Almyrida Village and Waterpark Hotel

I'm two days into a seven-day holiday and wanted to share my experience, especially after reading some bad reviews. I'm travelling solo and I'm not all inclusive. The setting is stunning, and my room is clean, spacious, has a fridge, and gets cleaned regularly. I found the shower easy to use. It's a quiet, lovely hotel, and I feel safe here. The pool area and pool are amazing, though a few tiles need replacing. The staff have been friendly, and if they're not there when you want them, they soon turn up. The village is about a seven-minute walk downhill, with shops, restaurants and the beach. There's a reception shop for water and beer. I read complaints about prices, but hotels in Europe, including in Spain and Portugal, don't recommend drinking tap water. I paid 1 euro 50c for a 1.75 litre bottle. You can get it cheaper at another shop. There's a tax per person per night, the same at any Greek hotel. The rooms don't have safes, but you can rent one at reception for 10 euro per week. If I came back to Crete, I'd happily book here again.

I wouldn't give this place four stars, and after staying here I'm not sure it deserves two. The corridor lights to our room at the end were out, so we had to feel our way back and avoid bumping into an open window. The Wi-Fi was out too. Our room was dusty and dirty and badly needed a proper clean. The bathroom was worst of all, filthy, moldy and poorly lit. On the first day, the drawer under the sink fell on my son, though luckily he wasn't hurt. Water kept appearing on the floor even when we hadn't used any, so towels had to stay down there. The cleaner didn't replace them, just hung them up beside the other towels to dry. Meals were decent but identical each day, and cutlery was often missing. Sometimes we got cold food before forks arrived. The animal farm was a tragedy to see, those poor animals. Someone should investigate. Outrageous. I don't recommend it.

Back from a week in a family suite, our first time trying all inclusive. The hotel was spotless, with comfortable beds, a great pool and lovely staff. Every day there was freshly cooked food, with a nice range of hot and cold Cretan dishes, bread, salads, fruit and vegetables at every meal. There was plenty for everyone, even my fussy eater, who found some new flavors to enjoy. The location is great, close to the center of Almyrida.

We've stayed in plenty of luxurious 5+ star hotels, but Almyrida impressed us even more. The food was delicious and changed from meal to meal, so each one felt like something new. The care and attention from the staff were so genuine, and this holiday felt like a dream. Thank you to the whole team, and wishing the hotel lots of success. To me this is definitely not a 3-star place, it's a solid 10 out of 10! ❤️❤️❤️