Hersonissos Palace

Great hotel location – in a quiet area close to the beach, yet within walking distance of the town and tourist attractions. The food was excellent and the hotel staff were extremely friendly and welcoming. We have never experienced such kindness from people anywhere else as we did in Crete.

Stayed here for 10 days on our honeymoon!! Very disappointed. Rated as 4 star but way below. Arrived late at night and no-one to show us to our rooms we had to ask another guest where the lifts were. Rooms shabby and in need of refurbishment. Outdoor pool looked unclean, indoor pool rather dingy and very dimly lit. Food although a very good choice was often not very hot and we tried the restaurant at various times. Some sort of staff meeting was going on one afternoon and a young man was being severely reprimanded in front of guests which was highly embarrassing for everyone. Positives were the bbq night was excellent but cost €16 pp. And the know bar on the beach front if you could get a seat. All in all not a good experience

Certainly not a 5* hotel, the bar at the hotel was round the pool, so sat on plastic chairs at night, staff working there not very friendly, the beach bar was fabulous and Mike is a lovely chap who certainly knows how to run a bar and make good drinks.There is a lovely bar in reception with comfortable seatind and this was never opened...3 pools and less than 100 sunbeds for the whole of the hotel which supposably has well over 100 rooms, only 1 bottle of water on arrival rest of the time buy your own, the hotel water tasted as though it had purification tablets in, food very hit and miss one night my sister and myself had fish in a sauce, both of which were not cooked in the middle, taken away by a very reluctant manager.

The first thing to say, is that, as with everything - you get what you pay for. This is listed as a 5 star hotel, but is priced in the 3/4 star bracket - so please don’t be surprised that this is not 5 stars! That said - it’s a perfectly lovely hotel, and we had a great time! I would say that it is a 3 star hotel. The drinks were good, with a wide range of cocktails as well as the usual drinks. Food was good - not a wide range, but tasty. The snack offering was poor - dry sponge cake, watermelon and ice cream (which was completely liquid/ soft every day). Room service was good and the ladies cleaning were lovely. It was very quiet when we went, so no waiting for food/ drinks at any point. Pool was good. Tennis court was knackered. Know Bar by the beach was great. Location is good; short drive from airport - 25 mins, just a one minute walk down to the beach. Beach was good - a short sand bit, but then it was like a huge stone slab - great for snorkelling. Bring beach shoes. Plenty of shops/ restaurants within a short walk. Overall, we loved it. It’s definitely not 5 star hotel- but like I said, if you want 5 star - you need to pay for it! It’s a 3 star hotel - a really lovely one. I’d definitely recommend.

My only circumstances are bottled water is not free . No shower near main pool . Toilets not on same level as pool especially with children . -1 floor for indoor pool could potentially have a sauna /steam room to enhance the experience. Although the food choices are good. Maybe themed nights & pool snacks could be introduced.