Annabelle Beach Resort

Thomas is a great bar tender very friendly made me feel very welcome very nice guy

This hotel is advertised as a 5-star, but in reality it feels more like a 3-star, possibly a 4 at best. The rooms are quite basic and the furniture is dated. Facilities were disappointing — although there are three pools, only one was open during our stay, and the so-called “fine dining” restaurant wasn’t open at all. The food was acceptable but very repetitive. The beach is small and stony, and the hotel itself is quite isolated. There was construction work next door, and noise from a nearby hotel most evenings, which took away from the overall experience. Bar service was poor, with long queues and often only one staff member serving. At one point, staff were repeatedly cleaning the same table while guests were left waiting in line, which was frustrating. The hotel doesn’t cater particularly well to English-speaking guests. Most visitors were French and German, and the entertainment was primarily in French. Getting around without a car is difficult. A taxi to Heraklion costs around €85 return. We took the bus, but the nearest stop is about a 40-minute walk from the hotel, followed by a 25-minute journey. In all honesty, Heraklion itself wasn’t particularly impressive — mainly shops, although the castle was nice, and there were quite a few beggars. If you do stay here, I’d strongly recommend renting a car. We visited Spinalonga, which was beautiful and definitely worth the trip (around an hour’s drive). The route does involve high mountains with steep drops and narrow roads, so it’s not for nervous drivers. We also stopped at Amazonas Park on the way back, which is high up in the mountains and well worth a visit. Overall, it was decent value for what we paid (£850 + £115 extra), but I wouldn’t pay more than £1,000 per week for two people. I also wouldn’t recommend this hotel for couples with young children or for elderly guests. There’s a lot of walking involved, with hilly and uneven surfaces throughout the resort. You need to be reasonably fit to get around comfortably, unless you’re prepared to rely on taxis.

We really enjoyed our stay at this hotel and would definitely recommend it. It offered excellent value for money. The staff were very friendly and welcoming, and the food was delicious. They served Greek cuisine with a different selection each night, which kept things interesting, and the desserts were especially good. Drinks were served in glass, which was a nice touch, and the snack bar also offered very tasty food. The hotel’s location right on the beach was a big bonus, and we appreciated being able to change beach towels daily at no extra cost. The rooms were a bit dated, but this was clear from the photos, and the great price more than made up for it. It’s also worth noting that there is quite a lot of construction work around the hotel at the moment. This isn’t the hotel’s fault, but it did affect some areas for walking around. Overall, we had a lovely stay and would happily return.

Arrived few hrs ago 1st impression on the place is I can't understand how it made it 2 a 5*, truthfully I av stayed in a lot better 2&3* hotels, the room is tidy but it certainly is far from clean, looking 4ward 2 in the morning so I'll be able 2 c a lot better in the daylight

APPALLING HOTEL APPALLING JET2 CUSTOMER SERVICE FALSE ADVERTISMENT I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND JET2HOLIDAYS NOR THIS HOTEL Hotel is nowhere near the official 5 star it rates itself as nor is it anywhere near the 4 star jet 2 downgraded it to. This is the worst hotel we have stayed it. Poor facilities, poor standards, poor hygiene and insufficient staff to cope with demands Having raised these issues in detail with jet 2 at the time and on returning home complete with photographic evidence we got a very short reply stating that the hotel is in need of some attention and that’s it. Due to the poor response/ customer service i have escalated this to ABTA Communication poor On arrival very little information provided about hotel just given room key and shown a map on the back of keycard Told where and when to collect towels Towels changed every 2 days Safe key Late checkout room Carol advised us 2 days before departure Reception lady on the morning of departure Reception man 1 day before Luckily Carol sorted this out for us on the thurs before we left Rooms Clean but bathroom in need of some maintenance bath towels threadbare most of time and often had holes in them cracked shower screen Mould around bath and sink Paper cups for coffee + stirrers very rarely got replaced Bottled water only provided on day of arrival and we were told that was it. Whereas other people we told it got it replaced every day Fridge not cleaned on arrival nor during our entire stay Pool Issues The pool area and the pool wasn't cleaned during our entire stay. Pool/ beach towels provided threadbare often with holes in them and could only change every 2 days The sunbeds at the top pool and the beach Filthy as never cleaned Unable to use a lot of sunbeds as the recliner part could not be used as "teeth" broken so can't angle etc Holes in sunbeds Pool has objects like glasses and plastic rings floating round the bottom. This was there from day 1 of our holiday and still there when we left Pools have grime and mould growing around the sides and bottom of them. Again, from day 1 until we left. Mould floating around the pools Chairs and tables around pool and beach bar in poor state. Chairs were ripped at seams, had holes in them to the point that when my wife sat on one of these chairs, she nearly fell through it Parasols in poor state of repair, some with no pins so can't put up Restaurant There seemed to be never enough staff to clear the tables or set them. Every meal time was a challenge to find a clean table. Tables often cleared nor set. We often had to set our own. Please note we sat in twos or four to make it easier Often running out of cups (in the morning) and plates Glasses cracked/ chipped Food not even luke warm, meat tough as it had been overcooked and cooked in advance and left by the side until required. Also, poor quality as fatty and gristly Vegetarian options are limited to the salad bar or cooked vegetables. No protein options apart from eggs at breakfast Carol introduced me to the restaurant manager but when I asked if they can make me an omelette told it’s very difficult as the kitchen is very busy. So, it was eggs for breakfast, Greek salad for lunch and eventually gave up with evening meals and often ate out as we just didn't need the stress or hassle People using the same spoon for bacon or other meat products and then using the same spoon for beans or other vegetables Finding sausages in the beans as people had been careless. Just don't understand why vegetables and meat products are placed next to each other A La Carte Restaurant. Being an A La Carte restaurant, we expected a set menu, waiter/ waitress service and food cooked to order and hot. However Had to go and get your own salad Food for the entire menu had already been cooked and left in the buffet trays under heat lamps waiting to be served. As a result: Soup arrived cold Mains arrived cold. Fish was sent back, which was then microwaved to heat up and returned to my father-in-law Lamb cold and tough, fat in lamb had jellified Vegetarian pasta dish. Enough spaghetti to feed 4/5 people with a tiny amount of sauce Bars & Service Service extremely slow as only ever 1 bar person serving, cleaning etc. Always seem to be a queue at the bars. limited to just 4 options these were pre made, stored in jugs and never changed once during our stay Local alcohol poor quality compared to turkey, Egypt etc Mixers such as coke poor quality. Tasted like carbonated water with a hint of flavouring. Making drinks even worse. We started buying our own coke, Fanta and sprite which made the alcohol tolerable Coffee at bars again poor quality as no attention paid to it Summary Hotel seems to be being run down and it seemed like everything was done with minimal effort/ input/ spend. I'm not sure whether this is because of the issues they had July/ august this year when I believe the hotel had to be shut down for a deep clean and this has hit them financially. I have taken a lot of photographs of the poor state this hotel is in and have attached some of these as an example of the issue encountered Officially 5* nowhere near. The cynical side of me tells me that this is purely so that they can charge guests maximum climate charge I'm not sure, based on our experience, it deserves 4*, when I compare it to all the hotels we have stayed over the numerous years of travelling. During our stay we spoke to numerous people, many of them repeat customers who'd been 3 or 4 times and they encountered the same/ similar issues and even they said they won't be back