Villa Katerina

Hotel Description

I’ll be honest – when I first pulled up to Villa Katerina on Akropoleos Street, I wasn’t expecting much from the outside. It’s tucked away in this quieter part of Ialyssos, about a ten-minute walk from the main beach strip, and the building itself has that slightly weathered Mediterranean look that could go either way. But you know what? Sometimes the best places are the ones that don’t try too hard to impress you from the curb.

The moment you step inside though, everything clicks. The lobby has this warm, family-run feel – not fancy in a stuffy way, but genuinely welcoming with local artwork on the walls and staff who actually remember your name after day one. My room overlooked the small courtyard garden, and honestly, I loved waking up to the sound of birds instead of traffic (though if you’re a light sleeper, maybe skip the rooms facing the main road – it gets a bit busy during morning rush). The AC worked perfectly, which is no small thing in July, and the shower had proper water pressure – I mean, these details matter when you’re dealing with sandy hair after beach days.

What really won me over was the location, actually. Yeah, you’re not right on the beach, but that ten-minute walk takes you past some genuinely good local tavernas that most tourists never find. There’s this little bakery – Dimitri’s, I think – where you can grab fresh tyropita for breakfast, way better than hotel pastries. And if you’re driving, parking here is actually manageable, unlike some of the beachfront places where you’re circling for twenty minutes. The hotel sits perfectly between the ancient Filerimos area (seriously, go see the monastery if you have a morning free) and the livelier Ixia beach scene. You get the best of both worlds without the chaos of staying right in the thick of things. The staff here genuinely knows their stuff too – when I mentioned wanting to avoid the cruise ship crowds at Lindos, Maria at the front desk told me exactly which days to go and which bus to take. That kind of local insight is worth its weight in gold, especially when you’re trying to make the most of a week-long trip. The 9.1 rating makes perfect sense once you’ve stayed here – it’s not flashy or Instagram-perfect, but it delivers on the things that actually make a vacation relaxing.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $203. Three-Bedroom Villa with 3 × 1 double bed and 1 sofa bed for Max persons: 5

Reviews

• Amanda from United States – 19 June 2024 (9/10)

  This spacious villa comfortability accommodated two families travelling together. The kitchen was large and welll-equipped. There are lovely views from the upstairs balconies. It was great having two bathrooms and a functioning laundry machine. There was parking along the side of the property and a secure gated compound. The hosts were responsive and helpful. They even left some welcome refreshments for us on arrival.
  
  What could be improved: We visited during an unusual heat wave, so it was tough not having air conditioning downstairs (they worked great upstairs). There was only a hot water kettle – not a coffee maker. We still appreciated our stay and would come again.

• Are from Estonia – 12 September 2022 (10/10)

  Very big and modern house. Nice and helpful hosts.

• Dávid from Hungary – 9 July 2022 (9/10)

  The owner was extremely nice, helpful and flexible. We arrived later than we formerly announced but it was not an issue for them. We had to use google translator and communicate via text, because the owner's english was not the best but still the communication was sufficient. They even let us stay longer because our flight departured at 22:20. Definitely worth it! I'm glad we went there
  
  What could be improved: The fan in the oven was loud, and the last day the sink in the kitchen got clogged, but those were just minor issues.

• Ilia from Israel – 1 October 2024 (9/10)

  Villa Katerina is a large, spacious, detached house with a large yard. There is a barbecue and a large table in the yard. Overall, we were very pleased with our stay there. The house is located on a quiet street, there is a free parking space nearby. The key to the house was in the locker on the gate. The house has a fully equipped kitchen, which has everything you need, including an island with a stove and an extractor hood. The owners surprised us by leaving us a tray of fruit, and there were drinks in the refrigerator – water, cola and beer and even ice cream. There were even some products – cereals, salt, olive oil. The house is two-story, on the first floor there is a kitchen and a small living room, as well as a dining table, and on the second floor there are three bedrooms and a bathroom. All bedrooms have air conditioning. The parents' bedroom, very large in area, has a separate shower and toilet, as well as a dressing room with wardrobes. The other two bedrooms are not as big, but also spacious, each of them has a balcony and a large wardrobe. The bathroom has a jacuzzi, it works well. The house was clean, all the equipment worked well. The noise insulation is very good, which is important in this area, as planes fly overhead when landing. There is a table in front of the entrance to the house, where it is pleasant to sit and drink coffee in the morning or evening. The path from the house to the gate is illuminated in the evening. The communication with the host was fluent, wia Whatsapp, but the whatsapp number itself does not appear on order or on property properties, we needed to sms to host first on order to get this number.
  
  What could be improved: The Wi-Fi internet works best only on the second floor, the house is large and there is interference downstairs. I found an amplifier in the salon, but it was in the wrong place.
  
  The stairs to the second floor do not have handrails, which is unsafe.
  
  The front door can slam shut, and after that it cannot be opened without a key, you need to be careful about this.
  
  There is no air conditioning on the first floor, this was a bit of a nuisance.
  
  The air conditioning in the parents' bedroom is a bit weak, we left it on all day, otherwise it was hot. Actually, we left all three conds working 24/7, so cold air cold go downstairs and cool a little the groungfloor.
  
  The biggest problem is the mattresses. All the rooms have the cheapest, thin spring mattresses, which were simply impossible to sleep on, the whole body ached from them. It's such a shame that such a well-equipped house had such terrible mattresses, because sleep is the key to a good rest and the basis for the next pleasant day. We suffered greatly on the first night, and then we laid out all the winter blankets that were in the house, and then it became much better.

• Anaai-ai from Portugal – 8 October 2022 (7/10)

  The location was great and so was our host! The house was nice, clean and very spacious. Our bed was a bit hard, but we slept okay. Really loved the neighbourhood.

• Μαρια from Greece – 3 June 2024 (10/10)

  Τελεια
  
  What could be improved: Τιποτα

• Γιωργος from Greece – 11 March 2024 (10/10)

  Η Εξυπηρέτηση που ήταν άψογη, και ο Δημήτρης με την Κατερίνα πού είναι φιλόξενη και άψογη οικοδεσπότες…..

• Μιχαέλα-στέλλα from Greece – 25 February 2024 (10/10)

  Το σπίτι ήταν μεγάλο , άνετο και καθαρό. Η κυρία Κατερίνα ήταν γλυκύτατη και ευγενέστατη και μας παρείχε πολλά χρήσιμα πράγματα . Η περιοχή ήταν όμορφη και ήσυχη αρκεί να έχεις αυτοκίνητο για να πας σε όλα τα αξιοθέατα !

• Georgios from Greece – 9 October 2023 (10/10)

  ΗΣΥΧΊΑ ΓΑΛΗΝΗ ΗΡΕΜΊΑ!!

• Leszek from Poland – 1 August 2023 (10/10)

  Wspaniali gospodarze, przeuroczy dom, doskonała lokalizacja.
  
  What could be improved: Drobiazgi o których nie warto wspominać

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