SimOtel Ermis

The balcony was spacious, and the hygiene wasn't too bad, I'll give it that. But the receptionist was mega impolite. Also, it's listed as a three-star hotel, so if you book an “apartment” here, say goodbye to 50 euros for some tax. What a scam! I've stayed in plenty of places, but never paid for an “apartment” and ended up with a room with three crammed beds. The furniture looked ancient, probably from before money was invented. Both bathroom taps leaked, though that didn't stop them working. There was no kitchen or stove and barely room to move around, so I had to eat out every day. I don't like doing that because I prefer healthy food to restaurant food. What bothered me most was having just one usable outlet in the whole room for my laptop, phone, and tablet. Naturally, I had to buy an extension cord. One outlet, unbelievable.

The only thing I liked was the location in the center of Chaniotis. Breakfast was modest, and the hotel has no elevator. I was told there were two types of rooms and paid for one that was meant to be renovated. It didn't look renovated. We were missing a kettle and a table with a mirror, and the bathroom didn't look updated either. Sometimes we could hear water running from the toilet for 20 minutes, and the tap was scratched. The worst part was asking a staff member about the missing kettle. She didn't know English and argued with me in a mix of Greek and Russian, which I don't understand. She was unpleasant and unprofessional several times, not just with me. The other two staff members were polite.

The room was as shown in the photos, kept tidy, and cleaned each day. Breakfast was okay, but repetitive, mostly eggs cooked in different ways. Most of the staff were polite and professional. One older woman, I believe her name was Marica, made the experience much less pleasant. During breakfast she spoke loudly in Russian, or a similar language, while we were eating. It often felt like she was deliberately trying to make us uncomfortable and guilty for no reason. She also refused to bring us bread, and every interaction with her was unpleasant. Our stay would have been much more positive without that experience.

The rooms aren't luxury standard, but that seems to match the price. The hotel is clean, has good Wi-Fi and a nice breakfast, and the beach isn't far away. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend it to anyone after a Greek holiday in a lively spot full of traffic, music, good food, restaurants, and boutiques. The small hotel is right on Hanioti's main plaza, and the staff were very nice and accommodating. If you're after somewhere remote and very quiet, this isn't the place.