Astir Odysseus Resort and Spa

Very good massage experience done by Tine. Very professional and good technique on the parts that were stiff. My first full body massage ever and a good experience.

We recently stayed at this hotel and, while there were some positives, overall we left feeling disappointed, especially considering it is advertised as a 5-star resort.

The positives first: the rooms, hotel, and pool areas were all very clean and well maintained. The food was consistently good with plenty of choice, and one thing we really appreciated was that there were always plenty of sunbeds available, no matter what time of day.

Unfortunately, our experience on arrival set the tone for the rest of the holiday. We had booked expecting a room with a walk-in shower, as shown in the photos, but were allocated a room with a shower over the bath. My partner is very tall and simply could not fit comfortably in the shower. When we asked reception if we could move rooms, a male member of staff told us this wasn't possible and even suggested my partner remove the shower hose and wash himself that way. We were also told there were no rooms available with walk-in showers, despite the hotel advertising them. After getting our TUI representative involved, we were moved the very next day to another room in the same block with a walk-in shower, proving that it was possible all along. This was extremely frustrating and could have been resolved much more professionally.

Another disappointment was that, despite being on half board, no drinks whatsoever are included with the evening meal, not even a soft drink. We've stayed at several other 5-star resorts where at least water or soft drinks are included, so this came as an unpleasant surprise.

Housekeeping also knocked on our door around 9am each morning to clean the room, which felt quite early, especially as many guests in our block appeared to be young couples who were hoping for a more relaxing start to the day.

Our arrival experience also fell short of what we'd expect from a 5-star hotel. After arriving at midnight following hours of travel, we were offered a welcome drink and a snack, but it was made to feel as though accepting them would be an inconvenience because of the late hour. This didn't create the warm welcome we'd expected after such a long journey. The receptionist then personally took us to our room with our luggage, despite the hotel using luggage staff during the daytime. Similarly, when we checked out in the morning, we weren't offered any help with our luggage, although we noticed other guests were. Small touches like these make a big difference and are something we've consistently experienced at other 5-star resorts.

Another issue was the lack of complimentary water. There were no refill stations anywhere in the hotel, no complimentary bottled water in our room when we arrived, and every 500ml bottle from the room minibar cost €1. Again, this isn't what we've come to expect from hotels in this category.

Overall, while the hotel is clean, the food is good, and the facilities are pleasant, the service and attention to detail simply don't match what we expect from a genuine 5-star resort. Having stayed at a number of other 5-star hotels, we encountered several issues here that we've never experienced elsewhere. In our opinion, this hotel is much closer to a 4-star standard, and we wouldn't recommend it to anyone specifically looking for a true luxury 5-star experience.

I had a great 70 minutes cretan massage with Ludmila at the Aegeo Spa in Astir Odysseus Kos