Maniatis Hotel

I had the opportunity to stay at the Maniatis Hotel in Sparti, Greece, on August 10th, and I must admit that it left much to be desired. Here's a concise review of my experience: Accommodation: The Maniatis Hotel is, without a doubt, a very basic place to stay. While it does provide the essentials for a night's rest, there's nothing particularly noteworthy or exceptional about the rooms or amenities. It's a functional choice if you simply need a place to sleep for the night, but it lacks any distinctive features or character. Parking: One notable drawback of this hotel is the complete absence of convenient parking. Given that there are no parking facilities nearby, it can be quite inconvenient, especially if you're traveling with a vehicle. This issue added unnecessary hassle to my stay. Proximity to the City Center: On the plus side, the hotel is relatively close to the city center of Sparti. This does offer some convenience when it comes to exploring the town, dining out, and accessing local attractions. However, it might not be enough to compensate for the hotel's other shortcomings. Transitional Accommodation: In hindsight, it's worth noting that the Maniatis Hotel might serve well as a transitional place to stay in between destinations. It could be a suitable choice if you need a simple, no-frills option for a short stopover. However, for a more comfortable or memorable stay, it might be wise to explore other accommodation options in the area. In summary, my stay at the Maniatis Hotel in Sparti on August 10th was an underwhelming experience. The hotel's basic nature, combined with the absence of nearby parking, made it less than ideal. While it may serve as a practical stopover, it may not meet the expectations of those seeking a more comfortable or memorable stay.

My wife and I stayed 2 nights, arriving by rental car before 3 PM and able to find street parking around the corner. Check in was quick with the English speaking receptionist; copy passports, issue the key card and pay later on checkout. We took the lone elevator to the 5th floor. Room #502 was carpeted and compact with a wardrobe, small outfitted bathroom with a tight curtained stall shower, firm twin beds, small table and 2 chairs, tiny desk unit with refer, small TV with excellent reception of many international channels(only BBC in English). An insulated sliding door with a shutter opened to a balcony(table and 2 chairs) with a view of the Archaeological Museum on one side to the snow covered Taygetus Range on the other. The open room WIFI was good and the central AC/heat was not needed in mid April. The 7 AM breakfast buffet was good with 3 types of eggs(all served cold with insufficient tray warmers), hot/cold meats, cheese, yogurt, cereals, fresh fruit, OJ, breads/baked goods and 2 different coffee machines. On our 2nd day, a bus group of Dutch students were placed on the lower floors and told they have breakfast later, so we maintained our earlier schedule. This practical 80 room hotel is well maintained with an accommodating staff and just 4 blocks from a nice ΑΒ supermarket(wines, groceries & more).

Positives: room size was good, nice balcony with a good view of sparta/mountains, location was perfect (very close to the center square and a great night-life), the staff at the hotel was fantastic. The room came with both a desk and table and were of decent quality. There was also a nice little table you could eat on at the balcony. I really liked the black out curtains and double-glass doors that lead to the balcony. The room was both quiet and dark (if you want it to be) which is very unusual for Greece. A lot of hotels push you to try their food/restaurant and such. This hotel didn't. That being said I highly recommend the food at the restaurant (which surrounds the lobby area). The food was amazing. High quality and portion size was good. The drinks were also made to perfection. Food/drink was probably the best part of the hotel. I got a beautiful fruit platter for 2-3 Euro. With all the positives above, I unfortunately had to give the hotel a rating of 2 out of 5. Negatives: The beds were just old. The mattresses and pillows were uncomfortable. Unfortunately, when it comes to hotels. The main purpose is to have a place to sleep. So the most important aspect of the hotel, the bed, was far below average for Greece. All the fixtures were outdated: The lighting for example. There was odd furniture throughout the hallways that should just be thrown away. The shower, though it didn't leak water all over the floor, was small and had a very ugly curtain that was...retro and odd. The parking situation was horrible in all of Sparta. Luckily the hotel staff moved some signs in front of hotel so I could park. Staff was great, situation was not. By far the worst aspect of the hotel was the allergy situation. The hotel hallways smelled like an ashtray. The bedding including the sheets/pillow cases and blankets were over-chemical treated. It was like being around someone with a bad odor and they try to make up for it by putting on far too much perfume. I woke up every morning with difficulty breathing. The combination of chemical fumes and nicotine (or whatever the other smells were) made staying at this hotel impossible for me. This is a shame. If the hotel could fix their beds and some fixtures and do something about the allergy issues, then it would have probably been one of the best stays of my trip. I do recommend stopping by the restaurant at some point even if you don't want to sleep there.

All fur coat and no knickers. Smart and clean but a cheapscate operation. Small rooms. Poor breakfast with an unhappy, surly, breakfast manager who buys the bread the evening before (it was obviously not fresh and I saw him bringing it up in the lift one evening). They also cater for school trips so one morning we could not get into the breakfast room for 80 minutes. Either 50 teenagers, hanging around talking after eating, or 100 in two sittings. We saw a tray of dirty plates outside a room for 5 hours plus. Not value for money. Try another hotel.