My girlfriend and I decided to visit Poros as it was reputed to be a real hidden gem. Sitting here as I start writing this review, I can honestly say that it is a tranquil peice of paradise on Earth and well worth a visit by anyone who wants to escape the bustle of Athens for a couple of days. It is a shame, therefore, that our holiday has been so disrupted by the hotel we chose to stay at. I write of the Xenia Poros Image Hotel. You will likely be reading this review prior to booking and will have seen those images of the lovely refurbished rooms with that lovely bedding, the clean and modern furniture and the balconies which overlook the glistening bay and its harbour. You may also have noticed that these ‘Standard Double’ rooms provide an option of selecting a double or a twin option when booking. And so, you’re probably (and quite rightly), expecting your room to look like the one advertised and to have the bed type you selected. You’d be wrong - allow me to recount our experience… We arrived into the harbour and struck by its beauty, sat and had a drink in a local bar prior to catching a taxi up to the hotel (€5 or a lovely 15 min walk). Once at the hotel, it looked quite presentable and we walked up to the desk. Despite having already provided all our check in details online, we were asked to write them all out again - no big deal and so we were provided our key and we walked up the corridor and opened the door. It suffices to say that expectation and reality did not tally. Where a double bed had been expected, two thin and tightly blanketed beds sat in the middle of it. The walls were white and bare and the furniture was sparingly spread around it as if trying to fill the gaps. In short, you’d be happy if you were provided it as an in-patient at the local hospital but it certainly wasn’t the 4 star hotel room advertised. On moving to the balcony, I looked to the right, out towards Aegean and saw beautiful waves and a series of yachts gracefully sailing past us. On looking straight ahead and to my left, the sea view was entirely obstructed by a concrete ramp leading to a badly painted vehicle service entrance and a series of large air conditioning units. I returned to reception. On pointing out that the room wasn’t as advertised on their website and wasn’t a double as ordered, the receptionist responded without hesitation with what was clearly a well-rehearsed retort - “Subject to availability”. On asking what she meant, she simply reiterated that bed type I had chosen was “Subject to availability”. On asking for the manager, I again explained the issue to her. Without hesitation, I again got the same response as she recommended that I read the small print on my booking. So, I pulled my phone out and we both enjoyed a good five minutes scrolling through them together before she finally admitted with visible frustration that no such term actually existed. But this wasn’t the end of the matter - it then became a matter of interpretation, said the manager. When I chose a double bed, I was actually “Stating a preference”, not actually “Booking” a double bed. And so, having entered the lobby ten minutes earlier as the most relaxed guy on the island, I was starting to become a little frustrated myself. The manager blankly explained that she had no other rooms available and that was clearly the end of the matter as far as she was concerned as she shrugged her shoulders and threw the ball into our court. As this was happening, we were joined at the front desk by another couple who wished to complain that the air conditioning on their room wasn’t working. As the front desk descended into a complaints department, the manager suddenly remembered that she did, in fact, have one dou room we could move into. Would this one actually look anything like the hotel room I had booked? I was assured that it was and so we went to have a look at it. I must say that the new room was vastly bigger with both a double and a single bed in it. The view from the balcony of the new room also offered a vastly better view… of both the service ramp and of the industrial air conditioning units. You could see the sea but you had to view it across a car park. It was even worse than the first room. I again returned to reception and point blank refused to stay in what was clearly a wholly and purposefully mis-sold room. The manager stated that there was a wedding party in the hotel and that she would move us in the morning when she had space. Alternatively, we could have our money back and move on. It was clear that our demand for for a room which comported with that we had purchased was stretching her willingness to do her job to the limits and that she had had enough for the day. It was now late afternoon and we too now had little choice but to put up with it all. With no other option, we settled in and enjoyed the view. Having woken up from a night on a very hard mattress and having taken a shower standing in front of the disability toilet, I went to reception, fully expecting that I would be packing my bags and leaving. To my surprise, the same manager was there, still adorned in jeans and a T-shirt, and stated that we had been upgraded to a Junior sea-front suite. We went to inspect the room and I was shocked - it looked exactly like what I booked! A lovely, comfortable bed, nice furniture and a balcony with a view over the actual sea. The bathroom and shower were great and I could finally relax. The long and short of this review is that the ‘Classic Double Rooms’ are terrible and the hotel blatantly and unapologetically misrepresents them as suites on their website (and through third party websites). Despite having spent some significant amount of time with the manager dealing with this issue, she has not once even apologised for the whole affair. Indeed, on me thanking her for the upgrade (that I had paid for in any case, but I wished to be polite) she again took the opportunity to double down and reiterate that the rooms were exactly as advertised and that the suite was not what I had paid for. Turning to facilities, there is no bar and no restaurant at the hotel. There is essentially a cafeteria which serves a buffet breakfast in the morning - not too bad but very basic. In the evening, there is usually a member of staff on their phone who loiters around next to where the buffet is. If you can distract them from their phone, you can sometimes ask them for a drink and if they have it, they will go backstage somewhere and return with it. On one night, however, we were informed that the duty drink server had gone home because it had been raining - yep, really. With no food and no drink available in the whole hotel (Yes - NO FOOD and NOTHING TO DRINK AT ALL) and with pressure mounting from hungry and thirsty guests, the receptionist was kind enough to sort us a limp toastie. In terms of the various luxuries the hotel offers, there’s a spa that isn’t open and a gym that isn’t open. If you fancy a swim, there a pool that states that it opens at 11am (sorry morning swimmers) but it wasn’t open at 1pm on the day of writing. There’s also a beach with a bar which closed at 8pm and which charges €15 if you want to sit on a lounger. There is no room service and the free wifi is free but is only available in public areas of the hotel and it barely connects before flopping out. Speaking of connections, there is a shuttle service between the port and the hotel but it’s broken and they don’t know when it will be working again. The air con works quite well in the suite but if you are stupid enough not to read the Terms and Conditions that don’t exist (like us) and end up living in a standard room then it barely does anything. Before I get the hotel’s reception manager / part-time contract lawyer onto me for libel, I wish to make clear that the above is my honest held opinion based on my stay at the hotel. In my opinion, this is one of the worst hotels I have ever stayed in. If you have read this review and think “oh, he’s exaggerating” or “It won’t happen to me” then that’s on you but there are plenty of nice hotels and BnBs available in the town. I can honestly say that I have somehow found myself at the end of this stay less rested than I was when I first arrived. It’s definitely got the best views on the island but they know it and it is clear that the manager’s apathetic attitude towards any kind of guest experience has extended to all of its staff and facilities (Marianna made us a toastie so we didn’t starve so she wins the best customer service award - thanks Marianna). I’ve given the Xenia Poros two stars because of the amazing view over the bay. If the hotel wasn’t present, it would have been an easy five.…