Armonia Studios Reviews

If you are reading this review then no doubt you would have read the other reviews on this accommodation and will have noticed the differences of opinion. We originally booked the Harris Studios because they have great reviews whereas Armonia's are mixed, some quite dreadful. But well after we booked our holiday Kosmar informed us that Harris no longer deal with Kosmar so we had to change to the only other accommodation still available through Kosmar i.e.Armonia, or cancel our booking and look afresh. Kosmar regard Armonia as an upgrade (we disputed this because the accommodation was smaller). We took a chance and frankly did not regret our decision for the following reasons-

Harris Studios are not actually in Anaxos but on the other side of the road entering Anaxos from Petra. Nobody seems to mention this [although Haris Apartments (one R) are central]. August was exceptionally hot and humid this year and quite honestly our children would not have relished the twenty minute walk to the beach or our favourite tavernas by the sea in that heat (up to 40-42c one day). The brochure said 12 minutes but that's rubbish, from the road it's 15 minutes fast walk and the Harris is at the end of a long track the other side of the road. However, Armonia apartments are very central and within a few minutes stroll of the beach and most of the tavernas.

The rooms (we booked two) were reasonably sized, clean,big if old wardrobes, good showers, fair beds and clean linen, good hair dryer, fridge etc.

The pool was clean with adequate umbrellas.

The pool bar was good, the views great.

So why only rated fair? The apartment complex was descibed by my wife as a bit 'tired'. They had obviousy done a quick paint job and were not particular where they dripped paint, e.g. on the nice marble floor. No big deal but a shame and perhaps an indication of the attitude there. The 'french windows' door stopper on the floor in one room was reduced to just a metal bolt sticking up that would have been painful to say the least if somebody had trodden on it when the doors were open.

The pool was clean but you had to be careful of an almost flat metal cover on one side that kids could stubb their toes on. The filter inlet under the water surface had no grill and the suction was very strong. Our youngest child, unaware of its existence, rested by the side of the pool and her thigh was sucked against it so strongly that she could not free herself and had to be pulled off by somebody in the pool - she still has a big red wheel mark. The owner is not unfriendly but he is aloof and has little English, or at least seems not to have. The shower bracket in one room was coming off the wall and the shower head leaked in all directions. The door keys seemed to fit all the doors in the apartment. The glasses,plates etc were barely adequate.

The balcony was only just big enough for two. The water went off when the daughter watered the garden (usually early evening when we wanted to shower before going out to dinner). The pool is in fact a pool bar open to the public (the brochure does not state this) and young Greek friends of the lad who looked after the pool bar would congregate there sometimes and 'take over' the pool for a while. Apart from the incident at the pool with my yougest, we considered these matters all minor niggles. BUT, and this is a BIG but, both our rooms were on the first floor. People we spoke to who had a room on the ground floor had a totally different experience - dampness, constant smell of sewerage, etc.
SO BE WARNED, this is the room that is accessed by walking round the side of the building, not by entering the main building.

So I think this accounts for the wide variation in experience at Armonia.

And one final point. The brochure states that air conditioning is payable locally but gives no indication of likely cost. Armonia wanted 170 Euro per room per fortnight in advance regardless of use. We thought this was a bit steep but don't know how it compares with other apartments. In the event, we kept the windows open and bought electic mossy repelants rather than buy the air conditioning which for two rooms would have added 340 euro to the cost of the holiday.

As regards the resort, there is not much to add the all the other comments made so far. The beach does shelve quickly after a few feet so if you have young children be aware of this. The water is clear with lots of fish. The sand is a bit sharp but most people don't use beach shoes. The resort is very quiet except when a taverna has a Greek night when the music can be heard all over the village and goes on till 2am. Only happened twice while we were there but once was on Wednesday night when we had to get up early next morning to go home. All the restaurants we tried were good but if you want a change from Greek food, Athena is run by a chap who spends the winter home in Texas and as well as the usual food he does some Mexican dishes and pizzas. And we have to mention the Paradise who do the best Moussaka in Greece! And 'Bobby' and George are great fun when you get to know them. We had a power cut one night whilst eating there and didn't have a torch because the village has enough lights usually but this was now a moonless night so George took us back to Armonia in his car. It wasn't far but it was pitch black. Who would do this in the UK?

We have now been to Lesvos twice. It is true to say that all the Greeks who depend on tourists are friendly but some of the old female residents are definately not. Also, our 16 year old daughter had a very nasty experience with an old Greek man when she was alone (at 2pm) walking along the beach from Petra but we understand that this is very unusual and this guy was almost certainly not a local.

Many owners of accomodation in Lesvos are switching from UK operators to Dutch and Norwegiens. A shop owner in Molyvos we met originally 4 years ago said that now Brits were becoming a rarity. We were told that at least one property owner had switched due to late payment by the UK holiday company. At the moment all taverna menus etc are in Greek and English and most of the proprietors (not Armonia's) speak reasonable English but will this soon be replaced by Dutch?

To conclude, Anaxos great for a quiet relaxing holiday, Petra and Molyvos easy to reach by bus (25 min walk by road/beach to Petra) though it is a shame buses do not run after 8pm (too many of us for a taxi). Armonia OK if on first floor but don't expect to build a relationship with the owner. Lastly, the Kosmar rep, like the building, is also a bit 'tired'. We didn't need him, which was probably just as well judging from other peoples experiences.

just spent 2 weeks there in room 22 which is actually two rooms joined together so one double bed two single beds two bathrooms and two balconies.
towels and beds changed a couple of times each week.

On arrival we could not believe how dark, dismal and dingy this property was. Having travelled to Greece for 15 years we know what to expect. This property is well passed its sell by date and should not be advertised in the Kosmar Brochure at all...Our room was DIRTY, DAMP, MOULDY and the bathroom smelled of a sewer! We received no help from either rep or manager, other guests complained too.

We moved ourselves to Harris Studios and had a superb holiday. Everyone in Anaxos gave us a warm and friendly welcome. Would deffinately return!

After reading dubious accounts about said location and resort all my apprehensions were quashed on arrival!...

Peaceful surroundings and a feel good factor were our intensions for a true Greek ";family"; holiday and we were NOT disappointed...

The apartments were big enough for our needs - a comfy bed to sleep in, a sizeable bathroom, kitchen area for ";small"; snacks to be prepared and a balcony... (balcony was a little of a squeeze for 3 - 2 adults and a 9 year old child - but that just made it all the more cosy!!! - plenty card games were played on THAT balcony and very much enjoyed)...

Anyone going to Anaxos is in for a treat - the sunsets on the evening are to die for, the best side of the island for sure, and going in mid-August we had the added bonus of witnessing many a full-moon floating above the Aegean mountains late in the evenings.. To be honest after our youngest had gone to bed (around 11pm) my husband and I sat outside on balcony till well gone 2am just looking out at the night sky and the lit up taverns, listening to the crickets, watching the stars and taking in the ";natural"; surrounding beauty of Greek life (i.e people laughing, singing and dancing into the early hours - don't let this put you off since the ambience cannot be heared behind closed doors!!)...

Armonia studios are simply apartments, kept clean (by Greek standards) and the owners are polite - they don't speak too much English but they speak better English than I do Greek!!! - just give their language a go... but, remember, a smile and a thank you (or efharisto if you can manage it) goes a long way!!!... The owners are wonderful people, you'd be surprise just WHERE they turn up in and around Anaxos seems that they are related to everyone within the borough!!!!..

The pool isn't large - but large enough to take in some lengths, have fun, play afew games of pool-basketball!!! - big thank you to a lovely guy called Jimmy and his lovely wife whom we met whilst we were away, they restored my faith in human kindness and one of the highlights of our holiday was them sharing their time with the kids and making them laugh so much ;-) x!!

Bars, taverns, snack bars - cannot fault ANY of them.... all superb with some of the best lamp (how they love to spell it over there!!!) kleftico and mousakka we have tasted within any other the other Greek islands we have visited...

The people on resort are beautiful people, inside and out, and nothing is too much trouble... (my parents travelled with us and they have problems walking very far - the local lad from the supermarket even brought their groceries back to the apartments for them one evening so that they didn't have to carry it for themselves!!)...

So if YOU love Greece and her islands, try Anaxos out for size... okay Armonia is not the Ritz, it doesn't even TRY to be, but it IS hospitable, it IS comfy, it IS clean and it IS one of the best holidays we have been on yet!....

Kind regards and ";Happy Holidays"; to all...

Family Stephens from Dudley '05

2/9/04-16/9/04

Anaxos remains pleasant,quietand very good value for money.

The lovely Aristopolous and his Dad Dimitri where ther usual helpful selves and Dimitri gave us a free drink on the last night. I find that if you try the language with them they open up a bit more. So a few efkharisto's and parakalos dont go amiss. Dimitri also shook everyone's hand as we left so how that rates as reserved(see previous armonia comments by others, I dont know!)

Favourite eating places are Golden Sands and Einai. The lady in the Golden Sands is brilliant. Speaks good English and gave us an Ouzo for free on the last night. It helps that we had a lot of lunches in there and 2 dinners. The guy in Einai loves British and his knowledge of Britains geography is good.

Favourite supermarket was next to the Vasillis Grill. Anthony remembered us from our previous visit. We went completely out of our was to shop there as he had been so pleasant.

It was very quiet this year as 3 big tour companies have pulled out from Lesbos this year. That had the knock on effect of ,aking the airport easier thatn the scrum I experience in Sept 01.

Prices had increased due to the Euro.

The big downer, so quickly forgotten, was the 6 hour delay on Astreaus Airlines on the way out. I believe it is a mistake for Kosmar to use that airline as we had another slight delay on the way back due to lack of fuel. Bit like the Spanish Manyana I felt- The Greek is Avrio!

Kosmar has clearly cost cutted this year in that you had to find your own way back from Molyvos on some of the tours. No towels this year either which we did have in 2001. Had we known we would not have had to invest in two new towels at 7.50 each

The nearvy towns of Petra and Molyvos are completely enchanting but I would always stay in Anaxos over those two as its beach is far better.

All in all we came back well rested and happy.

Having holidayed in Greece for many years on islands and the mainland, we knew that we would eventually have a poor holiday by the law of averages.

This holiday was ruined purely by the accomodation which was very poor, dirty and a very unhelpful and rude hotelier. Complaints were not tolerated, the fact that the sheets were torn and patched and see through was totally acceptable because there was a hairdryer in the bathroom! One person not only swore at us (in Greek naturally, he didn't like it when he realised I understood every word that he was saying)but threw the rep off the premises. He was given a thorough list of improvements that he needed to make, for future holiday makers I only hope that he does.

Thankfully Anaxos made up for the room. The Greeks here are as friendly as anywhere in Greece. You'll be rewarded by patronising your own choice of taverna on a nightly basis by being greeted nightly like a long lost relation. The ouzo and metaxa will end the evening as a complimentary gift. If you speak Greek, even a little, be prepared to learn more, they realise their language is difficult and are only to willing to teach.

This was our second visit to the island, previously having stayed at the Olive Press in Molivos. A very good place to stay. If you venture into Molivos go to Betty's for a fantastic meal. All the tavernas down at the harbour offer good fish meals. As do the tavernas all over the island in fact.

Definitely hire a car during your island stay, you'll get so much more out of island stay because you'll be able to go where the coaches find more difficult. I won't say the coaches can't because our bus drivers would have a fit if they some of the roads that the Greeks managed to get a coach down.

Yes I still love Greece and would go back to Anaxos, but stay somewhere else.

We have just returned from a fortnight in Anaxos, and to be honest was slightly disappointed.The place seems have gone downhill over the last few years (even according to the locals), and I understand that the area has come to grief with Kosmar and Manos once again.

We stayed at the Armonia Appts who appeared to be owned by some of the most reserved Greeks I have ever known. We have visited most of the Greek Islands over the last 15 years ,and have to say that Lesvos we rate as one of the worst.

The appartments had seen better days, and were not all that clean.
The restaurants were very good, but all tended to serve the same meals except for the pizza and pasta places. Being so empty deprived them of any atmosphere.

Whatever you do ,do not have a meal at the Seaside restaurant at the far end of the beach, as we can only describe the food as rubbish, and it was confirmed by the fact that halfway through the week the place was empty by 10 pm, as soon as the word travelled.It was cold when served and the pasta was full of gristle and fat.
The trips to Petra and Molyvnos was good,but beware taking the beach route to Petra when the tide is in. We only just made it past one stretch of rock.
Both places are very pretty.

We always got to the beach outside Steves coffee and snack bar most days, he was one of the most friendly and obliging persons, and looked after us no end, helped of course by his family.
The weather was beautiful throughout the stay,being up in the 40/42 degree mark. The beach was lovely,being long,wide and virtually empty.

I found some of the locals unfriendly,and the beach road should be shut to motorbikes and scooters during the evening, the locals riding these noisy things up and down all evening, at speeds of up to 60 mph.

All in all a very disappointing holiday,and we certainly will not be going back there,as we have on some of the islands like Kefalonia,and Zante.

We are glad that we had not chosen this resort as a first visit to Greece, as I am sure that we would have been put off going elsewhere, so any of you who have been disappointed ,and this is your first visit to Greece,be assured that there are other Islands that can offer you loads more.

Anaxos is a very quiet and relaxing resort. The beach is a good size, mainly shingle. For two sunbeds and an umbrella it cost 5 euros which we thought was very reasonable. There was plenty to choose from as the resort was so quiet. Tavernas and bars are mainly sited either on the road opposite the beach or on the main road through the resort. We had good meals in all of the tavernas we visited.

If you wanted a resort with a bit more life take the bus(0.90 euros), taxi - about 3euros or walk- 20-30 mins to Petra. Here it seemed to be a lot more lively but not rowdy.

We were very disappointed with our apartment. Our room (room24) was around the back of the small complex and we had to pass through all the storage area for the bar and swimming pool tools. Our door into the room also acted as our balcony. The studio had seen better days. The door was an old wooden door in need of a lick of paint and the window was secured with a screw.The toilet leaked, a light didn't work and the smell inside the wardrobe meant we couldn't put our clothes away.The one consolation was a good comfortable doublt bed. Needless to say we asked to move but were unable to move for a week as all of Kosmar's accomodation was full.

The whole complex needed some TLC. There were weeds growing out of the swimming pool grate and half of the umbrellas around the pool didn't work. There also didn't seem to bee anyone around to serve drinks or food when you needed it. We talked to returning guests who said this was not like this a couple of years ago.