The hotel facilities were excellent. The pool was beautiful and the daytime staff were consistently warm, professional, and eager to help. They created a welcoming environment and made much of our stay enjoyable. we did experience one issue with the evening staff, Ira, regarding an ATV rental.
We booked the ATV through the hotel before arriving, trusting their “partner” agency. The name of the company was never shared with us, but since it was a hotel-arranged service, we didn’t question it. Only when the ATV was delivered did we learn that payment was cash-only. By law, businesses in Greece must accept at least one form of card, so this was unexpected and problematic. We didn’t have enough euros left and wanted to avoid a hefty ATM fee, so we asked the hotel to help. They assured us it wouldn’t be an issue, but when the agent arrived she only had a phone app for tap payments. Because of our card’s tap limit, we were forced to withdraw more euros anyway, late at night, paying additional fees.
When we shared this feedback with Ira, hoping she would note it for future guests, she was defensive/dismissive, insisting it was our fault for not adjusting our tap limit. For a 4-star hotel, I expected more accountability. My suggestion: OleaBay should better vet its partners and be upfront with guests about payment requirements. No one booking through a reputable hotel expects cash-only rental that feels like a back-alley transaction, even beach vendors manage to provide machines.
