Apokryfo Traditional Guesthouse

Apokryfo is situated in a pretty stone built village that has been cleaned up principally for tourists (it has a resident population of 80, we were told that rises to 5,000 in the summer). This can make it a bit soulless. We stayed 4 nights in early September when it was empty and most of the restaurants were closed. You do have to travel a bit to find good restaurants - we found most of the good ones to be fish restaurants near the sea. The hotel restaurant serves just a set menu - which is limited but lovely. Apokryfo sets itself up as having a sophistication which is sadly not commensurate with the rather languid and weirdly unintelligent service (ie sweeping while we were eating so a cloud of dust settled on our breakfast.). It feels a bit cramped and slightly worn - maybe it was the end of the season and the staff were as tired as the herbs in their dirty vases. We stayed in 'Sterna' - which looked pretty in every picture except I doubt if the owner/designer had ever actually stayed there as there is literally nowhere to put any clothes other than two wardrobes that were crammed with spare duvets. We didn't dislike the place but just felt that it was rather expensive for what it was, that the staff needed some training in guest engagement, that it was resting on its laurels and now needed a bit of tlc to take it forward.