Boutique Hotel Kokkino Spiti

Very nice position overlooking the river, in the town but at same time tranquil. We were upgraded to a junior suite (which was really a slightly larger bedroom) with a very nice balcony overlooking the river and that was a nice size and comfortable. The breakfast was copious and with plenty of choice.

The reception staff were keener on explaining all the rules and what everything cost than welcoming us.

Excellent place, very beautiful room, friendly personnel, very well organised the order of the breakfast! We needed late checkout, and the hotel easily offered us a very fair price for additional hours-excellent!

The breakfast room for so many people is very tiny, that I hardly could move a chair to stand up. I believe the breakfast time should be somehow broken down between the guests. Otherwise, everybody waits and everybody feels squeezed. Our table was so little that the food ladies were bringing could not fit it. We would be happy to sit down at the other bigger table, but they were all busy. The breakfast is very nice, hot dishes, pies, yoghurt ,eggs-just excellent!

The hotel is in a restored old mansion in the former Jewish Quarter. It is next to the former synagogue, which is worth visiting - opening times are 12:00-15:00 but we got in at 10:30 by tailgating an organised tour (and paying for a ticket, of course). Google told us that it is a 17-minute walk to the old metropolitan basilica; but there's a shortcut through a tunnel under the house opposite which means it takes only 5 minutes! Our room was comfortable and large enough for one or two nights. Hi-tech breakfast ordering via Google docs.

This hotel is one of several repurposed Jewish mansions in the historic Jewish quarter. It’s a fantastic location and the river and synagogue beside it are amazing. The community saved the buildings, although the town did destroy the centuries old graveyard, destroying most of the gravestones and putting a children’s park on top of their graves… A total of 460 Jews from Veria were captured and deported. They were first transported to the transit camp in neighboring Thessaloniki and then loaded onto cattle cars bound for Poland. Extermination: Of the 460 deported Veria Jews, 448 were murdered immediately upon arrival or perished under the brutal conditions at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. Following the defeat of the Nazis, 123 of the Jewish escapees returned to Veria hoping to rebuild their lives. However, they arrived to find their homes occupied by newcomers, their properties plundered, and their possessions entirely gone. Disgusting history. May their memory be a blessing.

Many reviewers mention the mediocre breakfast and the staff seem to take offence instead of looking for ways to improve. I expect my review will garner the same, but it’s a red flag. My room was right beside the front desk. In 2 instances I had to ask two different staff members to lower their voices during my daily afternoon naps as their chatter woke me up. They were just having a personal conversation, and it stopped immediately but the walls are thin. Also the bathroom door wouldn’t close and it looked like it needed to be rehung. I mentioned it, but they didn’t get to it during our stay. Also there’s no kettle or coffee maker in the room we had.