Maritsas Hotel & Suites

English-speaking staff, a single-storey? No — this is a five-star hotel with 18 rooms, a pool, a restaurant and a bar, built more for switching off than for collecting activities like fridge magnets. You can return from a day out, cool down in the outdoor pool, eat on the terrace and leave the evening to the wine list and the company.

The hotel works for couples who want a comfortable base as well as families looking for larger room categories. A lift makes the upper floors easier to reach, and pets are welcome. Free Wi-Fi runs throughout the hotel, so you can deal with the practicalities without turning the lounge into an office.

Maritsas Hotel & Suites is in Volos, Greece. The city centre is around 12 km away, while the airport is 32 km from the hotel, so this is a base outside the centre rather than a door-to-door city break address.

A beach can be reached on foot, and the hotel also puts you within reach of the wider Volos area for walking, cycling and cultural excursions. The property offers car hire, which is useful when your plans extend beyond the immediate surroundings and public transport is not the star of the day.

The room range is broad enough to change the feel of the stay. Couples can choose a double room, with pool-view versions adding air conditioning and, in one category, the more useful bits of kit for a proper night in: a fridge, bathrobe, slippers, safe, wardrobe, toiletries and even a fireplace. If you would rather wake to water than to the pool, water-view rooms and suites take the decision in another direction.

Families have their own room categories, including larger family rooms, penthouses, studios and cottages. A triple pool-view room is another practical option when three people are travelling together. The hotel has 18 rooms in total, so the choice is not just a long catalogue of identical boxes; the view, layout and included facilities matter here.

Air conditioning appears in several categories, alongside private bathrooms, televisions and hairdryers. Fridges are listed for selected rooms rather than across the board, so check the exact room details if cold water in the room is part of your post-dive recovery plan. Suites add more space in the range, with some including a safe, toiletries, towels and a telephone.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner on an outdoor terrace. The cooking covers international, Greek and traditional dishes, with traditional recipes also appearing in the hotel's wine-and-food offering. It is the sort of arrangement that lets you stay put for dinner rather than start searching for a table when everyone is already hungry.

Breakfast comes as a buffet or à la carte. The available board arrangements are room only or breakfast included, so the booking details decide which version applies to your stay. There is one bar for a drink before dinner or a slower finish afterwards, and room service runs around the clock when changing out of the day's clothes feels like unnecessary admin.

The outdoor pool is the obvious place to spend a non-diving afternoon, with pool and beach towels available. A sun terrace gives you somewhere to stretch out with a book, while the hammam and massage treatments offer a more purposeful route to loosening shoulders that have spent too long carrying bags and life in general.

There is also a fitness room for those who prefer movement to complete idleness. Bikes, hiking and cultural excursions broaden the choice without turning the hotel into an organised-entertainment machine. On the water, windsurfing and fishing are available for days when sitting beside the pool feels a little too stationary.

Families are welcome, and a baby cot can be arranged. The combination of pool, hammam, massage and outdoor space suits a couple travelling together particularly well: one can go for a walk or a cycle while the other claims the lounger, with dinner waiting afterwards.

Check-in runs from 15:00 to 23:00 and check-out is by 11:00. Reception operates around the clock, and the hotel asks for your expected arrival time; photo identification and a credit card are required at check-in. The airport transfer service is available, either privately or as a shared shuttle, to be arranged with the hotel.

Parking is available for an additional charge, and car hire can be arranged. The hotel also offers laundry and pressing services, a safe at reception, concierge assistance and an on-site infirmary. A lift provides access to the upper floors, and the property has accessibility facilities.

Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel. Pets are admitted, and the property is non-smoking. Cash and credit cards are accepted. Meal arrangements vary by booking, so check whether your stay is room only or includes breakfast before you arrive with an appetite and no plan B.