Club Aphrodite

This resort is several kilometres from the sea, shops and restaurants. There is a limited local bus service, but realistically having a car is essential. There is a restaurant on site. It was closed for the 21 nights we were at the resort. Staff having Covid was the official excuse, but this because of the length of closure was clearly not the real reason.

We have recently returned from two-week stay at Club Aphrodite. It's a mature resort, by which I mean the rooms reflect the time they were built two or three decades ago. The site is very well maintained, and our apartment was thoroughly cleaned every day but one of our stay. The key point about Club Aphrodite is that is remote from anything: bars, restaurants, supermarkets, anything except residential properties. Even the nearest (very ordinary) restaurant in Erimi was a 4km round trip walk, so you will need a car. Beaches are a drive away (all with free parking), as are supermarkets. Furthermore, the on-site restaurant, "Hugo's", is closed. They are blaming Covid, but it looks like it has been closed for a long time. Apart from the inconvenience, a restaurant and bar would add life to the resort. We originally had a two-bedroom apartment, but all such lets are in a separate building in another road. The apartment was really dated, so we swapped for a much brighter one-bedroom on the main site. Our second apartment was much nicer, but lots didn't work: one hob ring, razor point, outside light and more. We didn't act on this as I really didn't want workmen around. The kitchen and furniture were very tired, the aircon ancient - surely time for a major refresh. The pool area was very pleasant, although it did seem to be used by lots of locals - unless other guests were so far away they had to come by car. The staff were genuinely helpful. There's a gym, even a sauna, but I don't think they got a lot of use. So, it's not a bad place, but the tiredness of the rooms limits it to three stars for me.

We booked a two bed unit which turned out to be on the ground floor in a separate building across and down the road from the main complex. It had no view except of a car park and road, was soulless with very little decoration and had uncomfortable beds. There are no two bed units in the main complex apparantly! Luckily as there were only two of us we transferred to a one bed unit on the first floor in the main complex and were a lot happier with a pool/garden/rooftops/sea view with better decor and more comfortable beds. Unfortunately the resort restaurant was closed the whole time we were there and there were no shops/restuarants other than a very English Bowls Club serving only English food within easy walking distance as it is in a residential area. You definitely need a car when staying here. Reception staff were generally helpful and the apartment was cleaned 11 out of the 14 days we were there. It was incredibly quiet even though reception said they were fully booked. Some days we were the only people using the pool. On others there were familes with screaming children who did not appear to be staying at the resort. We had a nice stay there as we had a car and travelled to many beaches, historical sites, restaurants along the coast and up into the mountains. It is a lovely island and the people are friendly.

We arrived at the resort after a delayed flight so it was early in the morning. It would have been helpful if we had been informed the keys were in the mailbox as there was no one around and it took ages to find it. The apartment was clean and had everything we needed for a comfortable stay however it was lacking in facilities. The location meant a walk of at least 20 minutes to get to a minimart and even further for a restaurant. This was impossible in the hot sunshine. Although a bus service was available it only ran every 2 hours. Reception was lacking in information about tours, taxis etc. They did not know if or when the restaurant was open. It did not serve breakfast or lunch and there was nowhere else to eat not even a vending machine. You definitely needed a car if you wanted to stay here. The tour to the Blue Lagoon which was arranged for us can be recommended but remember to take your swimming stuff. We left a day early because of our late flight the following day. It was a good decision. It was a shame we did not find the staff very friendly or helpful.