Our week at this hotel got off to a frustrating start. Upon arrival, we were told we’d received an upgrade — great, we thought — only to be told it was for one night only. We queried this at check-in but were told there was no alternative. After a long day of travel, we gave in and went to the premium suite. While the room was lovely, we were annoyed — we didn’t want to unpack and repack just to check out and wait around for another room the next day.
We raised this with Guest Relations, and to her credit, she followed up later in the evening. But the only option offered was to stay in the suite for an additional €144 per night — which we understandably declined. The next day, we stored our bags and later accessed our new room, which, apart from the view, wasn’t hugely different than the suite. Frankly, the whole situation felt like a clever upsell tactic, rather than a genuine gesture. As for a gesture, showing someone a better room, then taking it away from them doesn’t make sense and inconveniences the start of the holiday. The room we eventually ended up in for the week was fine, it faced another building which didn’t bother us. The room was big enough and clean to a point. The bathroom was dated and well worn. Not unclean but as clean as could be. The shower water pressure is really good and it can be made hot; not that you’ll want that after a day in the cretan heat. We personally didn’t use the pool areas but they are small and congested as other users have stated.
What Worked Well:
• Rooms were clean (though a bit dated).
• Staff were generally friendly and helpful.
• Beach access is excellent, and loungers are free (except the first few rows, which are €15/day).
• Mini bar was restocked periodically.
• Beach towels provided.
• Toilets accept paper — which isn’t always the case in Greece.
• Drinks service on the beach — though the QR code menu doesn’t show alcoholic options, staff can take those orders directly.
Location:
Exceptional. You’re just five minutes’ flat walk from the old town and port, with cafés, shops, and restaurants lining the route. The beach is right across the road — calm, clear waters, though with a stone shelf and a drop-off that’s manageable once you know it’s there. There are plenty of nearby options for boat trips, car hire, excursions, and day trips to Santorini or Milos. A bonus: the area is free of aggressive street vendors, making walking around much more pleasant.
Food & Drink:
The food is of decent quality, though the selection is somewhat limited — likely due to space. You must book dinner slots, but we never had trouble getting a table. Drinks at meals are table-served, so service can be slow. Wine and beer are available, but a self-service option (common in many all-inclusives) would help speed things up.
Evening drinks are served via table service at the café near the entertainment space, which again leads to long waits. Allowing bar orders could ease the load on staff and improve the experience.
The speed of service can make it feel frustrating.
All-Inclusive: Confusing & Inconsistent
This is where the hotel truly falls short.
There’s no wristband system — instead, you give your room number every time and sign a receipt, even if the total is €0.00. It feels unnecessarily bureaucratic, inefficient, and wasteful, especially for a hotel that claims to promote sustainability.
Menus are app-based and awkward to navigate, with inconsistent pricing labels showing what’s included or not. For example, on our first night, we attended a Greek BBQ and wine tasting — assuming it was part of the “theme night” — only to find a €7.20 charge for a single tasting, with no clear signage or explanation.
Outside the all-inclusive, food and drinks are expensive, especially compared to excellent options just minutes away. This brings us to a bigger issue: the hotel doesn’t seem sure if it wants to be an all-inclusive resort or a premium a la carte experience — and ends up doing neither particularly well.
It often felt like all-inclusive guests were second-class citizens. We noticed paying guests often received faster, more attentive service. On more than one occasion, guests in front of us — who were paying as they went — received two rounds of drinks before we got our first. Staff at the evening café would often walk by without acknowledging us unless we called out directly.
Menus, the app, and the general communication style seem designed to encourage spending rather than making guests feel relaxed and taken care of. The whole process felt muddled and transactional.
Unequal Treatment in the Restaurant:
One of the more uncomfortable observations during our stay was seeing certain guests receiving noticeably special treatment. At meal times, the head chef would serve a select few guests more elaborate versions of the buffet food — plated beautifully, almost like an à la carte experience within the buffet. At first, we thought it might be dietary, but it quickly became apparent that it was the same people, receiving these dishes regularly and without explanation. One guest even challenged the front desk about this — we didn’t hear the response, but it was obvious that we weren’t the only ones noticing the inconsistency.
Final Thoughts:
If you’re not on a package (half-board or all-inclusive), this is a very expensive resort — and based on our experience, hard to justify as a 5-star. We’ve stayed at other Cretan 5-star hotels and found the value and service levels far superior. As others have said in reviews, the staff do their best — they work incredibly hard and are friendly and helpful. But there are simply too few of them to cope with the number of guests under the current system.
Until the hotel decides whether it wants to be a true all-inclusive resort or lean fully into a premium à la carte experience, it risks frustrating guests with unclear systems and inconsistent treatment.
That said, we still enjoyed our holiday — the location is excellent, and Crete is beautiful. But compared to other hotel chains and resorts, this experience felt muddled and overly transactional — with some aspects, like the surprise “upgrade” and drink delays, feeling borderline opportunistic.
Would we return? No — there are better guest experiences available in Crete for similar cost
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