Iberostar Waves Creta Panorama & Mare

We had a fantastic stay at Iberostar Creta Panorama and are already planning to return. One thing that could be better is the half-board drinks arrangement: you get premixed drinks, and a soft drink costs €3,70. A bottle of soda would be nicer than a glass dispensed from the machine. The staff were so welcoming that we felt at home right away, and the rooms were clean. The gardens are beautifully maintained, the hotel is large and lovely, and there are plenty of pools and sunbeds, as well as a new water park that children will enjoy. The recently renovated bungalows are modern, stylish, and comfortable. Breakfast and dinner were always delicious, with lots of choice. When our son had a small accident and needed a hospital visit, the hotel immediately offered to pay for the taxi both ways. We'll remember that kindness.

The sea view was nice, but the beach at the hotel wasn't, and we liked the beaches away from the property much more. We also chose to drive elsewhere for dinner after trying the restaurants twice. The food wasn't good, and neither were the restaurants. Having stayed at other Iberostar resorts in the Caribbean, where we were very impressed, we joined The Club and expected a similar experience. Instead, our newly remodeled room, described as an upgrade, lacked features. The shower drain overflowed, leaving us to use every towel we had to soak up the bathroom floor. The front desk then acted as if bringing replacement towels was a favor, and left them on a patio chair without taking away the wet ones. This wasn't what I expected.

The holiday was nice, and a big thank you to the cleaning and restaurant teams. They were always pleasant and smiling. The room and site were very nice, though the buffet and facilities were only average. The indoor pool wasn't heated, and there was no tennis court. The website didn't make it clear what to expect. Reception was completely disorganized, with staff who seemed untrained or incompetent. We got no service or help, and it nearly spoiled the stay.

We'd give the hotel 7/10. It's decent value for the price and a good option for families, with lots of activities for children aged 4-12. We spent our honeymoon here at the end of September 2025. We booked through an agency, and the website photos were misleading about the rooms since only a small part of the hotel has been renovated. Our seaside bungalow was quite old and smelled a little damp. That was a surprise when we arrived, so we paid extra for a bungalow with a private pool, which I absolutely recommend. The front desk manager was very kind and helpful, and the cleaning staff did a great job each morning. The hotel was always very clean. Staff and animators were generally polite and kind, with activities organized throughout the day. The food was okay, but as a picky eater I found breakfast, lunch, and dinner repetitive, with little variety. There are three separate restaurants, but you can book each only once during your stay. I wouldn't recommend the Greek restaurant, the food there seemed to be reheated from lunch. The Italian was decent, but some of my seafood had sand in it. The barbecue was the one good option, a 10/10, though we could only book it once too. We rented a car from Hertz inside the hotel and felt we were scammed: they charged us 130€ for a basic car for 24 hours. We weren't familiar with car rentals in Greece, but people we spoke to who rented at Crete airport paid 370€ for 17 days. The Hertz woman also kept calling to ask when we'd return the car, even though we clearly said it would be in the morning, not at night.