Danaides

The staff were really nice, and the hotel itself was beautiful. We’d expected more modern rooms, though. It got too hot for us, so you have to pay extra for the air conditioning. Nights could be a little noisy, but we still managed to sleep.

The pool and outdoor area were quite nice, and breakfast was good. But we couldn’t sleep because the club next door and the hotel bar played extremely loud music until 3am. We booked five nights and left after the first. The hotel wouldn’t give any kind of refund. We’d reserved a double bed but got two singles. When we raised it, the answer was, “That’s what we have, sorry.” The room was very basic for the price, and the air conditioning barely worked. It was only in the lounge, not the bedroom, and couldn’t cool the room enough. Breakfast was advertised until 10, but the waiter told us off several times for arriving late when we came down at 9:45. If you’re 19 and want to party until 5am every night, maybe this place suits you. Otherwise, avoid it.

The music from a dance club boomed into our room until 3am, which made for a terrible family stay. Staff didn’t seem to care and said we should have known. We left the next morning after our children couldn’t sleep. At checkout, all they asked was whether we’d left the keys. We know now that anyone who doesn’t want to party until 5am every day should avoid Danaides. We’d booked as a family, expecting a family hotel in central Malia, but the room didn’t match our booking: we got twin beds instead of a queen. Staff just shrugged and said, “Sorry, that’s what we have.” The rooms were outdated and far below what we expected for the price. One old AC unit was meant to cool two rooms, leaving one freezing and the other boiling. We asked for fans, but there weren’t any. I wouldn’t wish our experience at Danaides on anyone. Avoid it.

The garden area, pool bar, and cocktail bar out front are beautiful, and the people working there are extremely kind. We had a good time. We stayed in two apartments, and they felt like completely different places. The deluxe apartment was stylish, fairly new, and the best option we booked. Most of the studios are very old and need renovating. The hotel is right on Malia Main Street, between the supermarket and the party area, behind one of the best bars. Music from the club next door can make it hard to sleep, depending on how close your room is to the entrance. In the older studios, water floods out of the bathroom, there’s a bad drain smell, and the rooms are too hot for sleeping. The old furniture and fridge don’t help keep them cool. I found it odd that air conditioning costs extra. It’s the first hotel I’ve stayed at that charges for it, and the old units barely cool both rooms. It’s 8 euro a day, and the electricity runs through a card attached to the key, so you can’t leave the air conditioning on when you go out.