Mon Repo Suites

You can spend a lovely morning having breakfast by the pool, then settle in there for the day. The hotel is small and family-run, with a warm feel, spotless rooms, daily cleaning and fresh towels, plus bed linen changed every three days. The food was delicious, especially the gyros, which you should try. The staff helped with everything, even arranging a boat rental and transfer or booking a dinner reservation wherever we wanted to go. We had a wonderful stay and would happily recommend it.

That private pool at our room was amazing. The general pool and pool bar are a little farther down the road, with simple, tasty food at a good price. Across the road, Akropolis serves a good meal for a decent price compared with elsewhere on the island. Breakfast was included and served at the pool bar. It was a huge spread: toast and jam, eggs, cake and another sweet, fruit, yoghurt, cheese and ham, plus coffee and orange juice. It was tasty and kept us going nearly until dinner, though I did gain some weight. Vegetarians should know the ham and cheese arrive touching on the same plate, so you need to ask each day to separate them or leave out the ham. Sakis and his family made us feel at home, and were easy to approach if we needed anything. We hardly needed help, but it was reassuring to know it was there. On arrival we could buy bottled water for the trip, which saved a walk to the supermarket, and one bottle was already cold in the fridge. Sakis had remembered our names and nationality when we arrived, greeted us in our language, and sat down with us for a drink and a map. He marked out places to see, things to do and restaurants, and also mentioned a few places to skip. We could choose for ourselves, but his local advice was useful. We drove to one of his favourite spots, and the view was spectacular and worth the trip. The recommended restaurants were good, and mentioning Mon Repo got us a great table, so do use that. Laganas Road, with its clubs, bars and tourist shops, is about a 5 to 10 minute walk away. The beach is about 15 minutes off, with nice bars and restaurants for a cocktail. The hotel was a great choice, especially for the hospitality from Sakis and his family, and of course that private pool.

Nikos and his father made us feel right at home, and Nikos shared lots of good places to eat and visit. We had a wonderful time. The location worked well too, around a 10 to 15 minute walk to the beach and restaurants.

The pool is a decent size, about 15 m, with plenty of sunbeds whenever we went. There’s also a billiards table in the pool area that seems to cost extra to use. The snacks available on site were good, though prices felt high for hotel guests. Laganas was more expensive overall than our previous stay in Stalis, Crete. We had a friendly welcome and got useful tips about the island. The room was clean but small, and the air conditioning worked strongly and efficiently. Ours faced the street, and the poor sound insulation meant traffic was clearly audible. If you’re a light sleeper, ask for a room facing the back or on a higher floor. Breakfast was the same basic set menu every day: carton juice, white toast, a small cake and croissant, scrambled egg, a few slices of cheese and meat, yoghurt and a small fruit bowl. We’d told the hotel about food allergies beforehand, but there were no alternatives, nothing milk-free for my wife’s allergy or suitable for a no-bread diet. That was our biggest disappointment. The staff were helpful and hospitable, and the facilities were decent, but the street noise and the unchanged breakfast that couldn’t accommodate allergies held the stay back. Our ratings: comfort 8/10, cleanliness 7.5/10, facilities 7/10, breakfast 5/10, snacks 8/10, and hospitality and helpfulness 8/10. Overall we gave it 7/10. We were there in early September. The owner said July and August are even busier. The main street isn’t a good place to be late at night: we saw many drunk tourists and people soliciting around drugs. If you’re after a lively party scene, you may like it. Otherwise, consider staying off the strip late and using side streets. Before booking, confirm allergy options in writing if you have dietary needs.