Kalypso Cretan Village Resort and Spa

A bit off the beaten track, but a beautiful location, nice sized rooms, and a really good range of food for breakfast in the morning. Quite a few swimming pools, but also a sea inlet for swimming in too (although I didn't actually go in). Probably best located for people who want somewhere just to chill out in the hotel and surroundings, rather than going out to explore other bits of the island.

The facility is extremely scenic, but it's not conveniently located. You can't get a pool chair to save your life because people put towels on them in the middle of the night. The pools are salt water pools, which was rather strange. The bathrooms smell because there's no p trap. Our first night the air conditioner was broken and it was sweltering in the room. We didn't get a new room until 1:00 am. Also, it's on the water but there's no real beach there.

If you would like to spend your vacation away from it all, the Kalypso is where you would like to be. It is located between a mountain and a cliff on the Libyan Sea. The grounds are beautiful, including the swimming lagoon. We thought there was going to be a sand beach based off of the description of the resort, but you will need to travel a few kilometers away to find the sand beach. The terrain is difficult to navigate because of how mountainous it is...for someone with back problems, walking up many stairs and inclines could be troublesome. The hotel rooms are fine, but the bathrooms need some work...probably some new plumbing. The pools are beautiful but salt water...so if chlorine and salt water are your thing, enjoy the pools. Please note, though, the guests are allowed to claim chairs near the pool for the entire day, so if you do not claim one during the middle of the night, you will not enjoy the comfort of a chair. The resort offered a buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner that was plentiful, but not necessarily kid friendly. The wait staff was very friendly and helpful, especially the staff that was Greek. We did have a good time at the Kalypso, but we do not see ourselves going back there for another vacation.

Overall we enjoyed our stay as we had a car and we could go to Plakios for lunch and dinner (quite reasonable prices compared to other European euro rip-offs). The hotel location was stunning with the sea, the pools, the rocks and sun beds and as we spent nearly all our time outside, the poor quality of the hotel rooms did not detract from our stay. However for the record - the bathroom was not 4 star quality by any means. Appalling shower, curtain kept falling down, water not always hot and towels of very poor quality. In addition we did not get a double bed as promised - we had twins pushed together so we kept falling down the middle! TV all Greek (we didn't care but some might), no tea and coffee service, room cleaning poor e.g. glasses not washed and on the last day the beds not even made. They forgot our hand towels three times even though we complained. We did however get another pillow after asking - wow! Outside the room, breakfast was average - cooked food was cold most mornings. We had dinner once and very average. Went out after that. Tennis court also looked very poor quality. Pools nice and clean and fun for kids. Too much sun bed bagging but that's life. Evening entertainment - seemed quite lively. Lots of Poles staying there who were very civil and well mannered. Service at the main bar was very slow the night we stayed in. Needed more staff there.

Great view from this hotel. stuff almost did not know a word in English, but we recovered that... For two persons it is a great room with twin bed. it also includes a 3rd bed for a child. The TV is tiny 14" screen. was tough to see anything, compared to my LCD at home. I guess they count that you will do outdoors activities all day - sea, pool, gym, massage, so you will be too tired to watch TV... The signs to the hotel could be better, but asking few people helped us find the hotel. Breakfast, which was the only meal we had there, was a buffet, just little bit more than the very basic, and its quality was also basic minus (the orange juice which I could not drink, coffe - just the Grek coffe with no alternative, etc). The hotel is a very good value for the money.

When booking this hotel, I had some reservations, since there were a few bad reports in the past. My wife and I wanted to visit Crete and celebrate my 40th birthday in the romantic and gorgeous beaches and mountains. Well, Kalypso has been the greatest surprise of our last vacation. This was my 7th visit to Crete in the past 10 years, my favorite destination in the Mediterranean for vacationing, motorbike trips and both couples and family vacations. Kalypso is by far the best hotel I have stayed in on the island, especially for that price range! First, L O C A T I O N !!!! wow, a small paradise in the mountains, with that gorgeous fjord-like beach, simply heaven. Most of the hotel has been recently renovated; restaurant, lobby, terrace and pool furniture is brand new. Room furniture (bed, sofa, table & chairs) are brand new. The room was huge and nicely decorated, clean and very well maintained, and so was the bath room. Huge terrace with sea view was perfect for having a drink in the afternoon. Breakfast (we took BB) was gorgeous, with so many choices of yogurt, cereals fruits and vegetables, cheeses, meats and freshly made eggs and pastries. We will surely return to the Kalypso and its great hotel and nice staff. The proximity to Plakias was also a bonus, as it is one of the best small villages to visit in the southern area of Crete. A walking distance from the Kalypso are few of the best beaches in Crete. Getting a rental car would certainly widen the activity options in the area. Thank you Kalypso for a great vacation!