Ariadne Beach

We're here now at the Ariadne Beach in Agios Nikolaos and can honestly say it's exceeded all expectations. The hotel is lovely, peaceful and relaxing, making it the perfect place to unwind. What really makes this hotel special, however, is the staff. Every member of the team goes out of their way to make guests feel welcome and looked after. A special mention must go to Maria on reception, who is always friendly, professional and incredibly helpful. Tanasis at the pool bar is fantastic, and the restaurant team – Stavros, George and Manolis – are always smiling, attentive and a real credit to the hotel. The facilities are excellent, with two great pools, plenty of sunbeds and no need to rush out early to reserve one. The whole hotel has a calm, relaxed atmosphere which makes for a genuinely enjoyable holiday. The Spa too is great and we'll worth a visit. The food is another highlight. There's a fantastic selection every day, including fresh fruit, salads, hot dishes and a wide range of delicious desserts. The quality and variety has been consistently impressive throughout our stay. Overall, this is a wonderful hotel with a great location, excellent facilities and, most importantly, outstanding staff who genuinely care about their guests. I would not hesitate to recommend it and, for the first time ever, it is a hotel I would happily return to in the future.

Beautiful views in a peaceful location. The staff were always exceptionally helpful, the room was spacious, clean and had everything we needed. The whole resort is lovely, we found it very relaxed and quiet. The pools, bars and restaurants were all very good, the breakfasts and dinners were tasty with good variety and quality of food. Definitely value for money. There are a lot of steps to most of the rooms, but we knew that before we booked and didn’t mind the exercise!

Three star hotel wishing it was five star! Firstly the room was not as shown in the brochure as some rooms have been updated and some haven’t unfortunately we were put in one of the rooms which hadn’t been updated and as such found it small pokey and shabby. The mattresses are rock hard and after three days of hip pain I had to speak to reception who told me I was the only person to complain as guests came for the beds! Needless to say a softer topper was put on the bed the same day…..strange that they had toppers if no-one ever complained????? The bathroom hadn’t had a good deep clean for what looked like months as the tiles had lots of limescale and soap marks. Some of the tiles behind the door look like someone had been sick on them. Housekeeping seems to only wipe the wash basin down and clean the toilet. Towels don’t get changed often enough either. The restaurant food is repetitive and we found ourselves eating out more and more for variety. The ambience of the restaurant was more works canteen than 5* hotel! The hotel is clean in general in all public areas. Pools are kept clean. Sunbeds are uncomfortable and some are falling apart….bring your own towel for a little extra comfort. Most definitely not for those with mobility issues as there’s lots of steps without handrails and steep walks to the rooms higher up in the hillside. Only one bottle of water on arrival in our room then none after that. Beach towels are provided on arrival but not how to change them as no information is given (in the spa). Hotel entertainment is none existent unless you count an old man on a cheap keyboard playing music in his own way with what looks like his granddaughter singing with him! Then theres saxophone man or DJ night. Cringe/tedious! People smoking outside but it all blowing indoors made me feel ill. Oh and we were all inclusive but not all cocktails and drinks were included! Even the safe wasn’t included!

We have had a wonderful week here.

Having a wonderful week’s stay at the Ariadne Beach, our second time in the last few years. We just love coming back. I visited the Aegean Spa at the hotel and had a fantastic Cretan massage by Mikaela - I can highly recommend. Eleni in spa reception was also very hospitable and helpful, giving me good tips for local bars in town to visit and places to visit.