not say dirty, we watched Alex clean it every night. The weather was fantastic, we had an amazing thunder storm one night which we just snuggled up on the balcony and watched until 2am.

There were a group of boys that Thompson allocated to these apartments and to be honest, they made everyone's lives a misery - including the local police - until they were moved byt the rep. If you are going for clubbing etc this isn't for you so don't let them allocate you here on arrival, you need to go to Hanioti. This place is for couples and families and mates who just want to chill.

We found a great restaurant - go down to the main road, cross it and turn right at the Bakery (great cakes) and keep walking. You will come to a tiny church and it is opposite there called 'Taverna'. Good value and the portions are good too, the braised chicken and stifado were good here. If you are just in the mood for a quick snack or takeaway to your balcony try the Doctor of Hunger kebab place.

As for Kostas - I wouldn't say he was grumpy, in fact he really helped me on the first day when I couldn't open the combi lock on my case - he brandished a hack saw and within minutes I had my clothes!! It seems like a family affair there and everyone is friendly and helpful.

One thing though, if you are thinking of going on the Thompson trip to the local market be advised that it's not all traditional and handicrafts etc - in fact it reminded me of Romford market - lovely fruit and veg but the rest was all fake designer T'shirts, a rip off for 20 euros each.

We would definitely go again.

anna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> hi, we have been trying, without success to locate
> a small villa or self catering house near hanioti,
> can anyone help?we ofen made the walk from
> polycrono to haniot and there were a lot of houses
> under constuction but none for rent thet we can
> find. my boyfriend proposed to me in hanioti 2
> years ago and this is to be our honeymoon!!

I have been reading everyone reviews and it all sounds great. Me and my partner fly out on the 4th September from Birmingham and we have been reading lots about the hotel and the area.

One thing I have found is not too much mention on restaurants and also excursions....Can any recommend some nice greek taverns? and also the excursions that thomson provide just so we have an idea what to expect when we get there.

Is it true that the old block is no longer is use? I think I read one comment that it no longer is!

But just in general if someone could let me have an overall view on the location as it all seems to be about the hotel which is fantastic but some about the area would be appreciated.

Look forward to your responses.

Well what can i say, just got back from two weeks with my husband, 10 year old daughter, and my friend, her husband and 14 year old son. We had the most fab time, everything was great.

Apartments lovely, Kostas and co lovely, cleaners excellent, pool good and cleaned every day, kids had a ball.

Polichrono is a great resort with loads of bars and taverna's which all offer great food. A particular favourite of ours was on the sea front called AYPA, this offered excellent portions and good value for money. I would personally avoid the Doctor of Hunger, there are far more authentic places to experience gyros (greek kebab) just turn right at the bakery and follow your nose!

The only drawback we experienced whilst we were there was the cash machine broke on the friday night and wasn't working until monday morning. We even went to Hanioti but there machines were also down! So if you are relying on cash machine only take some English money with you as Kostas is only to happen to change this for you.

Anyway to anyone who is off, have a fab time.

Hello, my partner and i have been to halkidiki twice already and are really looking forward to staying at the royal kostas this year. Do any of you know if the pool bar is closing over the summer? When we got our tickets through it says that the pool bar is not available!

We are due to fly out on 14th of August
If anyone knows anything i'd be really grateful for your message

thanks Lucy

we too fly out on 14th but haveht heard anything about bar being closed

hi lehann, thanks for your message, yes it said that it is not available, hopefully it will be open, because Greece celebrate a special festival on the 15th i think so we will have to get food and drink on the 14th if the bar is closed because all the shops and restaurants shut down for that day as they did last year.

Lucy and D

this is a message form lauren.....EMO!! hhehehehehheh n i hope your havin a good time but were still in greece! lol cya xxx

We've just come back from Kostas, and our 4th visit to Polichrono. We love it so much we're getting married there next year!

The Kostas apartments are very high quality for Greece - the showers are good, the rooms are nice and the cleaners do a great job every day, although some of the beds are incredibly hard. The pool is lovely - a nice size, warm and with no slippery or broken tiles around the edge for you to hurt yourself on!

I must agree with Pinkypics though re: Alex, and whoever you are having a go at her for her message you're obviously either a bloke or you copped off with him, cos Alex is a sleaze! I was with my fiance so didn't have a problem with him 'letting himself in' to the apartment, but still had enough unwanted attention to make me question whether I go back - even with the great showers and free air-con!

The old man seems miserable, but I think it's just because his english isn't that great that he doesn't try and chat... although he was very upset that we didn't go to the weekly barbeque!

Polichrono is a lovely resort - a bit touristy along the main drag, but you only have to go down a side street to see the real town where real people live. The restaurants are all fine, and some of them are fabulous - Flegra along the front is our favourite, with the cheeky Nico and cheekier Yannis serving excellent food and great company. The cockney cafe is excellent for when you get that mid-week 'full english' craving, and the bar near the top of the road where the Tulip restaurant is looks awful but on closer inspection is one of the best, and is the haunt of all the local old men who play cards an dominoes. The owner is very charming and very funny in a John Cleese kind of way and the beer is the cheapest in town!

Many Thanks to all who posted a review here - we're all booked for the 5th July 07 staying in a 1 bedroom apartment, booked with Thomson.
Just wondered if anyone had an update of anything new in the apartments or resort for 2007, also a description of the apartment would be fantastic.

Many Thanks again for the great reviews - will be adding ours upon our return.

Trev