A Great Exprerience
Grand Hotel Egnatia in Alexandroupolis certainly invites you to live a...dream. Elegantly decorated and located directly on a golden beach, it's only a very pleasant walk away from the seafront (Promenade) and the the city centre.
We arrived there at 11:00 am on Friday August 10th 2007. We were very warmly welcomed by the smiling people at the Reception desk. Although it was our first visit there or at any Grecotel, check-in was fast and efficient. Knowing that hotel rooms are usually available after 12 :00 pm, we were very pleasantly surprised when the nice lady at the Reception kindly said that Christos would carry our luggage and show us to our room. It was a spacious room with a superb view to the sea! Christos was so friendly and so polite that he honestly won our hearts !
Once alone we enjoyed ice-cold beers from the mini-bar on the balcony while taking photos and enjoying the great view. Cleanliness in our room was impeccable and we'd like to thank the housekeeper and the cleaning ladies for that.
Now the food ! It was DELICIOUS!!!! Congratulations to the chef ! Considering the hotel's high standard, it's also good value for money. Last but not least, we were very pleased with breakfast ...although we're still wondering why breakfast tables on the veranda weren't always set for early risers ! Hubby was also frustrated when on August 15th - a great Greek holiday - there was absolutely nothing in the health section of the breakfast buffet. My husband's high sugars and cholesterol do not allow him to eat everything, so, I'm wondering ...Are early risers like us considered to be second-rate guests at Grand Hotel Egnatia? No complaints about the quality of the breakfast served , though.
Which brings me to service. I rated it as 2-star only because of the willingness of most staff to help. Otherwise, their service has absolutely nothing to do with a 5-star hotel ! On the BBQ night, we had the cold stuff first - very poor for a 5-star hotel. Then, when we went to get the grilled meats...there was absolutely NOTHING ! We politely pointed that out to the waitress. But although she was very polite herself , she didn't really bother to communicate with the chef. She just said ..."More meats will be here soon" . We left our plates on the buffet and went back to our seats on the veranda till we could have ...something to eat! Mind you ... no one bothered to take our dishes away from the buffet while we were waiting !
Grand Hotel Egnatia will be a 5-star hotel when the service is improved. Nevertheless, we really enjoyed our stay there and we might go back next summer.
Anastasia Marou from Cyprus