Marina Studios
Accommodation in Skala
1/10
Reference our holiday to Kefalonia August 29th 2010 – September 12th 2010 booked through Olympic holidays
As avid lovers of all things Greek we have travelled to many Greek islands over our lifetime. We expect accommodation to be basic with a self catering option but the Marina Studios in Skala, Kefalonia made 'basic' seem like a 5* hotel.
Shame on you Olympic holidays for allowing such poor, cramped and inadequate accommodation to appear as one of your venues
Storage
The rooms were so small that an undernourished hobbit would have felt claustrophobic staying there. Storage was a single wardrobe and a small bedside table, necessitating the use of our suitcases as both storage and a shelving facility.
As for food the only storage was a tiny refrigerator as there was no cupboard space. We rigged up a 'Heath Robinson' contraption of carrier bags hung on washing line to store our food.
Comfort
We hired air conditioning on the first week (or, as I liked to call it 'con-air' as the cost was 40 euros per week). During the 'wee' hours the unit turned into an internal waterfall with water cascading down the wall over an electric plug and onto the ceramic and 'slippery when wet' floor.
On a comfort level our single beds would have been adequate had it not been that several of the wooded slats under my husband's bed used to drop to the floor with a loud crash on a regular basis, again this was usually in the 'wee' hours. A good night's sleep was rarely if ever guaranteed
On a positive note the veranda was excellent
Self catering facility
The draining board on the tiny half sized sink unit housed a two ring electric cooker which was unsafe as the whole electrical unit shorted out when both rings were used. As there was no table or area to prepare food we had to transport the plastic table from the veranda inside every time that we ate. Crockery, comprised of two chipped mugs and three mismatched plates, we had to buy a tin opener, drinking glasses, mugs and a serving bowl during our stay.
On a positive note we did have a kettle and a toaster, although both appliances had to be used on the floor due to lack of a table!!!!!
Cleanliness
The sheets and towels were only changed once in our two week holiday. We had to use two of the towels to mop up our nightly internal waterfall, so were short of clean linen for most of our stay.
The apartment did get a cursory clean three times a week but as you will note from the enclosed photograph of the bathroom this service was poor. The black hair shown in the bathroom belonged to neither me nor my husband.
On a positive note we did have a friendly gecko that appeared each night to catch the mosquito's in the apartment
- GB
7/10
I have just returned from a wonderful week in Skala staying at the
Marina Studios with my friend (Up above the Gallera restaurant). This
is my fourth time visiting Skala, but my first time staying at the
Marina. Before our holiday we read A LOT of very negative comments on
these studio's and yes I can see where some people are coming from,
however I wanted to give my honest and balanced opinion on them.
Firstly, the room that we stayed at overlooked the side street
(Opposite the traditional Greek taverna - plate smashing/fire dancing
restaurant). Our balcony was nice and roomy, however we didn't exactly
get a 'room with a view' as there were trees in the way, which was a
good thing as it was nice and private. The rooms are relatively small,
but if like me, you literally use them to sleep and get ready in, then
they serve their purpose. I would absolutely recommend purchasing the
air con for €40 a week as it does get very hot - the air con worked
wonders, even to the point that we sometimes had to use blankets at
night. You purchase the air con from the Gallera restuarant underneath,
but be warned that they keep the controls so you must be happy with the
temp that they set it to before they take the control away. I would
agree with the comments that these studios don't cater for the people
looking to cook in their rooms. There was nowhere to eat or any
surfaces to put pots/pans/plates on, the fridge was quite small (But
had a freezer compartment to keep the vodka nice and chilled 
).
They provide a kettle so cups of tea and coffee are no problem! Our
bathroom was also fairly small but comfortable enough and plenty of
room to have a shower. Be warned to expect a 'wet room' when you have a
shower as the shower curtains aren't brilliant (We just asked the maids
for extra towels to soak up the wet floor and that was fine!) There is
lots of wardrobe space which was good and a dressing table and mirror
located just by two sockets. The beds were very comfy and we each had a
reading light. I would happily stay at these studios again, we went
with Olympic and they were great.
For the price we paid for these studios, we got what we expected and
were very happy with that. I think it all depends on what you expect
from an appartment as to how happy/disappointed you are with them. If
you require more room, good cooking facilities, bigger bathroom then
you are going to be paying that little bit more and I'd suggest
somehwere like Socrates Appartments which are just a stones throw down
the road from Marina. I hope this helps and if there is anyone reading
this comment who, like me, wants a nice cheap holiday in the BEAUTIFUL
Skala and prefers to spend their days in the baking hot sun by the
lovely beaches and their nights eating lots of yummy Greek food and
having a few drinks with the locals, (Rather than couped up in a room)
- then book the Marina as you won't be disappointed. Hope this helps! 
- GB 2/10July 2008 We were disappointed with the place-very small room-you would be hard put to do beans on toast let alone a proper meal-so to describe it as self catering is a disgrace-we didnt even have any dinner plates!However there are some lovely places to eat-the Galera downstairs being one of the best.Linen changed three times a week &toilet bins emptied every day-but apart from a small wardrobe nowhere to put clothes!We love Skala but would definitely not recommend these apartments-if you dont pay for air con you will find heat unbearable(kitchen underneath)-very poorly maintained-Avoid!
- GB 8/10
Location - Excellent
Quietness - Good
Cleanliness - Excellent (friendly cleaning lady)
We stayed at the Marina Apartments in September 2007 - a last minute booking with Olympic Holidays and thoroughly enjoyed it. Departure flight left early from Gatwick and we were in the resort just after lunchtime. We found the apartments to be clean, in a nice location, within five minutes walk of the shops, beach and excellent restaurants. We agree with other comments that the cooking facilities are pretty useless but who wants to cater for yourself when there is so much choice at very reasonable prices. Our favourites were La Galera (below the apartments), Symposium on the front and Victor's Sunrise Fish Taverna on the beach - turn right at the beach and it is the last one you come to. Hot water available the whole fortnight. Can also thoroughly recommend the Rat Pack evening at one of the hotels past Symposium - the singer has a great voice - with a few Rod Stewart and Beatles numbers thrown in - free entrance and drinks no more expensive than anywhere else. Say hello to Jack and Calligula for us - the two adorable cats from up the road - they are rather partial to Sainsburys Taste the Difference Ham - but beware of Jack's claws, he is a vicious little devil.
Geoff & Jan Hallett
Horsham W.Sx
- GB
We stayed at the Marina Apps in July 2006, being our third visit to Kefalonia. At first appearances the apartments looked reasonable for the cost, small and cramped but ok. There was a noticeable lack of hot water, in fact we never had any hot while we were there, but ok this is Greece.
The very big downside to the apartments was the heat, (!st Floor). While we have been to a number of Greek Islands before and our two previous visits to Kefalonia were first floor, nothing could have prepared us for the "Hell" regarding the heat problems, which seem to get worse during the evening and night, which suggested that the problem may be from the restaurant kitchens.
After a week our legs and ankles were swollen up, and I was drinking 3.5 litres of water a night, sleep was impossible. In effect it became so bad that we considered that our health was at serious risk, so we caught a plane home . With the cost of car hire etc. £2,000 down the drain. While we appreciate Greece is hot in the Summer, we have been there when it has been a lot hotter by far. The heat in these apartments in my opinion is not natural, my advice avoid like the plague.
- -- Accomodation small but not a problem, very clean and maid service excellent.
- GB The Marina Apartments were a total disgrace, i cant beleive anyone would try to class these apts, as self catering, as there was nowhere to even prepare food. We congratulated the olympic tour rep for managing to get twin beds in the space of a cupboard! We had no loo seat for three days, a bare light bulb and the maid service was awful. On top of all that we had a view of a dirty wall from the patio door and workmen working on a roof directly behind us, we were woken every morning at 7a.m. to the sounds of hammering and sawing. Total nightmare of a place. Skala is a nice resort though, the island of kefalonia is beautiful. The Gallera Restaurant is excellent, huge praises for Annie and Christos, Arris and other members of staff! The food and service were both of a high quality, we ate their for the two weeks we were there. If i go back to skala I most certainly will keep well away from the Marina Apartments.
- GB
The accomodation was clean and very convenient for the centre of Skala. The rooms were cleaned 3 times a week and the linen and towels changed twice a week. For those who have been before the rooms are above the Gallera restaurant which is definitely one of the best and most reasonable places to eat. However, some of the rooms are on the small size and if it is hot weather you will definitely need fans for ventilation. Another bonus was we didnt have to vacate until 12.00 whereas most other accomodation had to be vacated by 10.00. Overall dont worry if you have booked here, it is much the same as any of the cheaper resort accomodation, but the location is spot on for access to Skala and the beach.
- GB Just returned from Skala - avoid the Marina if you can, we ended up renting a studio at the Villa Bianca up the road so we could get on with enjoying the holiday. Not only are the rooms barely big enough to swing a cat in (not even a Greek cat), the fact that they're sold as self catering is a joke, you definitely need to hire a fan (though where you would put it I've no idea), the towels & sheets are threadbare, there's no room to stow your suitcase (which you'll need to use as extra storage) without rearranging the room and then collecting multiple scrapes & bruises to knees & shins trying to negotiate round the room. As if that wasn't bad enough, the view from the balconies of the rooms at the back are of the 3 storey apartment block currently under construction right next door.
- UK After all the bad publicity I read on these apartments I was dreading going. However when we arrived we were pleasantly surprised, granted, its a bit small and if you are planning to prepare a three course meal you would be a bit stuck for space. We were there for a week 20-27 Sept and it was cleaned 3 times and the towels and bedding were changed twice. The balcony was large and perfect for watching the world go by. If you are booked here you get a ten percent discount at the restaurante downstairs which is one of the nicest in Skala
- UK We stayed here about 5 years ago and they were fantastic. The rooms were cleaned everyday and the staff were helpful and friendly. we stayed on a B/B basis and this suited us very well. The food was gorgeous and the people went out of their way for us. We had a child with us who was a fussy eater so the staff went out and bought birds eye beefburgers and everything. It's very conviently situated and very quiet.
- UK
Neil W I have just booked last minute holiday at these apartments. Are they really as bad as they sound? Are there any redeeming qualities?
- UK Impossible to self-cater. See comments of others. We had a poky little room and when we complained were moved to bigger one. Still had no more facilities. No work surface to even slice a loaf of bread. Nowhere to drain dishes. Small mini-bar type fridge, unable to cope with heat - tiny freezer would not even take ice pack. Nowhere to store food. No drawers. Toilet bin not emptied often enough!! Holes in disgusting, lumpy mattresses. I could go on!!! If you are booked in there, change it now.
- UK Much the same as the previous comments and we had the largest room. After self catering in Spain and Portugal the facilities are poor,two hot plates next to a sink. No preparation or serving surfaces.
- UK So Small How this could be called self catering I do not know we had to live out of a suitcase as there are no drawers in the appartments I feel sorry for anyone wanting to cater for them selves it would be imposible. Should be classed as room only (and only just)
- UK