Enorme Santanna Beach

The view is beautiful, and so is the hotel. The food was varied, healthy, and delicious. The staff were great, and hostess Mary was fantastic. She and Muhamed made us feel very welcome. I hope to come back someday.

There was an unpleasant sewage smell, and by morning I felt like I was in a cheap Egyptian hotel. The air conditioning in our room didn’t work, the terrace door wouldn’t open or close properly, and the shower had no pressure and only hot water. I reported it at reception, but the woman at the desk just repeated, blank-faced, that someone would come at 8 a.m. Nobody showed up. Like guests before me said, no one handles your problems. They simply don’t care. We’d been told a welcome champagne drink was waiting, but what we got was sparkling wine. That sums up the place: you expect champagne and end up with cheap bubbly. It felt overpriced and overrated. For this amount of money, you could have a much better time elsewhere, and maybe the staff there won’t even dislike you.

The staff were super friendly, and I never had trouble finding a cabana at the beach. The hotel sits apart from the busier town down the road, so the beach felt especially peaceful, with just hotel guests, open sand, and cliffs on the other side. I spent a whole week here and had a really relaxing time. The rooms were nice and always clean. Food was consistently good, and the drinks were amazing, especially the very cold beer.

This was easily the worst of the three hotels we stayed at in Crete. We visit Greece twice a year, and I’d avoid this place if you have a baby or reduced mobility. There are steep slopes and stairs everywhere, including at the bar, restaurant, and beach. We booked the sea-view room shown in the photos, but got a noisy room facing the main road, with constant traffic and hotel staff passing by. They even said it was “better for a baby.” There was no baby cot, just an unsecured sofa. How is a five-month-old supposed to sleep on that? We asked to change rooms and were told they’d call the next day. Nobody did. They later claimed they’d called the room, even though we’d told them we’d be out. It wasted our time and ruined our day. There was no apology or empathy, just “that’s how it is.” They don’t know how to manage anything. This isn’t a premium hotel, just a polished facade with poor service. If you have a baby or mobility needs, do yourself a favor and stay elsewhere.