Where Is Assos and What Is It Like?

Assos

Assos—the famous place we kept hearing about and were so curious to see! In photographs it looked charming, quiet and peaceful, exactly where you might go to clear your head. Sadly, that was not our experience on this particular trip. Tired of big-city noise and stress, we searched for somewhere close to nature to rest for a few days. Online research and beautiful photographs convinced us to choose Assos. The difficulties began as we approached: the road we used was narrow and dusty, with a steep drop towards the sea, and passing an oncoming car meant stopping and edging forward carefully. We kept telling ourselves everything would be fine. On arrival, however, the little harbour area around the hotels was far more crowded than we had imagined. Our hotel’s parking area was in a field more than 500 metres away. Narrow roads, crowds and noise left us rather overwhelmed. We tried to enjoy ourselves after coming all that way, and hoped the hotel would make up for it. We stayed at Assos Kervansaray Hotel. After taking our bags upstairs, we went down to swim, but the pool looked much smaller than in the online photographs and, to my eyes during that stay, the water looked cloudy. We tried the beach instead, but it was small and stony, with stones underfoot in the water too, so we decided not to swim. The pool certainly did not match the impression the photographs had given us. These are my recollections of that visit, not a description of the hotel’s current condition.

The photographs had raised our expectations so much that I struggled to understand the appeal of being in such a crowded, confined space. Of course, tastes differ, and I am not criticising anyone for enjoying it. With hills around us and so little room, though, we felt hemmed in. Assos lovers may disagree with this account, and I know the place also has an important history, but I wanted to be honest about our experience. Perhaps with fewer people it would have felt quite different. What I do know is that we were uncomfortable, and our disappointment with the hotel added to it. Here is the beach.

We were still trying to stay optimistic about the hotel. 🙂 Back in the room, we decided to shower and relax—only to find that the water was not running. During our stay, we felt that reporting the problem did not bring a helpful response. We wondered whether we were simply expecting something different from everyone else. In the end we checked out early rather than spend more time unhappy. I could appreciate the beautiful sea and scenery, but could not understand squeezing so many people into that small area. We returned disappointed, without the rest we had hoped for. I wished the area could be better organised, though other visitors seemed content. My advice from that experience is not to rely entirely on flattering online photographs when choosing a destination or hotel. What is the perfect alternative? I cannot claim to have that answer either! 🙂