The Margi

My wife and I were not sure what to expect but we signed up for this farm to fork experience that our vendor offered. What a really neat experience. We drove to the outskirts of Athens to farm country and visited The Margi. It is a real farm that caters to hotels and restaurants. They produce all kinds of herbs, olives, pomegranates, etc. They also have chickens, goats, donkeys, and horses. On the side they have farm to fork experiences for people like us visiting Greece. In 4 person groups we got to make our own Greek salad and a cheese dip. Of course, we got to have plenty of Greek wine in the process. It was a blast. It also did not hurt that we had perfect weather, with not a cloud in the sky, upper 60’s, and a nice breeze. We would highly recommend for those that want to spend a half day outside doing something fun and then you get to eat it.

We booked the Margi for 5 nights and when we booked in were upgraded to the next category of room. A pleasing start. The hotel itself is tucked away a few hundred metres from the beach. (There is a free beach but the main beach is private and you need to pay. Small fee for entry and it has great facilities.) Although small, the hotel is well set out and has a great pool area. The rooms are also on the small side but perfectly acceptable for most people. The restaurants have a good menu and much of the food is locally sourced or produced on the hotel’s own farm. Breakfast is fantastic and so are the restaurant and bar staff.Now for the downside. A hotel that classes itself 5* and is a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World should be getting the basics right. Attention to detail is important and in part what you are paying for. On arrival we made a booking at the hotel’s restaurant , or so we thought. No booking was made. We asked for some toiletries to be delivered that were omitted by the cleaning staff. They were not delivered. The spa is available to residence free for one hour slots. We booked and looked forward to using the facilities. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work. The steam room was dry and the tempereture was set at 30 degrees. The sauna was no better and when we mentioned this to the staff there seemed to be a collective shrug of the shoulders and an admission other guests had complained. As we were leaving early on the last day we were offered a breakfast box to take with us to the airport. On departure at 0515hrs we were informed they hadn’t been ordered. All the above are small matters but they mount up.Worse was the fact no one apologized for the any of these errors. A great pity because the lack of attention to these matters spoilt an otherwise relaxing break.

It's perfectly pleasant, but when you're charging this kind of money for a room (I think it was around 800 euros a night) I really do expect an actual bathroom. You know - a bathroom with a door. Call me old fashioned, but I don't want a sink positioned out in the hallway as you enter the room, and then a little shower cubicle on one side and a toilet cubicle on the other. It meant that when you stepped out of the shower, you were stepping directly back into the room. I'd be fine with that in a mid-range place. But here, and for this price - no. Other than that, the pool area was nice. But on the whole, this was not somewhere I'd return. It just was not worth the money.

We stayed here for 3 nights while attending a nearby wedding. There’s a lot to like about this family owned hotel. Staff are excellent - well trained, attentive, friendly and helpful. It has a feel that is often lacking in the major chain hotels. We asked for an iron and ironing board and it was in our room within minutes. Rooms are very clean. Good amenities - Molton Brown products. Nice touches such as charger batteries for phones etc. by the pool. Rooms are a good size with great balconies and clean sofa on the balcony, although not having a separate bathroom is not ideal - the sink is in the vestibule area of the room with a separate shower cubicle (great shower) and separate toilet. Lovely swimming pool and surrounding areas. Breakfast by the pool is a lovely start to the day. Food and drink is very good. Taxi services in the area are plentiful and it’s easy to get to and from Athens centre. Here and there the hotel shows the time from its last refurbishment - no usb sockets, analogue aircon controls, a bit of wear and tear here and there but nothing bad. One gripe would be the incessant music in the outdoor areas. It gets rather tedious listening to it all day. It’s mainly a bit “Ibiza chill” style. Sometimes, a bit of peace and quiet is the best music…! The key question: would we stay here again??? Yes, we really enjoyed it.

The rate is extremely high for what it offers. The rooms are super tiny and the bathrooms are incredibly small. Super disappointing. The “view” from our bedroom is literally a “vis a vis” with zero privacy, we have to keep the curtains closed