Ilona Apartments

The location is the one good thing, about a 10-minute drive from town. Otherwise our experience was far from ideal, and I’m surprised by the reviews. They must be fabricated, since they don’t match what we found. This is my first and only negative review in Chania. I’m writing to warn people considering this hotel because the reviews seem fake and don't reflect the actual place. The owner seems to think I review negative places in Chania, but that isn't the case. We stayed nine days and avoided the apartment except to sleep and shower. Ants came out of the bathroom walls and got onto our toothbrushes and toiletries. We also saw cockroaches in the corridor outside our room. The room wasn't cleaned when we arrived, and after we complained it was cleaned only once. When we raised the cleanliness issue, the receptionist was out of line and racist. It felt like they didn't care about the hospitality they offered because “the hotel is quite old.” The place doesn't seem to know what a mop is. The facilities were in poor shape. There was a broken little oven in the room, apparently there only to hide whatever was behind the wall. The cupboards looked rotten, as if they'd been salvaged from different trips to the tip 60 years ago and put together. For an apartment sleeping four, we had one bowl, two small plates, and one large plate. The notice behind the door says check-out is at noon, 12pm, by law. At 10:50 we got a knock telling us to leave by 11. I had time to report it to the tourist police, but didn't want to spend my final hour in lovely Chania thinking about this place.

The owners were lovely, and you can help yourself to oranges from their garden to juice for breakfast. Our room had a big bed, balcony, and kitchenette. It's about a 20-minute walk across the beach to the Venetian Port. The suburb is quiet apart from the local fauna, with some nice beaches a couple of minutes away on foot. Restaurants are limited, but there's a large supermarket and a couple of cafes nearby. You'll probably want to go into Chania in the evenings. Buses run frequently until about 11pm and are good value; my taxi cost 6 euros and took about 10 minutes.

Mr George at reception is so welcoming, and the front gardens look gorgeous with bougainvillea climbing up to the second floor. They now have parking spots too, which is great. The beach is within walking distance. They've thought of a lot of useful things: a kitchenette with a coffee filter, water heater, sandwich maker, fridge, and electric pot heater; mosquito repellent in each room for the middle of the night; and an iron to borrow at reception. The water pressure is amazing, and fresh oranges and raki are available at reception each day.

The apartments are close to Golden Beach, which is sheltered from waves, especially on its west side. A supermarket and the bus stop for several routes, including buses to Chania center and nearby villages, are just a short walk away. We had a spacious ground-floor apartment overlooking the garden. It was cleaned daily and worked well for our family with two children, though it was quite basic. Fresh fruit was provided for free every day, and the host and reception staff were very friendly and helpful. A good place to stay in Chania.