I don't like millions of Children everywhere either....and do sympathise...

But please....this hotel DOES market itself as a toddler friendly resort...hence its 'BABEWATCH' on the beach facility and baby listening/sitting facilities. Us responsible parents who do not let our children cause chaos...deserve and have the right to a luxury holiday. I have stayed with my son (now aged 2) at many luxury resorts...and yes they do vary in degrees of suitability...but the Asterias Suites pitches it right. There are MANY clouples only exclusive resorts in Greece and this does not claim to be one of them. Places like this are totally ruined by sour face people unable to switch off, and who clearly don't do their homework. They must engage brain and get their head OUT of the sand!

Asterias Suites are excellent, please see other favourable reviews for a flavour of what this resort has to offer. If you are able to enjoy yourself..and want one of the best low key holidays on offer..and expect a certain standard..this place is for you.

Average Hotel

Stayed at the Sani Asterias Suites in July 05 and were dissapointed in what we found.

Firstly the hotel and Sani resort in general is billed on their website as a family resort so I am not sure what the complaints about the number of kids in other reviews are about. If you want a couples holiday go to a couples resort! We chose Sani Asertias Suites because of the family billing, it was a reasonably short flight from the UK and the fact that we had an 18 month old girl to keep entertained.

On arrival and check in to our Junior Suite the first thing we noticed was the number of stains on the carpets in the room and the damp smell from the shower which had obviously been leaking for some time. The Junior Suites are all on the 1st floor so lifting prams and babies up and down stairs soon became a chore - Not a good introduction. One other famliy were in the process of complaining that their safety deposit box did not work and the staff again couldn't do anything about it or replace it. There does not seem to be a safe at the reception either.

The staff were friendly and seemed helpful however they seemed to lack initiative. Several requests on several days were made by people at breakfast for "brown sauce" each day the same response came from the girls that they had run out. (It was available in the supermarket next door!)

There are no cars owned by the hotel and we enquired one afternoon about booking a taxi in for the evening to go into the local village. We were advised that this wouldn't be a problem and just to give them 30mins notice. That evening when we tried to book it was a problem and took an hour to get it. We then could book it for the return trip but rather had to either phone them direct or contact the hotel. We chose the hotel option knowing they spoke English and asked them to order the taxi to pick us up from the restaurant we were at. 6 calls to the hotel later we were told that the taxi would not pick us up from the restaurant and that we would have to walk to the nearest rank and catch one there.

The pool area looks nice however beware, there are alot of shrubs / plants around the pool and hence alot of wasps, we saw a couple of people stung during our visit. The pool has a good shallow end but again is very slippy, one child slipped on his first day and had to have several stitches in his forehead, we saw several other cases were people slipped and fell. This kept us on edge the whole time with our daughter.

Food at the hotel was quite good but expensive for what it was, the rest of the resort, especially the marina we felt was extremely poor, small menus with little choice and pretty poor service. At weekends you had to book at the marina restaurants otherwise you would struggle for a table.

Other Letdowns.

1. We only found out on our last day that the had a luxury boat you could hire for a half / full day. It was not in the info in the room and was not in the English Info pamphlet in reception but in a seperate brochure.

2. The DVD library seemed quite good but whenever we asked for a title it was never available. (You can only use European Region DVD's on their players).

3. Beach was stoney and uninteresting.

4. Entertainment for the kids at Sani Beach Hotel was laughable some nights (mainly when the Irish guy was involved).

All in All an average place which is well over priced we will certainly not be back to Sani and probably not to Greece.

Looking forward to next year at Asterias Suites

My partner and I visited Asterias Suites mid June for 11 nights. Our working lives are very stressful and this was the first time we had managed to find the time to get away without children. It took a few days for us to relax but it is difficult not to in such beautiful surroundings. We booked a standard suite facing the sea and it more than lived up to expectations. A normal hotel room is not a place you would want to spend much time in but this suite was a joy to return to after a few hours lounging by the pool or the sea, a cool interior, marble terrace and garden with sofas and loungers for relaxing in the shade or sun. The staff made life very easy for its visitors, nothing was too much trouble and you could see that they enjoyed their work.

It was fun to stroll around the marina in the evenings deciding which restaurant to eat in, at the weekends it is invaded (in the nicest possible way) by the Thessalonikans who certainly know how to enjoy themselves. Many of them have weekend homes in the woods behind the Sani Beach Club, where incidentally they have a bistro style restaurant called The Ouzerie which offers beautiful views across the bay towards Asterias and a sunset to die for.

One very big plus - whatever time you wandered to the beach or the pool there was never a problem finding a vacant sunlounger. No rushing out early in the morning - bliss!

I would definitely recommend Asterias Suites, looking forward to next year already.

Pity about the hordes of children under 5!

A lovely hotel but overrun by a large number of small children whose parents were simply unable to control them in any way.

Rooms excellent, food good, views spectacular and the staff superb. We travelled with a tour operator who advertised the hotel as "you will feel replenished in days" and generally gave the impression of a quiet hotel. Without the large number of children, it would have been. Breakfast food was good with a wide-ranging choice. Unfortunately, toddlers were allowed by their parents to run wild and seemed to forget that not everyone adored their little angels. Similarly, the pool and bar were overrun by children.

The hotel needs to make up its mind as to its market - peace and quiet seeking or one for pre-school children.

Would we stay again? Only if children in such large numbers were banned!

Wonderful Staff, wonderful hotel and food, but too many toddlers.

We stayed at the Asterius Suites for a week mid June, it really is a very beautifully kept hotel, the rooms are incredibly spacious, well equipped and very clean.

The hotel public areas are beautifully designed with relaxed modern interiors, the staff are friendly, courteous and are willing to go that extra mile for your comfort.

A spa visit at the Porto Sani is a must, so relaxing you can really chill out.

Breakfasts were wonderful with loads of choice and you could make as many visits to the hot and cold buffet as you wished.

We had fabulous weather, very hot hitting around the 90 degree mark most days, the pool was a much nicer area to sit than the beach, beach was OK but a bit pebbly.

The only down side and really it really was the only down side were the amount of couples with young families ( 6 month - 5 year olds ). We have two little ones of our own and the aim of the holiday was to have some peace and quiet from the usual family holiday antics. So if you are looking for a romantic, child free break, I am afraid to say this is not for you. There were quite a few childless couples ranging from 20's - 60's who all commented on the amount of children and in some cases the children were still awake and running around in the bar area at 11pm at night.

So to recap, this is a fabulous hotel, one which we may return to with the children, however it is not for childless couples looking for a quiet, romantic break.

One last note, the food at the Asterias is lovely, but it would work out very expensive if you ate there every night, be warned there are some terrible restaurants around the harbour, we recommend Tomata & Alexious Taverna.

Great for Parents & Children

We stayed at the Asteria suites for a week in May with our 7 month old baby. We had a Junior suite with sea view which was excellent as you got the sun on the balcony until it set. The suite was spacious which was great with a baby. Breakfast was fantastic with free flowing champagne as well. The water restaurant was very good but portions small and not huge choice. The room service menu was adequate butr not extensive. The marina was beautiful, we ate out a few nights and would highly recommend 'Tomato'. The suites were very child friendly which was excellent, nothing was too much to ask indeed the chef made fresh food for the baby every day. DVD library was good. Supermarket on site is good for beer, wine and water. The resort is quite sanitised - you really could be anywhere in Europe, however the service was great, food excellent, marina beautiful. There is a huge distinction between the suites and the other properties in the resort indeed you feel like you are stepping into another world when walking around the other hotels. Although the suites are very secluded. Would highly recommend and would return.

Overpriced

my wife and i stayed for a few days last year. the hotel overall is beautifull. the suites are nice but the furnitures are not of a high quality-in fact they are rather made of chip materials as everything else in te room (curtains etc). the matresses were less than o.k. the restaurant is too expensive for what it has to offer and boring because brekfast and dinner are served in the same place. the bar nothing special. the pool boring too, not so relaxing as it seems.the beach wonderfully organised. the stuff a ittle bit snobish. I would not recomend it.

A great resort

We have just returned from this resort and we would recommend it wholeheartedly. Our only concerns would be that the swimming pool is pretty cold and the prices in the Water Restaurant are high (main courses £25 to £30), and the cuisine is rather nouvelle , ie no accompanying vegetables, but what there is is beautifully cooked.

The marina really makes the resort and offers lots of choice for dining, however, with several good Italian and Greek restaurants, and a patisserie selling Haagen-Dazs ice cream to eat in or take away which made a popular dessert stop for our 4 year old. Prices are high throughout though, and a two course evening meal with a couple of glasses of wine (one each) could be between 40 and 100 euros.

There is also a small supermarket but no pharmacy, and there are some mosquitoes so repellant etc is advisable.

We hired a bicycle for our child, with helmet for 8 euros a day, which made the trip! They are also available for adults.

The sand on the beach is lovely and soft, though the sea is a little pebbly for the first metre or so.

The suites are great as others have said, and the DVD player came in very handy for quiet time. There is a library of films at reception with a good choice for children and grownups.

We had a high quality and relaxing holiday and we would definitely return.

Fabulous Sani Asterias

The service location and accommodation at the Sani Asterias cannot be faulted. We were unable to get a sea view and had a Marina view Standard suite. We were very happy in the end as the Marina view rooms were superb, the gardens were sheltered from the wind and there were loads of opportunities for people watching and of course boat watching. Marina rooms get sun from early morning until about 5pm. Guests at the Asterias can use the facilities at the other 2 hotels but they cant use the Asterias facilities. This was good as the lunch at the Sani beach hotel was a welcome change being much simpler.

Hard to find a fault with the hotel if pushed I would say that the seating in the waterside bar is uncomfortable which means no one lingers there for long and its pretty quiet as a result - but as there are great bars a few minutes walk away its not a problem

My initial view was that the resort was sanitised and not really authentic Greece. Probably true but if you can put up with everthing being spotless, excellent plumbing, good drains attentive and friendly service and some excellent bars and restaurants then this is the place for you.

Will definitely return.

Sani Luxury

The Sani Asteria Suites deliver an experience of what a truly luxurious holiday should be. The suite accommodation is outstanding -spacious modern and beautifully furnished.

The sea front suites afford a stunning balcony or terrace with sun (and romantic sunsets)from dawn to dusk. Umbrellas, a lovely rattan suite in cool beige and loungers all provided.

The Marina front suites are equally impressive.

Treat yourselves to a bottle of champers from the local supermarket and keep it cool in the suite fridge. (The min bar prices are excessive)

Each suite has reserved sun beds on the private beach. The pool is also lovely (but cool in October).

The restaurant offers a buffet breakfast served until 11 am which is a delight. Continental and American( the full works) hot and cold. Service is impeccable and whilst the evening dinner is expensive it should be sampled. Tavernas around the Marina offer a wide choice of eating in a traditional style.

If you are looking for a discreet away from it all holiday, where for a week or two you are treated as VIPs in lovely surroundings then this is for you. We were stunned by the whole Sani experience.