Santa Marina Unique Hotel

The garden was such a lovely green, cheerful spot to sit and have morning coffee. We also liked the accessible rooftop, where you can watch the sunset and get a panoramic view over the beach and surrounding mountains. The nearby beach was great for swimming, with no waves, and it wasn’t too crowded for a large beach in Crete. The port nearby didn’t bother us, and it was nice to walk around there. We didn’t use the hotel pool since the beach had everything we needed. I spent the week here with my daughter, and we both had a great stay. The hotel is only a one-minute walk from the beach, so it was easy to pop back to our room. It was clean and newly renovated, which made it comfortable to stay in and use everything. The air conditioning has three settings, and the lowest was enough for us. Our room faced a small street, but the insulation was good, and closing the balcony door at night kept things quiet. The staff were friendly and helpful, like a team working together to make guests comfortable. Even though the hotel is large, we got the attention and support we needed.

We left early because this was very disappointing. Breakfast was from 7:30 to 9:30, and the pool was only open from 10 to 17. The room was tiny, the building old, and the air conditioning couldn’t cool a 6 sq m room. This isn’t a four-star place as advertised, two or three stars at most.

The closest beach, Ammos, is just 50m away, and it’s a five-minute walk to the Lake and Port. Other city beaches are also reachable on foot in 10 or 20 minutes. The hotel manager/owner was very kind and helpful. Our group arrived very late, at 11pm on the first evening, but dinner had still been prepared for us. On the last day, we were allowed a later checkout at no extra charge. The staff were very polite, breakfast had a solid selection, and dinner was tasty, with two or three kinds of meat and fish each time and water included. Our room had a fridge and central air conditioning that worked properly, plus excellent WiFi. It would have been good to have a larger wardrobe and plugs by the beds for charging phones.

The beach near the hotel was fantastic, sandy and with clean water. We also really enjoyed the pool, and our room was comfortable and clean. The staff were friendly and ready to help with whatever we needed. The location is great, and we’ll definitely stay here again next time we’re in the area.