Esperides Resort Crete

Rating is more 3.5 to be fair. Positives - very well maintained throughout, spotlessly clean, room cleaned thoroughly every day with clean towels. Cleaner was lovely. Comfy bed and good pillows Rooftop bar was excellent and the 2 barman were so professional and friendly despite working long hours daily. Food was good we only had breakfast Some staff in reception were lovely others not so but did offer help when requested Excellent location Used the option to be taken to the beach/pool - 12.50€ each it was worth it due to issues noted below Negatives - we booked a premium deluxe room with balcony and whirpool with sea view. We could see the sea at a distance, our balcony was completely covered and had no sun at anytime of the day! Nothing like the pictures on the Jet2 website. We the had to use the pools.. pool 1 was tiny and completely overlooked by the dining area.and around 10 sunbeds only. The other pool was crowded and again little chance of a sunbed, loud music blaring just an awful area. Due to this we had to use a pool further down the street and pay for our lunch there. This pool was full of other hotel guests too. The rooms beside us had pools and they were also completely covered with no sun. Our bedroom was lovely but the sink was in the bedroom right next to the bed!

We had a fantastic 11-night stay at Esperides Resort at the beginning of September, staying in the new Signature area of the hotel in Room 543, and genuinely couldn’t have asked for much more. Room 543 was perfect for us. It’s very close to the Signature pool and had its own lovely warm plunge pool on the balcony, along with a double sunbed and table and chairs. The position was ideal too – we got the sun in the morning and then again later in the afternoon, while still having plenty of opportunity to relax in the shade during the hotter part of the day. The room itself was spotless and cleaned beautifully every day. A fresh bottle of water was left in the fridge daily and we also had a bottle of sparkling wine waiting for us on arrival, which was a lovely touch. One of the biggest benefits of staying in the Signature area is the atmosphere. The Signature pool was incredibly quiet, peaceful and relaxing, but you still have the option of using all of the other hotel pools if you want a change. Fresh pool towels are available every day and, during the day, staff would occasionally come around with fresh watermelon and freezing cold scented flannels – such a simple touch, but absolutely brilliant when you’re lying in the Cretan sunshine. The Signature area also has its own breakfast restaurant with a beautiful sea view. Breakfast was excellent, with a great selection of pastries, breads, yoghurts, porridge, fresh fruit, a made-to-order omelette station, hot fried breakfast buffet, teas, coffees and fresh orange juice. The breakfast team were fantastic – friendly, attentive and always happy to chat. We stayed half board but changed our evening meal to lunch on most days as we love going out and trying the local restaurants in the evening. This worked really well. There was always plenty of choice at lunch and the food was generally very good, including an ice-cream station which went down particularly well! We did have dinner at the hotel on two evenings and enjoyed both. The Greek night was especially good, with gorgeous chicken gyros. The location of Esperides is another huge plus. The hotel sits perfectly on the edge of Koutouloufari, with Piskopiano and Old Hersonissos (Ano Hersonissos) also within easy reach. These three traditional hillside villages were one of the highlights of our holiday – beautiful little streets, some fantastic restaurants and lovely places to simply sit with a drink and watch the world go by. If you enjoy being somewhere with character rather than surrounded by large resorts, the location is difficult to beat. There is also an excellent shop immediately next door to the hotel with a fresh bakery, which is perfect if you happen to miss breakfast or just fancy picking something up during the day. We in the end didn’t need it but the hotel had a luggage room, changing area and showers. Most importantly, the staff throughout the hotel were excellent. Everyone we dealt with was friendly, talkative, helpful and genuinely seemed interested in making sure guests enjoyed their stay. We came to Esperides wanting a relaxing holiday and that is exactly what we got. The combination of the Signature area, Room 543, the peaceful pool, excellent breakfast, great staff and the location beside Koutouloufari made it a fantastic 11 nights. We would absolutely stay again, and if we returned we would happily choose the Signature area – and Room 543 – all over again. Highly recommended.

Had a truly amazing holiday at Esperides . The hotel had a lovely authentic feel and really couldn’t fault it. We opted for a room with hot tub and was perfect after a day exploring on in the pool. We walked down to the sea a few nights which is about 15 minutes walk but all up hill on the way back but Piskopiano was only a few minutes walk and had a great choice of ships , restaurants bars and shops and such a great village to walk round

We had a wonderful two-night stay at Esperides Hotel. Everything was very clean and well maintained, the food was excellent, and the staff were exceptionally friendly and welcoming. The atmosphere was warm and relaxing, and we really enjoyed our time there. A lovely hotel in Koutouloufari, we would definitely stay again!

I don't often leave reviews anymore but this hotel needed shouting about. And I am FUSSY, so that's saying a lot. From beginning to end, our stay was fantastic. Upon arrival we had the most generous and unexpected greeting. Our suitcases were handled for us and we were escorted up to the reception where we were greeted with cool flannels and ice cold drinks. We were then given a little tour of the hotel by the most wonderful woman. It felt very personal and was a lovely welcome. Travelling with our two young children, we were given a room near the livelier pool. We had room 601 and we felt we couldn't have had a better room! Ground level, and walked right out into the pool area! Rooms are sound proof enough that you can't hear anything from outside too. Rooms were beautifully decorated, immaculately clean and spacious enough that we didn't all feel on top of each other. Rooms were cleaned perfectly every day, two new bottles of water every day in the fridge, coffee and tea replenished every day. The hotel rooms have phones to contact reception, but even handier they have whatsapp where we could message any request or concern at any time of day, Our 4 year old still uses a potty at home so we chanced it and asked the reception if they had a potty we could use during our stay. They told us to leave it with them. 10 minutes later they arrived to our room with a brand new, really cool designed potty! We couldn't believe it. Amazing service. I must also mention they provided us with countless plasters for my eldest and all of her casualties. Food was brilliant. Different theme every evening. Can't complain! There is something for everyone. Everything I tried was super delicious. All staff were incredible and brilliant with children. Very relaxed and nice atmosphere. There aren't people constantly walking around like it can be in resorts. Esperides is located in Koutouloufari and the is just a few minutes walk into the sweetest little typically-Greek village! Quiet enough in the daytime to wander peacefully, busy enough in the evenings to feel a relaxed community vibe. Lastly, I must add, this is the first holiday we have been on in which the car hire was actually cheaper at the hotel than elsewhere!