Ionian Blue Bungalows And Spa Resort♡

Guest review

10.0

We saw Ionian Blue on a drive to Vasiliki and it looked so beautiful I did usual research on booking platforms only to find that it rated very poorly, eg. 6.5. Not to be deterred that evening as I was very keen to stay at Ionian Blue we popped in just as 100’s of wedding guests filed in for the reception. We had a look around the beautiful foyer/bar/view and were blown away. We decided to book for two nights and loved every minute. Firstly, Ionian Blue is a grand old dame. She is majestic. Sure some fittings could be refreshed, yes the gym has defunct equipment but the sheer beauty of this resort and the enthusiasm of the staff to help with every whim makes Ionian Blue the best stay we have had the pleasure of experiencing in the last two months of road tripping through Europe. If none of this has convinced you then lastly a dip in this clean area of Ionian Sea from the sun lounge platform or the huge immaculately clean pool after having the most superb grilled prawns and club sandwich. The food is sensational as is the service.

Not a 5 star.

6.0

Actually booked a total of 7 rooms for 1 night. Our collective thoughts are that the first impressions were good. The rooms, all with sea view were spacious and clean. The facilities were pleasant, particularly the spa. Pool side food was good and served quickly. Not impressed by the restaurant, in fact several of our party left the hotel and walked 400m to the nearby Porto Gallini for dinner (which was superb). Front of house was rude and inconsistent in information. Had to keep phoning to get a response, when responses were promised 40 mins later nothing, had to phone again. On balance definitely not a 5 star, maybe 4 at a push. Wouldn’t stay here again was the unanimous view of our group.

Needs renovation despite the nice location

4.0

We expected much more from the Ionian Blue. The location and outdoor areas are beautiful, but unfortunately the hotel was overcrowded and we couldn’t enjoy them. The room was rather dated, with worn-out linens and furniture in need of renovation. One of the mattresses was uncomfortable and the fridge had an unpleasant smell. Breakfast was tasty but extremely crowded around 10 a.m. On the positive side, the cleaning staff were consistent and efficient, and reception did offer us a better price when we checked out earlier. Overall, however, the hotel would benefit greatly from a thorough renovation of the rooms, especially considering the high summer prices.

AVOID BY ALL MEANS!!!!!!

2.0

This is not a 5 star hotel but its price is. The hotel is unbelievably dirty. The room smelled tobacco (and imagine that I am a smoker). The sheets had yellow stains, the toilet seat was not cleaned and the minibar was empty. Not even water. Everything in the room and the public areas seems to to have had any care for at least 5 years.

Definitely not a 5 star hotel

2.0

Maybe the Greek Tourism Office should reconsider how they allocate 5* ratings. This hotel is very tired and needs some serious renovation. Room: The room was in shambles when we got there and in no possible way a 5* hotel room. The floor was so used and full of stains that created the impression it was dirty. There was a small bed-stool full of holes, as was the veranda sofa which was also rusty; the veranda chairs were both broken. The bedsheets were yellow from use and were not pressed. When we complained about the pillow cases they said the colour was ‘just from use’. One of the extra beds wasn’t done, they had left the sheets for us to do. The room was extraordinarily plain and there were no sockets on either side of the double bed. Bathroom: The floor was full of dirt stains. There was a piece of brown dirt stuck on one wall which we don’t even want to know what it was. The bathroom ceiling was full of mould and dirt which they admitted. There were no hand towels in the bathroom and the bath mat which was supposed to be grey, was full of yellow bleach stains. There was no bath curtain or bath glass. The room had no water in the fridge; it only had one coke, one beer and one chocolate bar. The tap water isn’t drinkable so when we asked they said their policy has changed and they don’t offer water, even though the mini bar menu stated that the minibars is checked daily to ensure two bottles of water are always there. When we asked the receptionist for water, she told us to go and get some ourselves from the bar. They eventually moved us up to a better room which was nicer and cleaner, however still it was by no means 5*. Hotel grounds: The only thing that is beautiful is the view. It is truly magnificent. The grounds are ok, but they look as if they could do with a bit of TLC The lifts were filthy. They smelt horribly and had mats that’s I don’t think had been cleaned anywhere recently. The lift doors were shutting abruptly as the sensors were not working, they shut twice on my son. The lift windows were full of bird poo and all sorts of stains. As the lifts had glass windows, going up and down all you could see was their filthy state. Restaurant and service: Aside from the room, the hotel restaurant was extremely slow in service, the food was mediocre, and even their salmon ‘fillet’ was full of bones. At breakfast there was no one to guide guests where to sit and as it gets very busy, especially around 10 when breakfast ends, it gets chaotic with guests having to scout around for tables and fight for them when they become available. They are frying the eggs in the same surface as the pancakes and when we asked for fried eggs cooked elsewhere because of gluten intolerance, the lady responded she couldn’t do that and we should just take boiled eggs. When I responded this is a 5* hotel she mumbled something and said she would fry them in the kitchen. The same lady was turning the pancakes which her hands; she was wearing gloves but it was the same gloves she was wearing to carry food containers and empty their contents. We ordered two cokes to the room and they brought us the bottles only, without glasses… Parking: If you make the mistake of parking in the underground parking be very careful. This is not a parking, it is a storage area full of all sorts of stuff, with cables connected to mains and then placed over an old sunbed to avoid water leaks on the floor. Health and safety out of the window, alongside 5*… The staff were apologetic and admitted the hotel was tired and needed renovation. Most -but not all-of the staff were kind. Avoid this hotel unless you want to pay 5* prices for quality of day use/hourly hotels

Terrible terrible impression

2.0

Hi, turned up at this hotel with my husband looking to book a room, immediately, for anywhere up to 9 days (we had an issue with the hotel we had booked months prior). We were greeted at reception by a woman (blond hair, bob cut), I didn’t get her name given the terrible interaction and my shock. She was incredibly rude right from the start - commenting on my face and why it had such a ‘weird look on it’. It was an incredibly insensitive interaction at a moment where we were quite stressed and comments she KEPT on repeating to me, almost wanting a rise from me i felt and staring at me. I tried to move the conversation on but she kept going. It was very very odd. All this whilst also being unbelievably unhelpful. She eventually said she had a room (the type of room was completely unclear and not one she cared to share with us). She disappeared to check something with her manager and returned saying it wasn’t available - no reasoning. It was a really horrible interaction during a difficult time and no compassion was shown at all. We ended up going to Porto Galini Hotel, who were brilliant. We actually looked at staying at this hotel and I’m so glad we didn’t the first impression with this lady was really unpleasant. Having stayed in 5 star hotels around the world this was by far the rudest interaction I have ever experienced. I should have raised it with her manager at the time, but it was a difficult situation (trying to find another hotel during peak season) and I just couldn’t get my head around it. Anyway, would strongly not recommend this hotel, but would strongly recommend Porto Galini, just up the road who were just polite and accommodating. Exactly what you would expect.