Domes Noruz Kassandra

The facilities themselves were pleasant and well maintained. However, the service was far from what I would expect from a five-star hotel. It felt as though the staff were willing to help only when it was convenient or easy. During breakfast, guests had to stand in line for approximately 15–20 minutes just to get a coffee from the barista—something I have never experienced at a hotel of this category. Another disappointing experience occurred at 1:00 a.m., when we returned to the hotel and were instructed to park in a different parking lot instead of using the hotel’s valet service, despite there being empty spaces in the hotel garage. Overall, while the property itself is nice, the level of service did not reflect a true five-star experience. Unfortunately, the hospitality and attention to guest convenience that one expects from a luxury hotel were noticeably lacking.

The hotel looks luxurious, But it is an old renovated hotel. The building is something. Eighties. Redesigned. The staff is polite and the service is good, but there is one thing that is simply unacceptable: they charge money for water. And you have no option to drink water anywhere in the hotel. Not in the pool. Not in the dining room, not on the beach. There is no drinking facility.

In such an expensive hotel, you expect at least free access to drinking water. Instead, you have to pay about 4.5 euros for each bottle of water, and there are no refill points available at the pool, beach or public areas.

Water is a basic necessity, not a luxury product. The attempt to make a profit on something so essential greatly damaged my hospitality experience and is not appropriate for the level of the hotel.

Sadly, this is my first ever bad review. I would like to give a 1* but I don't quite have it in me.

Albeit, this is not all a bad review, and so I will start with the good. A huge thank you to Kitty for welcoming us with cake, and bubbles for our celebrations throughout the stay - and for Sophia for welcoming us so warmly to the hotel on our first day and throughout. As well as another member of the guest relations team who I am afraid I cannot remember his name - however he always had a wonderful friendly smile on his face.

Now onto the other points.

Firstly, the marketing team need a promotion. We all know that usually places photograph the best bits, however they truly transported you to another hotel entirely. The grounds are nice and okay in reality - a little more compact than what it feels like online. But the hotel itself is terrible. Clearly an old 60's building - outdated, small rooms, and just not 5*. I hate to say it, but this is a classic case where - if you put lipstick on a pig, it is still a pig. As an interior designer who travels and experiences 5* all the time, they definitely need to upgrade the entire hotel. Cheap porcelain tile, and finishes throughout make this hotel feel stale and unloved. At times it felt hospital like and cold. The walls are marked with the housekeeping trolley scraping along the walls. The plastic flooring is covered in stains, and signs of leaking showers - in sections it is coming up - and I actually tripped on it. The rooms are so dark - if you want good lighting for makeup - sit on the balcony (good luck at night) - I had to re-arrange the lighting around the room to make it tolerable. The walls and floors are so thin, we could hear other guests sneezing, love making, walking, and then gosh where do I even start with the chair scraping. Construction insulation is absolutely terrible - I would expect this from a UK Premier Inn - not a 5* hotel. There are many layers missing to the design alone - and I have not yet got to the other points.

Secondly, the breakfast was just not up to scratch. There was a good selection, but only those elements that came whole as part of nature (fruit, hard boiled eggs, etc) were nice. Unfortunately the cooked elements - mushrooms, omelettes, etc etc had no flavour and were either extremely watery or oily. Strange there is carelessness with the oil amount when so much health and fitness is promoted for the hotel. Some of the food tasted stale and as though it was 3 days old - soggy cucumbers and tomatoes, definitely left-overs were used. Fine for sustainability, but check the quality before you serve it to 5* paying guests. In addition, there is no A-la-carte breakfast option - which has been a standard at any 5* hotel I have stayed in the past - fine, I will let that slide - but to not even have anyone bring you coffee to your table? I did not realise that we had booked a starbucks... I had to stand in line for a Black Americano (knowing Greece is known for good coffee, it being the first day and all I said ok I will wait) - but to be greeted with paper cups lined with plastic, and for the barista to push a button on an instant coffee machine - I just walked away. For 5 out of the 6 days we were there, apparently one of the dishwashers was broken - so every guest was served coffee from takeaway cups. I am mindful of microplastics and avoid at all costs - so this was just unbelievable to expect from a 5* hotel.

Speaking of paper plastic cups - I had asked a few times for an ice bucket - to take to our room for our water. Unfortunately the fridge that is provided in the room barely cools the contents, so ice was our only option. Apparently all the ice buckets had been used (I had not seen 1 used personally by guests in our entire stay), and was served ice in a paper cup. Again - not anywhere close to 5* - at least provide in a glass with tongs??

Room service - non-existent. Reception team - rushed and unwelcoming. Beach - crowded and not great. Swimming pool - fine. Restaurant - extremely limited options.

We in the end really did not enjoy our stay at Domes Noruz Kassandra. In fact, we decided to be out of the hotel as much as possible. If anyone wants any other suggestions for places in the area that are 5* - beach bars, restaurants, places to stay - let me know as I have done our research for next time.

You may think that I am nit-picking in this review, but I can assure you I am not. We had come from another 5* resort in the Athos peninsula which was exceptional - everything the website promised and even more!! Upon arriving at Domes, it was clear that we had been conned. We just wished we had stayed where we were. This was not a 5* hotel - but a 3.5* hotel at best.