Didn't meet expectations
We stayed at the Ariadne Beach Hotel for a week and had a relaxing break. We had a Superior Part-sea-view Room which was spacious with plenty of wardrobe and drawer space, sofa, fridge, kettle, and decent sized bathroom. The beds and pillows were comfortable and the room was cleaned every day. However, that's where the positives end ... We were on half board basis and I'd definitely not recommend all inclusive. The breakfast was disappointing, a limited selection consisting of the usual Continental stuff, and very little fresh fruit. The dried fruit on offer was obviously left over from last year - so hard and dry you could hardly get your teeth in it! Most of the fruit was tinned. There's plenty of fresh fruit available in the supermarket and I ended up buying my own strawberries to take in for breakfast. There were apples and kiwis, but they weren't prepped and ready to eat. Trying to peel a kiwi with a blunt breakfast knife was impossible. And who wants to sit at the table sucking on quartered oranges! There was some 'hot' food which was luke warm at best, with bacon sitting in grease and fried eggs that are cold by the time you get back to your table. The dinner choice was poor and unappetising with greasy-looking vegetables and meat and fish that was also tough or overcooked. We chose to eat out most nights as we didn't enjoy the few meals we had in the hotel. The restaurant was like a work's canteen - noisy, echoing and unwelcoming, not the kind of place you want to spend much time in. There's a really nice taverna, Gargadoros, that we ate in a few times. It's next to the hotel's à la carte restaurant (which was never open). There was nothing to do in the hotel in the evenings, so be prepared to go out every night. Across the road from the hotel is Votsalo, a bar with a sunny terrace overlooking the bay. They do some nice food at lunch and it's got a good atmosphere. We preferred going there as the hotel bar was a pretty lifeless place. There are a lot of steps up to the bungalows, and some are on very high levels. I emailed reception to ask for a lower level one, which they arranged for us. If you have mobility issues I wouldn't recommend this place as it would be very difficult to get around. There are steep slopes if you want to avoid steps. It's only a 10 minute walk into the centre of Agios Nikolaos - nice harbour, shops (not tourist tack) and worth walking to the lake in the town where there are some good restaurants, tavernas and bars. The archaeological museum is worth a visit too. Overall our stay here was pleasant enough, even though the weather wasn't great. The location is good and rooms comfortable but that's as far as it goes. We wouldn't be in a rush to return here.
