Ventale Island Breeze Resort

The meals were a highlight for me, fresh, delicious, and beautifully prepared, with the feel of authentic Crete. The restaurant manager brought a lot of joy with his consistently positive attitude. At Venatale Hotel in Crete, the manager was warm, friendly, and professional, and the whole team made me feel welcome from the moment I arrived. They handled every request with care and a smile, and the support throughout my stay was excellent. You can feel that they care about their guests. The apartments, service, atmosphere, and attention to detail were all lovely. It’s one of the best places to stay in Crete, and I can’t recommend it enough. Thank you for such a wonderful experience. I’ll definitely be back!

Everything went smoothly, from my first communication with the hotel right through to leaving. I felt welcome straight away, and the hotel was super clean. My room was comfortable, with a big, comfortable bed. Many thanks to Kiki and everyone I met during my stay!

I loved how peaceful and welcoming the resort felt at first. The staff were exceptionally friendly, the private pool was a real luxury, and the beach area had comfortable sun chairs that made it easy to unwind. The room was surprisingly noisy at night, though, and it disrupted our sleep. Cleaning also fell short, since the room often didn’t feel as fresh and tidy as it should have. Dining was a major disappointment too. The food was poor and consistently bland, and after a few dinners we’d lost our appetite. That really took away from what was otherwise a lovely stay.

The hotel’s remote location works if all you want is time at the beach or pool, but there aren’t many other activities nearby. They offer some gym and yoga classes, though they’re only briefly advertised at reception and easy to miss. The indoor and outdoor gyms are quite small. The hotel looks modern and elegant, the scenery is postcard-worthy, and it’s quiet and peaceful around the pool and beach. Staff were friendly, professional, and ready to help, and the beach has comfortable sunbeds. Those positives were outweighed by the food and other problems for us. The food was mediocre, far below what I expected from this hotel. Around 90% wasn’t homemade. Salads looked uninviting, the industrial desserts were inedible, hot dishes were often lukewarm and dry, and the kiwis were served raw. The two included dinners at the a la carte restaurant had a very short menu and average food, so one visit was enough. Even at the hotel’s premium price, half-board doesn’t include drinks, not even non-alcoholic ones. Lunch from the beach bar was just as mediocre as the buffet and a la carte meals, and cost twice as much as nearby local restaurants. We also caught norovirus during our week-long stay, as did many other hotel guests. The hotel was very clean and cleaners came daily, but it didn’t seem to follow the bleach disinfection protocols needed for norovirus. We only smelled bleach in our room after cleaning and saw hand sanitizer placed around the hotel once it was clear several guests had caught the virus. It had been circulating in the area for weeks, but staff didn’t tell us until after we got sick. If guests had been informed on arrival, they could have taken extra precautions. Our feelings about the stay were very mixed, and the hotel didn’t live up to its five stars. I’ve had better experiences at lower-star hotels.