I Resort Beach Hotel & Spa

We arrived on 2nd September for a 14-night stay and got a lovely, friendly welcome from reception. We were glad we upgraded to a Seaview Room, especially one on the top floor. It was fabulous, and the lovely housekeepers kept it very clean. The restaurant hostesses were friendly, and the all-inclusive food looked good and tasted great, with lots of choice. Compliments to the chef for the stunning Mousaaka. Emmanuela served us at breakfast and lunch and was so friendly, like we'd known her for ages. In the evenings we always went to George, who was lovely, though he forgot to give me some Olive Oil to take home 🤣. The bar staff worked hard and we never waited long for drinks. Elli was so lovely and always had a beautiful smile. Evening entertainment was great, and Chloe, Joanne and Alessandro worked hard to keep on top of their schedule. Staff kept the pool area and beach clean and made sure we stayed hydrated. We chose this hotel for a chance to relax in peaceful surroundings after a tough few years since I was diagnosed with breast cancer 🩷. Well done to everyone for making the holiday memorable. Xx 🫶

Getting to the beach is easier than some reviews suggest, unless you need step-free access. There’s one flight of stairs just outside the dining room; it leads behind the hotel, and a left turn puts you on the path straight to the beach. We had a fantastic all-inclusive holiday. The welcome was warm, and staff showed us to our rooms. They were friendly and accommodating, even making sure our large group could sit together at meals. By the pools and on the beach, staff came over to take drink orders and bring them to us. Manwella deserves a special mention, she was amazing. Bus stop 29 is about a five-minute walk away, with buses to Héraklion for just 4 Euro per person.

The hotel says sunbeds can’t be reserved, but when I came down early, nearly all of them already had towels on them and nobody there. Only a handful of guests were actually using the pool, yet every place was blocked off. I raised it with reception and they did nothing. It felt like the staff didn’t care and the hotel wasn’t enforcing its own rules. Very disappointing. Unless you’re up at sunrise, you may not find a spot by the pool. That’s not what I expected from a 5-star resort.

The sea views and beach access were lovely from the start, and there are two quiet pools with hardly any kids. On day one, the staff were great and there was plenty of sun. But the problems built up as the stay went on. Our room, east 214, was beside the room-service store and staff room, so there was a lot of noise from 6:30 onward. The balcony looked out on unfinished buildings, and the kitchens sent up a smell of fryer fat. The lounge and pool bar staff were great, though there weren’t enough of them on busy evenings. We came out of the dining room at 9:10pm and watched the “international dancers” in the lounge, but didn’t get a drink until after 10:35. Shocking. Sunbeds were another problem. To have a chance of somewhere to rest during the day, you had to put a towel down around 8:30am. The music CD they played on a loop was good, though by day six I was getting tired of hearing it. These things wore us down even though we tried to make the most of our Five Star ?? Holiday. We won’t be back, sorry.