Theodhora Vacations from SAR4,247

Great sea front location (beautiful sunset), walking distance to few restaurants, and with friendly staff. Rooms were spacious and clean and very functional, though not the most luxurious (likely 2-3 star). Included breakfast was also good. One thing I did not like is that the access to the hotel and vicinity is not that polished (area looks run down with an under developed feel, even though the hotel itself is decent and well maintained).

Perfection

This was one of the most disappointing hotel experiences I’ve had. The Hotels.com listing is misleading and materially inaccurate. Its advertised the hotel as being on a white sandy beach with an exclusive beach bar, complete with photos suggesting exactly that. In reality, there is no exclusive beach bar and the nearest beach is public, rocky and nothing like the images or description (it’s a vile beach). Had the listing been accurate, I would never have booked this hotel. The problems didn’t end there. The blonde concierge was extremely unhelpful and refused to assist with booking restaurants or beach clubs. The hot water remained lukewarm throughout our stay and the manager shrugged his shoulders and refused to investigate. Towels were stained, had holes in them and are used interchangeably for both the bathrooms and the beach. The patio door regularly got stuck creating a safety concern. Housekeeping removed bedding from our room and failed to replace it, and when we raised it with the manager, he accused us of stealing it. The plunge pools are also very misleading in the marketing photos. Rather than overlooking a luxury setting, ours looked directly onto a car park and supermarket/high street. The location itself was also a huge disappointment.

I told my daughters to europe as a graduation present and our 1st stop at Athina Palace Resort and Spa was amazing. When we checked in after midnight, they had a light dinner and wine waiting for us. The staff was responsive, helpful, friendly and professional. The resort was clean and the food was delicious. My only small complaint is a more consistent schedule for the shuttle service around the resort. Other than that, everything was perfect!

Staff and food are incredible - massive shout out to Stella, Ionna, Pat, Vasilios and the guys from the bar - all great and couldn’t do enough. The spa is gorgeous with lovely treatments. Drinks are good but if you only drink premium branded liquor then expect to pay - the drinks were nice otherwise but we did pay in the evenings for a nice bottle of wine or premium cocktail. We will definitely be back as it was 100% a 5 star experience. A beautiful resort run by lovely people.