Iberostar Waves Creta Panorama & Mare

Everything very good we enjoyed a lot

I have just returned after a 9 day stay at Iberostar Waves Creta Panorma with my family (6 adults 2 children under 10). We had an absolute blast! All of the staff at the hotel are so kind and friendly; it feels like they just can’t do enough for you. I’d especially like to thank the housekeeping staff! They tidied and made up our room, even on days where we didn’t select the “make up room”. I don’t know how many times they changed our bed sheets but it was more than I would have expected! They kept our room immaculately clean and the bathroom was always spotless with fresh towels. Housekeeping work so hard and have such an impact on the visit without you realising, so thank you to those. A huge thank you and recommendation for the spa as my partner and I both booked a couples deep tissue massage and facial ritual as recommended and organised by Maria (who was always so helpful and friendly). Our treatments were with Rs and Rakhi and they were both brilliant. They allowed us to both deeply relax and even fall asleep at times, but did also check in to ensure we were comfortable throughout. I’d also like to thank the staff who worked at the swim up pool bar (I specially remember Joanna - she was so friendly and accommodating throughout our visit, as were the others, I just unfortunately can’t remember their names, although it was another young girl, and a young man). We spent a lot of time at this bar as a couple and everybody who served us were lovely. As a group, we all enjoyed the food at the buffet, and at the on-site restaurants. I recommend the cocktails at the Italian restaurant! And a visit to the restaurant at the top of the resort by the paddle courts is a must, we went there twice and was our favourite meals. My partner is coeliac and he did have plenty to choose from at meal times, although it was more limiting so just be aware if you’re visiting as a coeliac. They did have a separate GF section at breakfast and all the food had signs which listed allergens so he knew what to avoid, and most of the staff were very knowledgeable when we asked about GF options. I could go on and on about how lovely the hotel was overall with the facilities and activities that went on; from the entertainment team doing daily pool activities / games , to having things such as the magic train and Lotties water sports both on site to have trips out- the resort has everything you’ll need! My parents have rebooked to return next year already and we’ve only been home 3 days, so hopefully that helps you decide if you would want to visit here for your holidays.

Awful. The staff in this hotel let the place down. The setting is stunning. That’s about all it has going for it. Not good enough for the price you pay. Need to invest in staff training

The spa in the hotel is amazing, the staff are so friendly and welcoming. The rooms are very well preserved and private, clean and a very comfortable and overall a calming environment. The atmosphere of the whole place and staff is incredible they are all so calm and easy to talk to and provide a wonderful sense of care. Sylvia and Alexandra our masseuse were polite and caring we both had an excellent back and shoulder massage. The experience has put us in awe, leaving very relaxed and a sense of being in a new body. They are so amazing! Highly recommend!!

We had visited an Iberostar hotel in Tunesia before. Because of that positive experience, we decided to book this Iberostar hotel in Crete for our honeymoon. Our expectations were high but got surpassed time and time again! First of, we had booked a shared pool bungalow. When we got onsite, however, they offered us a free upgrade to a bungalow with a private pool to celebrate our honeymoon. Ofcourse, we happily accepted. We were stunned when we entered our bungalow and saw they had placed rose petals on the bed and a heartshaped cake in the mini bar. It was so thoughtful and sweet! It really made the long day of travel worth it! The bungalow was well maintained, freshly painted and modern. I think they had just been refurbished as well, as the furniture was spotless and the shower was squeaky clean and well kept. The AC works on some kind of infrared system, which turns it off when you're not there or when the doors are open. Don't worry, though, the rooms cool off fast when you're back and the sensors still see you when you're sleeping. No sweaty nights! The hotel has 7 pools spread out over the lot, so there's always one to your liking. Do be advised that the staff doesn't enforce all of the rules. For example, the 16+ pool is full of small children. And they have a sign up at the main pool that says they will remove any towels that are placed there between 7 and 9 in the morning. They don't enforce this, meaning it's pretty difficult to get a sunbed at the main pool. On the upside: there are plenty more pools to chose from! The food is delicious and the menu varies per day. Also, not every all inclusive hotel gets this right: the food here is hot! Not lukewarm, not cold, but hot! It makes all the difference in the world. We booked all inclusive, and it included a reservation at an a la carte restaurant. You get one for every 7 days you're staying here, I believe. The hotel has a few coves to access the beach. Some have sand beaches, some have pebble beaches, and all have plenty of sunbeds and umbrellas to keep you comfortable. Do take your water shoes with you for maximum comfort on the pebbles. The staff is incredibly friendly and hard working. From the bellboy to the entertainment staff: each and every one of them is clearly proud to be working here. The lady at the jewelry store gave us a tip: the water in the main pool is made up of salt water and chemicals which are really harsh on your jewelry. It will turn silver to black, and we've noticed that it will even discolor your bathing suits. So necklaces and earrings are best left in the hotel room. Black bathing suits are safe. Don't sleep on the entertainment staff, either. I'm not one to enjoy the same old, lame hotel shows or join in on aquagym, but these folks put a smile on my face every single time. The quality of the shows surprised us, even. We were impressed. The Comedy Show honestly had me crying with laughter and we even tipped (I must explain that we are Dutch, so tipping goes against our cheap nature. That's how good it was!). I didn't join in on the aquagym but I did watch and enjoy the humoristic, energetic staff as they enthusiastically did their thing. It's a real hoot. There is a tourist train that will take you to the small town of Panormos. It leaves every hour, starting at 10, and it costs 5 euros for a roundway trip. They offer more routes than this one, but this is the only one we took. Panormos has a few souvenir stores, nice places to eat and drink and lots of cats. It was worth our 5 euros. We booked a buggy tour at Discovery Tours as well, who picked us up right in front of the hotel, at the bus stop. We also booked the boat trip to the caves with Lottie's, which is located in a cove between our hotel and the neighboring sister hotel. Both activities were a lot of fun and definitely something we will remember! If you're on the fence about booking this hotel: do yourself a favor and book it! We have a strict policy about coming back to the same hotel twice, but I'm afraid we might have to reconsider this rule... it was the best holiday we've had in years. Thank you, Iberostar. You've done it again!