Grand Hotel Holiday Resort

I booked a 60 minute hot candle massage after meeting the lovely Maria and Angi at the pool, they were out chatting to guests and answering questions about the services available aswell as offering a little taster massage to entice the guests in... safe to say it worked as Maria has magical hands aswell as being funny and kind, Angi is the sweetest, loveliest girl with a beautiful smile, excellent English and an adorable personality ❤️ I had a little issue with my initial massage with a covering therapist and I only mention this as I want to stress that the service is impeccable and they are very quick to rectify any issues and go on to exceed your expectations. The lady at the front desk with the lovely curls (I'm so sorry I forget her name) assured me they value their clients and have very high standards and this was proven by the way they rebooked me and looked after me. So with that out the way let's talk about Gianis... my lovely therapist. He was amazing and I would highly recommend - my standards are high with massage therapy as due to my job I get shoulder issues and go for regular massages at home. He was super sweet, friendly and professional and the massage was exceptional, he was very gentle but also strong and you can tell when someone just knows their craft. I had goosebumps at the relaxing bits as every touch was intentional and felt amazing, he constantly checked that the pressure was OK when working through the crazy knots on my shoulders. I left feeling blissfully relaxed and wishing I had went for the 90 minutes (top tip btw 😉) Thank you Aquavita ❤️

Firstly the hotel isn’t bad it’s just not family focussed. Would we stay here again… no we wouldn’t reasons below but mainly because it’s not catered for younger families in mind and defo isn’t disabled friendly. Thinks we liked… The food- most all inclusive hotels the food is not nice I would say the buffet style restaurant and the service here was lovely. Variety was needed but the food was tasty. The Greek- amazing service and lovely food again lacking in choice but lovely service. The views- amazing! The hotel is so clean we couldn’t fault the cleanliness. What we didn’t like… 1.The hotel is on a steep hill and although stated I never realised we would need a car every time we needed to use facilities- (no I’m not joking) 2. The Italian restaurant- poor service and food was awful! 3.The lack of facilities/Things for under 4’s. Although we knew we couldn’t use the mini club we could have access to the outside area but this is minimal and at night too dark to use. The splash park is at the top of the hill getting up and down you are waiting for the transfer which in my opinion isn’t great for families who use the splash park. The entertainment in the day is catered for over 10’s and night consists of a mini disco (lasts 20 minutes) and then a show which was awful. Two nights there is no kids entertainment, if this is something you choose this hotel for I would say look elsewhere. 4.The staff- the restaurant, the cleaners are lovely but I was not impressed with the remaining, bar staff are overworked and constantly worried that the cameras are watching and they may get into trouble- I got a straw once and my head was bitten off by the server saying I needed to wait for him to get it with a Que of five people! The guy who drives the mini bus to the beach is awful, unless you are blonde/thin and stunning you would basically be treated awful with no help. I would not recommend using the service as he was not reliable/ supportive or had any manors. Infact I complained because my mum struggles with steps and was basically fobbed off. He was disgusting with his snide under the breath rude comments and lack of respect for human beings. AVOID! 5.The location is just not great and although we knew was central the roads outside the hotel were lethal! 6.Lack of communication- the entertainment is not accurately communicated other than a board at the main pool which if you don’t access because your high up the top you would need to come down to check- an app would work better which they do have but don’t seem to make the use of. People could see activities and join them also.. something I seen in a TUI BLUE hotel we stayed in the previous year. Being on a hill meant that if you was down at the main pool you had to walk up the hill to get a snack in the afternoon this was not practical and confused why this is the case… All inclusive is 1030-2230 something we didn’t know about until we arrived… there’s no toasties or anything us British would expect on a snack bar.. only ice creams… having bottle water and lots of variety of drinks was a huge plus! So to conclude… there are a lot of things that we didn’t like but it was clean, food was nice (except for Italian) and the views were amazingly beautiful. We wouldn’t stay again and feel if you have younger children it would be best to read reviews to see if this is the hotel for you. Big shout out to George- bar man he was so kind and lovely and George the main man in the restaurant for being so gentleman like and helpful. Grand hotel was not the hotel for us but this hasn’t put us off staying in Crete again.

The spa and massage was amazing! My therapist Gianis was really expetionally! Thank you for the great treatment :) We like to come back here just for him😅

Let’s start on a high note—because Maria at reception and her lovely spa-sidekick deserve their own reality show. Friendly, chatty, and possibly part-time therapists, they made us feel like visiting your Mediterranean aunties. 10/10 for vibes. The room was nice and spacious. The pools were also on point: one for adults, one for kids, one for “slightly brave” adults, and even slides which we all thoroughly enjoyed with our 7yr old. Luca kept us entertained with Waterpolo, darts , aquagym and the kids' disco? I still hear the Baby Shark echo in my dreams. But then… the plot twist. The food situation quickly devolved into an Italian Groundhog Day: the same pasta and pizza, pizza and pasta, and repeat. If you’ve ever wanted to test how long you can survive on the same carbs alone—this is your moment. Also, if you’re half-board, prepare to embrace your inner peasant. You will get nothing unless you actively chase it down. Water? Hunt it. Coffee? Beg for it and tasted like sewage water. Tea? Only if you ask super nicely. And now… drumroll… the beach. Loungers? Nope. Nada. Zilch. You’ll be escorted with a little van to the beginning of Stalis Beach, where you’re lovingly kicked out and expected to shell out €10–€14 for the pleasure of reclining. Bring your own throne next time. And finally, the gym. Oh dear lord, the gym. It’s not just hot—it’s “Welcome to the seventh circle of Hell” hot. No air-con, no water, no towels, and if you make it out alive, congrats—you’ve sweat out all the sins of your halfboard choices.

Stayed at The Grand Hotel for a week All Inclusive as a family of 4. Overall we had a fantastic week. The views looking out from the hotel are stunning and all of the staff from the cleaners to the bar staff to the waiters and entertainers were friendly and happy to help. The rooms were clean and spacious and beds and towels were changed daily. Our room was located right near the main pool which was fab! The pools are fantastic and we spent time at all of them except the adults only pool. The fun pool which has a newly built splash pool is where we would go for lunch as it had a range of snacks available like cheeseburgers and chips, kababs and a variety of salad and pastas which you can help yourself to. Lots of drink and cocktail options by the pool bars however like all places I find these are always too strong and opted for a Shandy most of the time. Plenty of choice for breakfast buffet in the dining room and evening tea was always good with deserts being my favourite although I think there could be some more children’s options. Every night there was the same pizza, spaghetti and pasta sauce. If this was varied with nuggets, fish fingers and burgers on occasion I think the restaurant would then cater for all. Drinks on an evening for all inclusive guests stop being served at 10:30. Whilst this was not a problem for us I did find that the table service only for evening drinks could be slow and if you had watched the kids entertainment beforehand located at theatre, you had 15 minutes or less to get a table and hope you were noticed and served before 10:30 where you would then have to pay. It would be great if the hotel could introduce drinks that could be ordered on the app. The kids mini disco organised by Luca and the team was great however the entertainment after was not always good. We did enjoy the Circus show but the main issue is the uncomfortable amphitheater. This is made with concrete and although a “pillow” is offered when you enter, this is thinner than a car mat and offers no additional comfort whatsoever. Cushions need to be introduced… especially for the adults. We enjoyed a massage at the spa which was 50 euros each for 30 minutes neck back and shoulders. The water slides are fantastic and the life guards that operate there are so friendly and my daughter looked forward to going over each day. There is a buggy/cart located outside main pool that will take you to the fun pool as it has quite a steep incline to it. A black mini van that is located outside the hotel will take you to the beach. It does a loop so will also take you back when you’re ready but be prepared to wait a little. The only downside to the location is you’re a 30 minute walk to the strip of Hersonisos. We did walk it one evening which was a massive mistake. The roads are not safe and the side roads are also accessed by cars. There is no pedestrian path! On one side the side road disappears and we had to cross over what was essentially a duel carriage way back at home. Take the bus which picks up outside on opposite side of the road. It’s 2 euros each same price for kids and adults and you can’t get a return. You’ll have to pay again when returning. Stop 22 is the central strip. We visited the reptile rescue centre known as Aqua World. At first glacé it looks like an apartment block but for 10 euro per adult and 5 euros for kids it was a nice hour spent with giant tortoise and iguanas waking around and you could have photos and hold a bearded dragon. Stop 20 will take you to a 5 minute walk to Aqua World. When visiting Hersonisos you have main strip of shops but don’t forget to take a side walk which will then take you to strip of bars and restaurants. This is especially beautiful at night.

We had very good massage and time with Georgia. Angie find always time for us. We can highly recommend them. Thank you very much again!

the Resort is nice. What is outstanding is the friendly staff. Especially George who was driving us around daily in the Resort. The Spa was also Great. Highly Professional. I had a Massage and a Facial and was treated by Georgia. She was amazing. One of the best Treatments I ever had.i would come back only for this treatment by Georgia. Thank you again.

Where do we start? We were recommended this hotel as it was close to the chapel where we were married during our stay. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted as VIPs they knew exactly why we were staying there and kept us and our children in the same block of amazingly clean and modern apartments. Nothing was too much so. A special mention to a few, Nikko, George, Emanuel to name a few...attentive remembering our drinks from the 1st day! Staff, hotel and overall wow factor will mean we will return to enjoy our memories of such a perfect wedding. Thank you Grand Hotel and everyone who works tirelessly to make sure everybody feels special.

Georgia is very good ! the massage was great, it was like paradise! You absolutely must take advantage of it. Overall, the entire hotel is great

Beautiful hotel and holiday. Food was amazing. Staff generally very lovely and couldn't do enough fr you especially George in the restaurant who looked after us so well. Comfortable rooms, spotlessly clean. Would love to return