HÔTEL HELIOS

I am taking the time to write this feedback so others are not misled by the name or some of the fake reviews being posted elsewhere.
The first hint I had was on landing when my shuttle driver said he needed another 10€ to take me there as it was too far and not remotely in Morartika (as advised). Being in a holiday mood I happily obliged. Soon I realized this hotel is very remote from Corfu town, and there are only 3 buses (daily at 8:30,12:30 and 3:30pm) to take you to the Corfu town. (Sunday’s there are no bus). The nearest town Mesongi is 6km away, and the terrain is unwalkable. Its 15€ for each trip. In my 7-day trip I ended up spending around 200 € on just going to the nearest town to get basic supplies, enjoy a lively beach and have some authentic Greek food.
Let’s talk about the hotel. The photoshopped images have a limited resemblance to reality. Let’s start with the name. Hotel Helios Splendid. I struggled to find anything splendid about the hotel (to be honest, the Air conditioning was good). The toilet flush handle fell off the first day my kid tried to use it and we resorted to pulling the loop to flush. The shower almost fell on me when I tried use it (the single clamp had come off and someone forgot to fix it). There were cow webs in some corners nor had the room been deeply cleaned prior to our arrival (found a pack of cigarettes). The inbuilt cooking induction had broken down and instead of having it replaced and a non-secure portable induction was put over the broken induction. A serious health and safety hazard if someone accidentally yanked the dangling cord it would come crashing down.
The WIFI was slow (something I liked as it forced my kids to ditch their gadgets). The cold breakfast (7€ / person) was very consistent for the7 days I stayed there. Anything worth eating (hot like eggs) were charged ‘extra’ (never mentioned during the time of booking). I had booked a bed and breakfast but due to some error between the tour operator and the hotel, I was forced to pay again for the breakfast at the hotel. Being so distantly remote, I had to pay 196€ again for 4 of us for the cold breakfast.
The hotel claims to be ‘200 mts’ from the beach. Very conveniently, the steep incline of the road is omitted, making it unsuitable for people with mobility challenges. Nor does it have a pool (which is mostly present in most Greek hotel), making it unsuitable for families with children
I had booked a car rental through the hotel and was quoted 80€ /day. I happened to find out that the normal rate was around 30 to 40 €. Luckily for me, I decided not to drive after seeing the narrow, broken dangerous roads leading to the Boukari village where the hotel is situated.
A trip to Corfu is incomplete without visiting the Paxi and Anti paxi island. Naively, I booked the trip through the hotel for the last day of my trip. I checked a day before to ensure everything was on track and was assured by Manuela (hotel owner, receptionist, cleaner, accountant all rolled into one) that all is in order.
The next morning I was told the travel pickup was running late (by an hour) and asked to wait on the road as Manuela assured me, they were on the way. After waiting for-another hour in the hot sun I was told the tour was cancelled as Costas (the tour operator) Helios had a tie up with decided the weather was going to be bad in the afternoon when the weather forecast showed clear blue skies. And clear blue sky it was that afternoon! I doubly checked with other tour operators later and they were amazed to hear the excuse). When I asked Manuela why this happened, she vaguely tried to blame the tour operator when I had booked it with her (Hotel) directly.
(Tip: Captain Homer in Messongi is a reputable tour operator)
All in all, a shambolic inn (that’s more apt that using the word Hotel). To me, the Hotel Helios Splendid was more of a holiday from Hell, and splendidly nothing to write about.

Preis Leistung Top! Gutes bis sehr gutes Frühstück. Gute Zimmer. Nette Leute und sehr schöne Lage

يتميز الفندق بإطلالة جميلة و موقع قريب من الشاطئ إضافة الى حديقة رائعة و مليئة بالحب و الاهتمام
المسؤولون عن الفندق طيبون جدا و مستعدين دائما لتقديم النصيحة و المساعدة
مانويلا صاحبة الفندق و زوجها لطفاء جدا و هي تتحدث الانكليزية و الالمانية و تعطي نصائح مفيدة.
لقد قضينا وقت جميل و رائع
هذا المكان مناسب للاشخاص الباحثين عن الهدوء و السكينة.
شكرا مانويلا ????

Gebucht und gefunden. Sauber, sehr nette Wirtin und Personal gern wieder
Hilfsbereit und immer ein offenes Ohr für die Gäste. So wünscht man sich einen schönen Urlaub
Vielen Dank für die schöne Zeit bei euch

Excellent value for money ! Hotel is located in a very quite area where each morning we are weaking up with the crickets.
Hosts are super nice and helping. room is quite big and comfortable with a nice terrasse, only bathroom needs an upgrade.
Will definately recommand for anybody willing to visit Corfu.