Gerakini is ...
... a wonderful place to unwind and relax
After 2017, this was our second time on the Greek mainland.
In contrast to the strenuous and downright sweaty activities of the last holiday destinations with a total of well over 100 kilometers walked, completely different regions of the body were put to a tough test in Gerakini.
You could also have chosen the subtitle for the stay:
'Culinary three-way battle: breakfast / lunch / dinner
only interrupted by lazing around on the beach'.
This pushed the gastrointestinal region to its limits ;-)
The Hotel Possidona Beach we can recommend for everyone, who are looking for peace and relaxation and are not averse to finding a family environment in the hotel.
If you're more interested in 'all-in', you should go to the 5-star bunker "Ikos" at the other end of town.
And the term "bunker" really fits here:
At first we thought it was a government building,
That's how 'nice' it looked - as we got closer we saw barbed wire everywhere and knew straight away
"That's a prison!"
Then we noticed tennis courts through a gap in the fence... oh!?! Comfortable prison.
This being said from now on the shed was called 'Guantanamo-DeLuxe' ;-)..
Only when we saw the entrance did we realize that this is actually supposed to be a hotel...
Back to our hotel. Can we really recommend this to everyone? No!
Oh - why not?
There is no pool, no animation, no children's area/care, no outdoor discotheque or all-round sound of music on the terrace.
In the Possidona you can simply relax and, if you want, go on nice trips. None of the other guests gave us the impression that they missed entertainment. They all got along very well with themselves or their partners without external entertainment. Not everyone can do it these days...
You will be treated very well. An example: When we were asked after the first night how we slept, we said that the mattress was quite hard. It was immediately offered that an additional foam mattress would be installed. That's what happened immediately and we slept well as a result. In general, attempts are made to to fulfill every (feasible) wish.
The breakfast is excellent for small Greek hotels!
It included different types of sausage and cheese, extra feta, cucumbers, tomatoes and other side dishes.
Also 6 types of jams (looked like they were homemade), fruit salad and fresh fruit, cereals,
changing egg dishes and warm pastries, 2 types of juice
and a great coffee machine for different coffee specialties.
I must surely have forgotten something... Everything was very tasty, they always added more.
We have had much worse experiences in much more expensive hotels (see Brugge / Casselbergh)!
The hotel is located directly on the beach and has its own section that is cleaned daily. There are lockable loungers that are only available for hotel guests. So no towel fight necessary in the morning ;-)
The ouzo costs 2.50 euros here - but you don't have 2 cl, but 5 cl in the glass ;-)
As of this year, Gianna (the owner) only offers bed and breakfast - Half board is no longer possible. In our opinion, that is not necessary either, as there are plenty of options within walking distance, to get good Greek food. In keeping with the culinary three-way battle, we also had three points of interest where we took turns eating:
Very cozy outdoor restaurant with excellent service. Claudio, the first person in service surprised us very much, when he greeted us by our names after a year and a half (Although we were only there 4-5 times - we probably left a lasting impression...)
Food selection is 'typically Greek' - The selection and quality of fresh fish is very good! If you order a large fish for 2 people, this is professionally filleted/deboned by Claudio at the table.
A little more upscale in terms of the interior and the selection of food. Very courteous and friendly service from the service staff and the boss himself. The quality of the food is really excellent and we even took inspiration from a dish, to offer this to the next barbecue party at home!
The only disadvantage for us was, that the restaurant has an agreement with Guantanamo-DeLuxe (dine-around), so that tables were actually occupied by the all-in types every evening. And you can't buy style and/or behavior - if you know what I mean...
And of course our highlight:
The "Boyz from the Grill":
First of all: Dear friends from the Oniro restaurant in Hamburg: You have to be very brave now. Until recently, you had first prize in our internal ranking for the best gyros. Unfortunately, this price now goes to Greece / Halkidiki / Gerakini. We have never eaten a better gyros than here!
But the real special dish is the 'Kontosouvli' (translated: 'from the skewer'). Here, either pork or chicken meat cooks for hours over an open flame and is repeatedly covered with special marinade. I have never experienced such a (good) taste! Despite immense attempts on my part, I haven't managed to get the recipe for the marinade.
Both dishes are available in two versions: plated meal (7 - 8 euros) or rolled up in bread as a sandwich or pita (3.50 euros). And you can mix as you like: Half gyros, half kontosouvli or half chicken / half pork - they are really flexible and accommodating!
The owner Pavlina has her shop very well under control and the two Boyz (Mike and Giordan) really have the hang of making gyros:
Perfectly seasoned – not over-seasoned, nice and crispy everywhere, and above all, cut so finely that you can measure the thickness in millimeters. (To my smart-ass colleagues: YES, even a T-Bone steak can be measured in millimeters, but with two or three digits before the decimal point.) None of the pieces here were more than 3 mm thick! And everything is done by hand with a kebab knife – no electricity... Here you can experience knife-edge perfection!
Or as my wife said:
The boys conjure up the most brilliant gyros on the planet and other delicacies from the skewer for little money.
Accompanied by a nice Greek beer from an ice-cold glass... oh, life can be so simple :-)
We were here every day and had a great time! I still regret it now that we only discovered the grill shortly before the end of our first stay...
All three restaurants are located directly on the main street and can be reached in a few minutes on foot from the hotel.
We will almost certainly come here again!
Addendum 2025: We just booked our 7th ( ! ) stay over here :-)
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