Petras Beach

This is a small hotel right by the sea, on the road toward Vai Palm Tree Forest, the largest palm forest in Europe. It's about 2 km from Sitia, where there's a wide choice of restaurants, and a fully equipped beach is 500 m toward town. There is parking, and all rooms are on the ground floor, with either a sea view or garden view. The sea-facing rooms can be a little noisy during the day, but you're probably out exploring the island then. At night there's almost no traffic, so it's very quiet. The furnishings are basic, but the mattress was the best I've ever come across while travelling. Maintenance could be better: a bathroom pipe was leaking and a balcony lamp was loose, though neither seemed very serious. Don't skip breakfast. In season, there are apricots, peaches, plums and figs from the garden, plus oranges for fresh juice. Out of season, they serve jams made from those same fruits. The staff are kind and ready to help. Excellent value for money.

It's a little old, but that didn't matter to me. Super clean, with that just-cleaned-with-bleach smell, and the bathroom has been renovated. It was quiet enough to hear the waves at night. The staff were really nice, and it's an eight-minute drive to the center.

A good base for exploring this lovely corner of Crete, though not really a destination in itself. The rooms are good. We were there early in the season, before breakfast had started, so I can't comment on it. Nearby Sitia has fantastic breakfasts anyway. The beach across the road is safe for children, but adults may find swimming difficult because of the sloping rocks beyond the safe pool area. There are fantastic beaches farther east. It worked for us.

We had a wonderful time at petras beach. The rooms were clean, and the place is simple, nothing fancy. The owners were very kind and kept trying to make our stay as good as possible. They also had good suggestions for restaurants and beaches. For such a low price, you can't expect much more.