Paspalis Hotel

We have been to eat in the paspallis restaurant on a few occasions and when we arrived in Skala this was the first place we chose to eat in. The first meal was lovely and we had a lovely evening. The 2nd visit was ok we had a lovely meal although the atmosphere seemed very chaotic with staff running around. The 3rd visit was disappointing we ordered stuffed tomatoes and aubergines plus fried corquettes to accompany it. When we got out meal it was something completely different looked like aubergines cooked in tomato sauce, so we sent it back eventually the right meal came and it was ok. I asked for the desert menu and we waited and waited until eventually i managed to catch someones eye and order my ice cream. When the bill came i checked it and something didnt seem right my husband called over waiter and they had given us someone else's bill at the next table. Who by chance had been given our bill paid and gone. They apologised and got us the right bill but by this time we were not happy. Hence we didnt go back there. Then the other thing was we asked on previous visit if they still do Greek nights, Oh No.. we were told too much red tape etc trying to organise this. So why did we walk past on another night to see Greek dancing going on!! 😡

My wife took me to the Paspalis hotel a couple of weeks ago for a ten-day break. She first went last year with her sister and again this spring, also with her older sibling. She insisted that I would "absolutely love it". I can see where she was coming from, with caveats.

Firstly, the hotel and its situation. The Paspalis is a small, family-owned hotel, accommodating guests in a number of "quaint" two-storey blocks. It is right on the beach, with a quiet main road in front. The centre of Skala is a few minutes'walk away, although there is a bit of a hill to climb to get there. There is a pool with a small but pleasant grassed lounging area, and an attached bar/restaurantb and that's about it. Our room was spotless and adequate, with TV, kettle, fridge and a small balcony with a table and chairs. After reviewing the restaurants in town, and discovering that the hotel's own "Greek taverna" was as highly rated as any of them, we ate there every night for the convenience and the avoidance of said hill. The food was, without exception, very good. The caveats? Not many, to be honest, and they are MY caveats:they may be completely irrelevant to you.

Firstly, the hotel guests were, when we were there, 100% British and 90% over 60 years of age. (I am British and over 60 years of age, so this isn't a criticism) This is very much a "returners'" hotel. Most of the guests seemed to know one-another. The (lovely) staff seemed to know everyone too. Apart from the pool, there isn't much to do (again, this suits me. I read, walk, and do crosswords). There is a tv in the bar, and that's it.

Conclusion. You will love it if you fit the demographic. You probably won't if you don't. Don't expect luxury or sophistication. I don't think that Skala is the place for them. Don't blame the hotel, but there isn't a lot to do, imo. The best thing I found was a beautiful tiny church next to a ruined classical temple about a mile and a half away from the hotel. There are also goats and a goatherd. My wife and her sister will probably return. I can think of very few safer, friendlier places for ladies in their 60s and 70s to go to relax. Me? I enjoyed the break, but I need a bit more stimulation, to be honest.

We arrived late at night and went to check in . The person there hesitated as another couple had arrived a few minutes after we did. She didn’t assign our room first and told us to wait. It was obvious they were regulars at the hotel and asked them if they wanted the usual room, they said no not on the ground level despite the woman having mobility issues. We were shown to a room on the ground floor at the back of the hotel. We said we had asked for a sea view and she said no this is the one you asked for as it’s a larger room for 3. There was a double bed with a smaller one underneath that you pull out… there wouldn’t have been room to walk around the room if the bed had been pulled out. However it was obvious she had given them our room instead.( favouritism) It wasn’t a bad room, very clean and had what we needed. Over the next few days a drain smell appeared and we realised this was why the couple didn’t want the room. We had to get a man out to sort it which he did straight away. The hotel was opposite the sea very handy and near to Skala centre. We were bed and breakfast and that was what let it down for me. Very poor selection of food, tinned fruit ( we are in Greece so would expect fresh fruit, melon etc) , one type of yogurt, one type of bread. Machine coffee, same pastries etc all week. Our friend whose been loads of times was shocked when we said about the breakfast as he went back in June and described a very different thing maybe as we were two weeks away from the end of the season but we paid a fair bit and should have the same as earlier in the season. The clientele were all regulars who must have got up at the crack of dawn to ‘ bag’ all the sun beds and never hardly used them… and they say it’s the Germans that do that…. these were all English. Average age 60 upwards I’m 62 but I felt very young there it want my kind of place. The conversations were all about tablets, operations aches and pains hilarious! Would visit Skala definately again but not at Paspalis .