Amirandes - A Grecotel Resort to Live

I had a very nice stay at this hotel and can recommend it. The architecture is beautiful and gives the whole place a special atmosphere. The restaurants offer a good variety of food and everything I tried was very good. I stayed in a bungalow and the view from the room was great. The rooms are well equipped, the beds are very comfortable and everything was clean. The staff was friendly and helpful throughout the stay. The only downside was that the pool was not heated, which made it hard to use when it was a bit colder. Also the sauna and fitness room are quite small and not really what you would expect from a five star hotel. Overall still a very good experience and I would come back.

The Amirandes Resort is a stunning looking hotel, in the style of a Minoan palace, with stepped terraces, lawns and infinity pools giving views onto the sea, to giving the place a stylish atmosphere. It is impressive in that it caters for both couples and families who want a relaxing stay. There are lots of admirable qualities about the Amirandes. We checked in after midnight due to our flight being delayed. We were met by a very polite and attentive porter who checked us in smoothly and efficiently and took us to our room by buggy. We were delighted to find in the room some wraps and sandwiches, and a bottle of sparkling rose, a nice touch after a long journey. All of the staff we encountered whether they were serving in the restaurant, at reception, porters or housekeepers were friendly and keen to help. The face to face interactions we had were very good, but the WhatsApp concierge service less so. It’s only monitored up to 5pm and when we sent a question we got no reply. Reception did call us to ensure we were enjoying our stay after a couple of days. The room we had was very comfortable. It had a king sized bed, air conditioning, TV with international channels, a large amount of wardrobe and drawer space, excellent wifi, safe, kettle, coffee machine, fridge, good lighting and a good sized balcony with great inland views of the mountains and hotel grounds, which we spent a lot of time enjoying. The bathroom was also good, with a superb shower, bath, good sized sink and mirrors and hairdryer. There were plenty of towels. The only downside was that there were few places to put things, just a small trolley. Housekeeping was excellent, the cleaning was excellent and the service efficient and unobtrusive. Some of the furniture was a little worn and veneer chipped on the wooden fittings. All of the hotel grounds are superbly maintained and the gardens maintained beautifully. The room had an ironing board which I found a little tricky to fold away but was good to put up. The hotel has a large number of amenities including a convenience store, clothes boutique, jewellery store, a huge poll, kids club, spa, heated indoor pool, tennis courts, football pitches, spa, lots of loungers near and on the beach (we particularly liked to relax on the loungers on the lawn by the beach). There is a tap by the steps up from the beach to the hotel to get rid of sand. We also liked to spend time in the library on our last day, which is very stylish, it felt like we’re sitting in someone’s apartment! We stayed at the Amirandes during Orthodox Easter, so there were a lot of activities going on including a lovely lamb BBQ lunch with musicians and dancers, that allowed staff and guests to mingle and enjoy the best of Cretan hospitality. The location of the hotel was good, with a 20 minute walk along the beach and promenade to the local town of Kato Gouves, where there are local shops, car rentals, tavernas etc. and a ten minute walk up to the main highway, past a small but convenient local supermarket run by a nice couple, where there are buses to Heraklion or the east of the island. In the other direction along the beach past a small wetland nature reserve is another resort town of Analipsi which also has shops and tavernas. The food options we had at the Amirandes consisted of buffets at breakfast and dinner on a half board basis in the main restaurant. Sadly, the Cretan restaurant on site was not open during our stay, but there was also a fine dining and Asian restaurant which we did not eat in but they were open. The breakfast buffet was very good, with a wide choice of cold meats and cheeses, salads, bread, juices, yoghurt, cereal, fruit, eggs, and hot choices. Omelettes are made to order from a charming lady who cooks them superbly. If you are planning an excursion a packed breakfast can be ordered the day before. Service at breakfast was very good, with quick orders for beverages at the table. The food was hot and plentiful. The dinner buffet was extensive, with different dishes each night, with salads, pasta, hot dishes, breads, a meat carving station and a vast array of fruit and desserts. Some of the dishes I found were a little cold and popular dishes often ran out quickly. Service in the evening was not as good as breakfast. They do warn you as to when the busy times are, but regardless of this there were occasions when we had to queue, and there were evenings when we had to wait an age to get drinks ordered and we were never asked if we wanted more drinks. It was the least efficient part of the whole of our stay and at times very frustrating. We were on two occasions nearly on dessert by the time we got our wine. Check out was excellent. We were quickly and efficiently served and we were given the use of a shower room before our late departure, which was a nice touch and let us go to the airport feeling fresh. We very much appreciated this touch. There are lots of places to sit and await pick up in the hotel, but a lot of the seating I felt was a bit style over substance, as they looked good and suited the aesthetic of the hotel but were not comfortable to sit in for a long time. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at the Amirandes, a good mix of relaxation and activity is available there to suit most tastes.

Just back from a week at this hotel, and we honestly can’t say enough positive things about it. The hotel is lovely and really well maintained. The staff are all amazing and happy to help. We even had one of them spot us at a local bus station and ask if we needed help with anything. The food was different every night and always tasty. We would definitely go back and stay here again.

Our stay at Amirandes was a dream !!! My family and I my self we are super active even on holidays this is what we enjoy …. We met a wonderful trainer and athlete Costas and we dive in his sports program directly from the first day till the last !He is incredible person with a lot of ideas and even at his free time we was playing padel !!!!Thats a good reason to return back as my 18 years old daughter she is excited with him !Thanks for the wonderful trainings and memories and this is not a goodbye ,see you soon !

I just returned from 7 days there. I can't praise the resort staff enough, specifically Dorothea and Marina. I booked specifically for the Easter celebrations and they made every effort to include me knowing I was travelling solo. I never felt uncomfortable. The Sunday roast lamb lunchtime celebration was my favourite part and free of charge. I can't comment on the location as I had no desire to leave the resort, everything I needed is there. The food was excellent, both buffet and a la carte. I would definitely return.