Kalypso Cretan Village

Toto Toto Toto was the best and made our stay very good!

IMPRESSIVE SCENERY. A rare experience for a frequent traveler. Clean and lovely! Plenty of healthy, delicious food—fresh vegetables, a wide variety of fruits, nuts, Greek dishes, fish, meat, and chicken served daily for both lunch and dinner, plus lots of great salads; it felt like being at a health retreat. Nice breakfast! Details I particularly appreciated: Impressive scenery!! Magical! Powerful energy in the landscape. Bring good shoes. It was peaceful at the hotel, even during peak season (August). I could swim in one of the three pools late at night—all alone in the large saltwater pool with a starry sky overhead. Other guests had their own favorite pools and did the same. You can keep the air conditioning running even with the windows or veranda door open! Mosquito screens on the bathroom and living room windows. Very pleasant staff who went out of their way to ensure we had a great time! I recommend the Classic Bungalow with a sea view: Fantastic views, a large balcony, and the bungalows are surrounded by fountains with trickling water and beautiful sculptures. It’s a beautiful natural setting; I felt embraced by both nature and the architecture. The holistic massage by Elena was absolutely top-notch! Exceptionally skilled—a true master of her craft! I had three treatments because she was so talented and such a wise soul! The hotel has an air of old-world charm; it didn't matter to me that the property hadn't been recently renovated—something I see many others have commented on. To me, it was just a charming patina, especially since everything worked perfectly and the style suits a family-run, personal Greek hotel. It offers a different quality compared to mass-produced hotel chains with their modern, flat design. The Wi-Fi was good, but the mobile signal was poor—though that applies to the whole area, not just the hotel. For me—someone living in a city constantly surrounded by radiation and seeking a connection with the power of nature—this was actually a detail I appreciated; it was exactly what I needed. Still and sparkling water were free, and a glass of the house wine was both affordable and excellent. I was on a half-board plan, and it was no problem to swap dinner for lunch whenever I wanted—for instance, if I took a trip to Plakias and stayed there into the evening. Impressive Cretan dancers came to perform. I’m usually a bit skeptical of shows like that, but this one was authentic and of superb quality in every way! The location is stunning, though it does mean being a bit of a distance from other places; however, a taxi to Plakias takes 10 minutes and costs 9 euros. I recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to treat themselves to something a little out of the ordinary

My overall impression of Kalypso Cretan Village Resort & Spa is extremely negative. Unfortunately, this turned out to be one of the most unpleasant hotel experiences I have ever had. Let me start with the arrival. The transfer from the airport took around 3 hours, with a significant part of the journey along a narrow winding mountain road. We arrived in the evening, and driving along the winding road in the dark was quite frightening. The hotel itself is extremely isolated, with very little infrastructure or anywhere nearby to go for a walk. The beach was another major disappointment. The hotel website gives the impression that there is a proper private beach, but in reality it is a rocky area that did not meet my expectations at all. Getting to a decent beach is difficult. There is no hotel bus or shuttle, so the only real option is a taxi. You then have to wait 15–20 minutes for a taxi in the hot lobby. I honestly felt trapped at the hotel: if you want to go to a decent beach, you are completely dependent on taxis. Even inside the hotel, the air conditioning in the lobby and restaurant was not working despite temperatures of around 30°C. Waiting for a taxi in such conditions was especially unpleasant. Food and all-inclusive service Because of the late arrival, instead of a proper dinner on my first evening I was given literally a piece of bread without butter with a piece of dried-out cheese. This is absolutely not what I expected from an all-inclusive resort. In general, I got the strong impression that the staff simply did not want to properly serve guests staying on the all-inclusive plan. For example, when ordering a complimentary cappuccino included in the all-inclusive package, I was given exactly half a cup. On one occasion, the cappuccino was accidentally added to my bill — and only then did I receive a full, normal-sized cup, because the bartender mistakenly thought I had ordered a paid coffee. Even iced coffee had to be paid for separately. The snacks advertised as part of the all-inclusive package by the pool were basically the same piece of bread without butter, a piece of cheese and a piece of sausage. I am vegetarian, but apparently this was of no concern to anyone. No proper alternative was offered, so I had to buy croissants at the bar myself. I find it completely unacceptable that an all-inclusive hotel cannot provide even a basic vegetarian snack option. Room cleaning and hygiene The room cleaning was another major disappointment. During my entire 7-day stay, the liquid soap dispenser was never refilled after the soap ran out. By the end of my holiday, there were clearly visible clumps of dust and hair on the floor, giving the impression that the floor had not been properly cleaned. It was obvious that someone did enter the room because the bed was made every time. However, the bed linen was never changed during my entire stay. Even more strangely, my towels were never replaced. The towels left in the room were already dirty, but I never received fresh ones. For a resort hotel, this is an unacceptable standard of housekeeping and hygiene. Sewage smell Almost every day, and around different swimming pools, there was a strong and unpleasant smell of sewage. This is completely unacceptable for a resort hotel. Check-out The situation with check-out was the final straw. When I checked in, nobody told me what time I had to check out. I was mainly shown prices for car rentals and paid excursions, which I had not asked about, but the check-out time was never properly communicated to me. On the day of departure, I stayed at the hotel until the time of my transfer. Nobody came to my room, nobody called me and nobody informed me that I had to leave the room earlier. Therefore, I assumed that I could stay in the room until the time I needed to leave for my transfer. When I finally went to reception before leaving, the receptionist started demanding additional payment for a late check-out. I had received no warning whatsoever during the day that I needed to vacate the room earlier. The situation was made even worse by the receptionist herself. She was confrontational, unkempt and extremely difficult to understand. Instead of simply explaining the situation and resolving the issue professionally, the conversation turned into an unpleasant conflict. Overall Overall, I found the level of hospitality terrible. I never felt that guests were genuinely welcome or that the staff wanted to make their stay comfortable. Quite the opposite — I repeatedly had the feeling that all-inclusive guests were being given the absolute minimum. I came to this hotel to relax by the sea, but instead I constantly encountered restrictions, extra charges for basic things, dependence on taxis and an unpleasant attitude from the staff. To sum it up: the isolated location, lack of a proper beach and transportation to one, the three-hour transfer along a mountain road, non-functioning air conditioning in the lobby and restaurant in hot weather, the sewage smell around the pools, poor food and all-inclusive snacks, lack of proper vegetarian options, paid iced coffee, the strange attitude towards complimentary drinks, poor housekeeping, lack of fresh towels and soap, and finally the unpleasant conflict at check-out. At some point, I simply wanted to leave the hotel as soon as possible. This is absolutely not the level of hospitality or holiday experience I expect from an all-inclusive resort. I would not recommend this hotel.