Castello Village Resort

Just returned home from a really lovely stay at Castello Village. Can I just say how friendly and helpful all the staff were, the animation team led by Jasmine were just great, as were all waiting staff and cleaners. Our rooms were cleaned daily as were all the general areas. We did have an issue, which wasn’t a direct problem with the hotel, but Katerina very quickly and professionally resolved the issue we had, which made our stay even better! Our two teenagers loved it, especially the ‘vibe!’ We went on a B&B basis, purely because we like to go to different restaurants on vacation, but the breakfasts were great with a good selection of cooked food, charcuterie selection as well as fruits, pastries, yoghurts and breads and hot and cold drinks. We did stay for dinner and we were all very happy with the selection and quality of the food on offer. Please come and stay here, we loved it!!

First off, I would like to note that this was our first time visiting Greece, so we are not entirely familiar with local hotel standards. LOCATION: ✅ The hotel is located in the beautiful village of Sissi, with plenty of shops, cafes, restaurants, and tavernas nearby. ❌ If you plan to visit attractions in Heraklion, Rethymno, Chania, or further away, renting a car is essential. Expect to spend 2 to 5 hours driving per day depending on the distance, making the location less convenient if your goal is sightseeing rather than strictly relaxing. GROUNDS & ROOMS: ✅ The hotel is tidy and clean, featuring two swimming pools with a sufficient number of sunbeds. The rooms are exceptionally spacious, equipped with air conditioning, and cleaned daily (fresh towels, trash removal, and floor cleaning). ❌ Soundproofing in the rooms is somewhat poor, which may be an issue if you have noisy neighbors. ❌ Check-in is only available between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM (14:00–15:00), which is quite inconvenient. FOOD (COMPARED TO OUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES IN TURKEY): ✅❌ Breakfast (50/50): Most items are cooked in a lot of oil (even eggs are slow-cooked in a pan full of oil). The food was either undercooked (such as the scrambled eggs) or overcooked (hard-boiled eggs). My fiancé is not a picky eater at all, yet even he struggled to find suitable options. We ended up eating sandwiches almost every day. When available, the pancakes were good, and the daily selection of pastries and cereals was enjoyable. Juice, water, coffee, and tea are provided. ❌❌ Dinner: We would not recommend booking dinner at hotels in Greece; it is far better to visit local tavernas and restaurants to experience authentic cuisine, which was largely missing at the hotel. Dinner options were very limited, unpalatable, and excessively greasy. The desserts felt low-quality (mostly simple sponge cakes with cream). Pros: Fresh fruit was always available, including delicious watermelon and melon. ❌❌ Dining Environment: Stray cats are common throughout Greece, which is understandable and hard to control entirely. BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, proper hygiene must be maintained in dining areas. Around two out of five cats present showed visible signs of illness (one had apparent necrosis on its nose, and another had an oral infection). It is the hotel’s responsibility to ensure a clean dining environment by arranging veterinary care, shelter placement, or relocation for sick animals. STAFF: ✅❌ The staff is generally friendly. However, on a couple of occasions when we declined extra drinks at dinner, we were immediately asked which country we were from, which felt odd and somewhat impolite. Overall: We would recommend this hotel only if booking the breakfast-only option.

Located 40 minutes from the Irakleion airport (€120 taxi fare) + 20mins taxi from Malia the main town. Hotel is actually on Sisi which is a much quieter area, rocky beaches in front (inaccessible) nearest sandy beach from hotel is 15 mins walk. Hotel did not represent as shown on pictures, and the structure was already quite outdated. Two swimming pools but both were small. However, the staff were wonderfully friendly and helpful, especially the kitchen staff. Particularly a waitress called Aiza, she spoke English and she was very friendly.

Deceptive Photos: The room looks nothing like the glowing pictures online and feels like a cheap basement cell. None of the photos are up to date, the pool pictures used on the websites are at least 15 years old. The common areas were redone in 2010 (employee feedback). Many cockroaches in the rooms and common areas. The neighbors saw a big mice in their room (the escuse from reception staff was that "we are in outdoor environment, and that's normal"). Breakfast: Fair variety very low - poor quality. Concrete Block View: Our "sea view" upgrade meant squinting past an ugly concrete wall to catch a tiny sliver of water. Dark and Dismal: The lighting is so pathetic you need a flashlight just to find your clothes in the dark wardrobe. Falling Apart: Scuffed walls and peeling paint prove that management completely ignored maintenance. Unusable Pool: The small, noisy and overcrowded pools are completely uninviting and useless for swimming. Terrible Vibe: The afternoon bar blasts obnoxious, high-volume club music that completely destroys any chance of peace or relaxation. The main barteneder is very rude. Entertainment: Was missing....... Total Rip-Off: Do not waste your money on this cheap disaster. So far from being a respected 2 - 3 stars resort. Do not hesitate to invest a few extra euros for a good stay.

We're just home from the most beautiful 10 day family holiday. Cannot rate this hotel, or it's location enough. Smooth check in, a beautiful and spacious room that was cleaned daily, water given, fresh towels. The communal spaces are clean and well kept, pools are lovely. The food was lovely, different salads daily, lots of choices. Our children aged 12 & 7 filled their plates with lots of choices. The staff are what make this hotel they work so incredibly hard. Special mention to Ervis because he looked after us, mainly, he's so friendly, happy to help, made us laugh and really took to the kids asking for multiple ice creams. He knew us and our preferences after day 2 and made it really personal. All the dining staff were fantastic and attentive. Again, Special mention to the 2 in the animation team..Chris and Jasmine. Their enthusiasm, and friendly faces really made our holiday. They work so hard at making sure people are entertained and take time to get to know you without pushing you into an activity should you not want to. Entertainment good we had...singer, a fab DJ, dancers. Music around the pool, but not too much or too loud and a great mixture. Our favourite activity was aqua gym, and there was water polo. The location is great. Sissi harbour is just stunning and with spectacular sunsets! Plenty of restaurants, bars. Chilled but a nice busy vibe also. You can swim in the harbour. 2 beaches nearby both with facilities and a bar each. One is shingle, one is sandy...about 7 mins from hotel is the furthest. I could go on, but you wont be disappointed and Sissi memories are now etched in our hearts.