Roda Oasis Hotel

MAGICAL!!! if you have any sense get yourself to this hotel I guarantee you will not be disappointed. I was in tears when I left this morning, It is like leaving your family behind, they make you feel sooo welcome from the start.

I guess depending on your age is how much you enjoy it! myself and 3 other girls (aged between 16 - 19) stayed there for 2 weeks! personly it was no good to us! were young we went to be out late and when we got back we found ourselvevs locked out the rooms! (you have to leave your key in reception) twice we found out keys left hanging in our doors - anyone could have walked in and taken anything (and i must say we all felt pretty suspicious to why they were there in the first place ) all the rest of the times the reception area was shut and it was by luck if they heard you or not! once we were left standing for 30-45 minutes and i fell asleep on the chairs!! the rooms thereselves were fine! nice and tidy but our shower flooded our room alot so we had to use our towels to clean it up so they became dirty very easliy! (not good when there changed every 3 days!) the air conditioning is dear as is the fridge - personlly we invested in a mosqueto plug and left the balcony door open! the hotel is also a fair walk from the main area of roda and on a busy road! not good at 6.30 in the morning being followed by a cars and men!! overall i dont think this hotel is made for teenagers and wouldnt advise it to them i think it would be more for familys!

i have been to roda 3 times now and so knew what to expect from this holiday really.  so this is for those of you who have not been to the resort yet and for those thinking of going to the roda oasis hotel =)  (nb: this is a long and thorough review!)

kerkyra airport (corfu airport) is very hectic and disorganised in a quaint and wonderful way - whether you are arriving or homeward bound!  be prepared to wait =)  oh and a word of advice – when you are going home – wear a hat! you could be queuing outside the airport for a little while and the pigeons do like to err… fly about a bit and do a spot of target practise while you wait in line!

the bus trip to roda is quite a trek - and may take up to 2hrs (depending on how many drop-offs), and this can take its toll on travelsick sufferers and children.  however, if it is daylight when you are on the bus transfer, you do see some very beautiful views!

the resort is lovely - quiet, calm, no clubs; a beautiful place to relax and unwind.  there are a few lovely walks you can take and for the fit of us - acharavi (neighbouring village) is only 3km away.

the beach in roda is muddy sand with shingle, very narrow with shallow waters, so if you are primarily going for a sandy beach - this is not the resort for you - paleokastritsa or other west coast resorts will suit you better.

if it is a bit of nightlife you desire - again roda may not be for you.  sidari a few km away is a lot more lively and destined to become the new magaluf or kavos resort - basically if you can't live without a macdonalds and enjoy clubs - sidari is more what you want! =).  in fact, place a large tower there and you could mistake it for our own blackpool!

the corfiot people in roda are very friendly (and not in a creepy ‘you like my boat?’ type way either).  honest, hard working people who appreciate the effort you make when trying to speak greek - so do try! - yamas=cheers, kali mera = good morning, ef karisto = thank you.

now onto the hotel itself! :

we booked on a b&b basis and arrived at the hotel around 10pm on a friday. (it would have been earlier but our holiday rep took a party of people to the incorrect hotel and had to sort that out first!)

costas greeted us at the hotel and you have to hand in your passport to him for 24hrs.  apparently this is normal for registration purposes – but i also believe that they may also be used as a ‘putting names to faces’ tactic whereby they flatteringly remember your name…something that previous reviews have applauded on ;o).  costas then showed us to our rooms. we were in room 25, small but very clean and tidy and quiet - except for the birds!  my goodness they had a lot to sing about during our stay - and never let up!  i am not sure what type of birds they were but they made their nests in the decorative roofing tiles all along the building and so affected most rooms!

i would also like to stress that although the balcony we had was fantastic – the steps leading to the upper rooms get very slippery.  as are the rooms are themselves – my daughter fell badly the first day we were there. the floors do get some getting used to.  luckily she only had a bruise and a bit of a shock – and learned the hard way to walk with a tad more care!  the bathroom/toilet gets very slippery too - but does have an on the wall shower and shower curtain.

there is both a fridge and air-con in the rooms - **but be warned of charges for these**:  fridge on = 5 euros per day and air-con = 7 euros per day - which i suspect may increase in july and august.  i think these costs are quite expensive, and regardless of who tells you that it could be the electricity that is more costly on the island, that is definitely not the case.  safety deposit boxes cost 5 euros per week per box at the hotel, which is ok and handy, but they are free in town at say nsk travel, or hn travel in the roda resort and just as secure.

i cannot fault the maid service - they were excellent.  this is possibly the cleanest place i have ever stayed!  the entire hotel is meticulously clean and tidy.  no sooner do you put down an empty glass – and it is gone, and cleaned away…

breakfasts – if you are half board or b&b as we were you do get a free continental breakfast.  we did think, however, that this meant a table of cereal to help yourself to, and breads, hams cheeses etc to basically get as you pleased – as most places have.  here, this is not the case.  a continental breakfast includes 2 slices of ‘toast’ or warm bread really, a slice of ham and a slice of cheese, orange juice, a sachet of butter and jam, and a pot of tea or coffee.  if you opt for tea – you get one teabag – which most people re-used to get a second cup from, as if you ask for another pot of coffee or teabag or extra toast/warm bread etc – i believe you have to pay. 

you can choose to have a full english breakfast at 40% discount – 3 euros instead of 4.50 euros – and you get one sausage, one bacon, 2 egg, beans and tea/coffee/toast…but in town you can get twice that for 2 to 3 euros. 

the bar area is nice but can get cold on an evening (esp. may and june) as the doors are never closed. this may also incur noise to several rooms – but our room did not suffer.  the drinks and food at the hotel are much more expensive than anywhere else we encountered, even if it is convenient.  it is 1.70 euros for soft drinks, (small glass) such as sprite or cola and 5 euros for cocktails.  in the town itself it is usually only 1.50 euros for soft drinks (bottles of) and 3.50 euros for cocktails – crusoes’ bar has a large choice there on the seafront – lovely and happy host and quizzes on nightly.  my advice is to pay as you go with drinks from the hotel bar as many people seemed to sober up quite quickly with shock when receiving their tab bill at the end of the night!   long gone are the days of the drachma by crikey!

on saturdays there is ‘greek night’ – î20 euros per head, which according to previous reviews is more than last years î12 euros! - but well worth it!  entertainment included plate throwing, dancing, and they involved the children as well as the grown ups.  the food was good too – several courses such as tzatsiki (garlic/sour-cream dip with bread), feta cheese salad, then a main course (kebab, pork, chicken, moussaka etc) of which we had the pork chop which was massive and delicious!  then you get glazed slices of apple on cocktail sticks to nibble on whilst the entertainment begins.  there is red and white wine included too (soft drinks for children) but be sure to raise your jug for refills before 10pm when the free wine ends =).  greek night was well worth the money and places can be limited.  i must stress, however, that it is preferred that you wait to be seated as costas seemed to have created a seating plan and appeared displeased when people started sitting ’willy-nilly’and not where he had obviously pre-arranged!  this resulted in people being moved and him being miffed for a min or two! 

there is usually entertainment every night at the roda oasis – such as karaoke, pop quizzes, general knowledge quizzes and bingo.  personally, although these evenings are usually fun, and also a great way to meet other people staying at the hotel, i think it a shame that we encounter so much brit culture in a greek resort.  that is another reason why greek night was the highlight of my time at the hotel.  why travel to greece to experience the same past-times such as bingo like we have here in the uk?

outside there is a safe pool area with plenty of free sun-beds. the pool is not very big but adequate.  however, there is also a lovely small, shallow pool for toddlers, which is nice. again there is a drinks bar and snacks available – but as i said already – costly in comparison to other places in my opinion.  there is also a waitress service poolside - but most of us there found this disruptive esp. when you are relaxing/sunbathing/asleep and you are asked if you want a drink every few minutes!

there is the roda blue en route to town a mere 20 yards away, which looked lovely but as it was the start of the season it was empty.  and a further 20 yards past that on the opposite side of the road is the pegasus – which is a fantastic 1^st class hotel where you can use the pool and it is gorgeous!  i would highly recommend you visit or even stay there as the pool is far superior to the oasis and the drinks and food much more reasonable without any harassment whatsoever.  the barman there, spiros is extremely polite and welcoming to all!

i must also point out that the roda oasis, does not have a kid’s club, and although there are pool tables for teenagers there is very little for the younger ones if it is poor weather.  also it is a much longer walk from the resort as specified, about 12-15 minutes.  plus there is no path and you are walking on the main road most of the way which can be hazardous if there are several of you – esp. children.  ‘right’ definitely seems to be ‘might’ across there, road safety wise and cars/lorries/motorbikes fly past frequently on that busy main road into roda.  moreover, at night, it is inadequately lit so although it is pretty safe, be cautious walking alone in the dark.  after the first few days we got used to the hike into town and it was very pleasant albeit longer than the brochure stipulated =)

on your first day at the hotel – you are invited to the rep. meeting (which i attended).  the information he gave was factual yet not very helpful (lucky i know the resort well as no map of the town was given!  i actually drew a few for some guests!)  the excursions he tried to sell were very over-priced, and he never mentioned any of the local buses that were available.  there is no rep-office as i have been used to in the past, whereby you can pop into town and see them if you have a problem/query as now they turn up at designated times (see the info board at the hotel for when he is next avail) which i found disappointing and erratic.  he was very polite, however, and you cannot blame the guy in trying to earn his commission, but i was glad i knew the resort well enough to know i could get a better deal in town.

for excursions such as to corfu town shopping or boat trips etc i highly recommend hn travel on the road into the resort or at the ‘triangle’ in roda. (once you have a map of the resort  - the triangle will be explained!)  the lady there julia is very helpful and has been there over 20 years – so she knows her stuff.  the prices are about 8 euros for a return coach to corfu town, which is very reasonable, (air-conditioned buses) and approx 23 euros for the glass bottom boat trip in paleokastritsa.  nb: that several shops close in corfu town between 12noon and 3pm for a siesta, and it is only the tourist trade orientated ones that remain open between those times.  in some cases the coaches can collect you from the hotel – so do mention where you are staying to see if that would be an option! =).   also, there is nsk travel further down the high street and a lovely lady (forgotten her name!  sorry!), and she also has great deals on excursions for different days there too.  children 4-12 fares are usually half price and under 4’s free.

now onto food!  due to costs i did not try the hotel’s menu except for the greek night – where it was superb!  in town i enjoyed meals at the panorama (just passed hn travel on the high street) and excellent value for money and nothing was any trouble.  some meals come in sauces (pork shops etc) and when i asked for them plain – it was not a problem – just ask and they should be able to meet your requirements.  also i recommend the roda park inn also near hn travel (down the triangle =)) where costas (different costas) makes you feel very welcome and chats to you as if you were a long lost friend.  the food there is excellent!  if you like lamb you must try their kleftico – and prices there are very reasonable!  we had 2 meals, 3 soft drinks, and a desert and it came to less than 17 euros!  (omelette and chips = 2 euros!)  and the atmosphere was fantastic!  plus as it gets cold on an evening they have patio style heaters they will put on for you. 

shopping – unfortunately it is turning slightly tourist orientated now…not quite blackpool seafront – but you can sense it is heading toward that.  most shops sell the same items so if you think one is expensive – walk about and you should find the same item elsewhere cheaper =).  there are quite a few chemists and a doctor if, heaven forbid you should need one – all very accommodating, but beware of prices – treatments/sprays for mosquito bites and p***kly heat can set you back about 10 euros – so try to be prepared and take some preventative items from the uk if you can =)  mosquitos and cockroaches are more frequent jul-aug.

when you are due to leave – a notice is posted on the info board at the hotel the evening before which lets you know what time the transfer bus will be collecting you and the time you need to vacate your room (which is usually 12noon).  if you need to hold your room until after that time the charge is 20 euros (another hidden extra i’m afraid)!

nikos and costas were very friendly hosts and have evidently put in a lot of effort in the hotel and its apartments. they are obviously there to make a profit – perhaps a tad too obvious but i suppose they are business men after all!   there is also a lovely lady who works with them called marion.  she is english and worked like a trooper!  if you have any problems or queries i would go to her, as she was very approachable and friendly.

as i travelled on a budget i must admit that i felt reluctant to spend too much time in the hotel bar and felt uncomfortable going there to sit just to chat.  those that were fortunate to spend vast quantities of money at the hotel, in the bar etc, appeared to be more likened by the hosts and were unsurprisingly noticeably welcomed more heartily in the hotel.  but i did meet many wonderful people during my stay and if they are reading this i wish to send them all the very best and let them know that they made my holiday more memorable.  christine & ernie (you have been in our thoughts and we wish we had yr email to get in touch!), kathryn & jason (hope to hear from you soon), and mary & tony (glasgae!) among others – it was a real pleasure meeting you all x x x.

on a final note – i must stress that i enjoyed the holiday – as i adore roda.  i love its charm and its picturesque landscapes (even when it rains – and it does you know!)  it literally wrenches my heart when i leave. how i held back the tears after saying goodbye to our newly made friends, and stood alone outside the hotel waiting for our bus to take us back to the airport (the transfer reps never even said hello until the bus arrived) – i do not know.  even though the west coast of the island has nicer beaches (pelakas, glyfada, paleokastritsa) and even though the transfer from the airport is nearly 2 hours opposed to only 1 hour at some resorts (dassia, ipsos, kalami) – i always find myself going back to roda, and i probably always will…

the hotel was lovely, the hotel staff excellent and the room pristine.  nevertheless, due to its location, high food/drinks prices, lacking breakfast and other expensive hidden charges – regrettably i don’t know if i shall be staying at the roda oasis in the near future.

Ignore the location,quietness and cleanliness saying average,i forgot to tick the boxes,they are in fact all excellent.

Mandy

Hi Sue,we stayed in these apartments from 12th to 26th May, I have never been anywhere so clean,the rooms have a fridge and air conditioning in them but no kettle,we took a travel kettle with us. The fridge and air con you have to pay for but I am not sure how much they charge coz we didnt use either.It was getting very hot as we left  so if we had been any later staying then I am sure we would of made use of them Hope this helps and have a great time,.

Hi Can anyone tell me if there is a fridge and kettle in these rooms as we are going in july and staying bed and breakfast. Thanx Sue

We have just come back from staying in this hotel, what can I say, the rooms were excellent,the staff were above excellent,and cleanliness was superb. Nikos and Kostas are two brothers who run this hotel,they are so friendly and helpful,when you arrive they show you to your room and ask for your first names and from that day on they never forget. Marion is so helpful and will do anything to make your stay better,The grounds and pool are so clean and tidy and the little resident cat is sweet.  We would go back tomorrow to Roda and wouldnt stay anywhere else.