Esperides Resort Crete

We had a lovely massage from Aspa and Dimitris. The hotel was a good place to relax in October half term and I’m full from the buffet.

Myself and my wife enjoyed a week long stay in October. It was our first time to the island and we picked the hotel as it seemed to be different from a lot of the other hotels and it had offered a good deal as part of a package holiday. This included a free upgrade to half board. On arrival we were greeted at the entrance and taken to reception by buggy. We arrived on a late flight so they offered us a small plate of cold food (couple of wraps and a pasta salad) which was welcomed. The resort itself has many pros. We found the food options were great. For dinner, or lunch if you choose to swap, they had themed nights including Cretan, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean and Fish nights, so it wasn't the same food every day. The restaurant staff were excellent, very friendly and attentive. We turned up for the very start of the dinner slot at 7pm as later in the evening some had to wait to be seated as it was busy. Breakfast and lunch were less hectic. The resort has a lovely charm about it and you do feel like you're in a Cretan village. The rooms were very clean and little touches such as a coffee maker, fresh bottles of water each day and robes and slippers make it enjoyable. There was a supermarket next door for any essentials. The location in Koutouloufari is great for short walks through the villages, and we also walked down to the coast but you may wish to get a car or do excursions to see more of the island. There were a couple of things we wish we had known though. Our room was labelled as a one bedroom suite with land view. This just meant the bed was segregated by sliding shutters. We were pleased with the room, as it's a treat for us to stay in such a hotel. However, the soundproofing was poor so we could hear as people moved chairs above and there was an adjoining door which meant we could everything in the next room. We had a couple turn up next door at midnight, and we could hear their review of their room before they decided they would request to be moved the next morning. Our terrace was in the shade from about 10am, which we expected but we were next to the cleaning cupboard so workers were in and out all day. That didn't bother us but may others. The only thing we did have to report was the pool bar staff were smoking near our room at one point which we didn't appreciate. We got a nice response from the hotel and it didn't happen again so we assume it was dealt with. All in all we had a great stay. We'd give it 4.5/5 if we could.

We spent a week here in October 2026. We arrived late & offered a snack in the restaurant before being shown to our room - we had booked a Premium Suite with hot tub on balcony, the “suite” was more of a “room” & very different to the photos online, we complained to reception next morning & give them their due, we were given a different room straightaway, this one being more of a “suite” with lots more space!! Hot tub was great, especially as we arrived on the back of storms, was nice to chill in on the grey days! Hotel overall was nice & clean, staff were polite/helpful (barmen of an evening were great - Ogerit & Hendri i think, George our breakfast waiter was great too). Food - nice, bit hit & miss heat-wise, but lots of choice. My only gripe was no table water offered with lunch/evening meal, only bottled which were chargeable, but minimal in the grand scheme of life i suppose!! Adult only pool is a nice touch, comfy beds & bar too. Plenty of lovely restaurants & bars within walking distance, Piskopiano & Old Hersonissos within walking distance too and worth a visit. Would we return? Probably not, but we seldom do re-visit anywhere anyway - there’s a big wide world out there!! Overall rating would be a 7/10 from us.

Amazing hotel just returned from a fantastic weeks holiday. This Hotel is outstanding and the staff can't do enough for you from the moment you arrive. The rooms are amazing, we stayed in the signature adults only section & we were upgraded to a Seaview room with a hottub for our Anniversary with a bottle of champagne on arrival. We arrived late at night and they still made the effort to provide us with some food. Everything from the cleanliness to the food and the staff. The staff are an absolute credit to this hotel and too many wonderful team members to name. The location is great just on the edge of the village within easy reach. We had a lovely walk into Old Heronosis which is wonderful full of lovely restaurants. We will definitely be returning to this hotel...you won't be disappointed.

Really disappointed with this hotel, definitely not 5 star. We arrived late and shown to the restaurant (which by the time we arrived was empty even of staff) we were given a plate of food and left in there it felt a bit odd and would rather have been shown to our room and the food be in the fridge if we wanted it. Our room was ok a decent size but the layout was all wrong. The bed had a wooden base the had very hard sharp corners on the I kept banging my shins on as the gap between the bed and sofa was too small, my legs were full of bruises. On the first morning we were woken up early around 6:30 by the family in the next room the parents were just screeching constantly at the children, and dragging furniture around. This went on for 2-3 days and we asked to be moved. Where were given a room next to someone who was a resident there with a woman who never stopped shouting so we were no better off. The bathroom was disgusting with black mould and mildew everywhere, the door didn’t even fit the frame, the lampshade was thick with dust and so was the shower head. On the day of checkout the reception lady asked me if we’d enjoyed our stay and on telling her about it she was biting her lip as if trying to stifle herself from laughing. On the first morning at breakfast I was shouted at by a waitress for asking her for some cutlery as the table was not set, she shouted you need to ask the servers up there not down here she also came to our table and told us very sharply the restaurant was closing in 5 minutes ( there are better ways to tell people like can I just let you know the restaurant will close in 5 minutes if you are requiring any more food) she was rude to a few guests that I witnessed over the week. Some of the waiters were persistently asking you to sign the receipts for drinks interrupting you when eating. I did particularly find the staff friendly ( we had stay at Galaxy boutique hotel in June and the staff were amazing went above and beyond). The food was not of a great standard either ( we stayed here a few years ago and nothing near the standard it was then) our towels in our room were all frayed and the Naspresso coffee machine had Lidl own brand pods that were very bitter. We sat on the same beds around the pool most days and there was chewing gum on the umbrella base and the umbrellas were all ripped. This hotel needs updating if wants 5 star recognition.