Kernos Beach

We chose this hotel for our stay, but the experience was overshadowed by a major organizational issue, handled in a disappointing manner by the front desk staff. Overbooking for a Third of Our Stay: From day one, we were informed that, due to overbooking caused exclusively by the hotel, we would be moved to another room, of lower quality than the one we had paid for, for approximately a third of the duration of our stay. What stood out in particular was the "change room" form we received – it was not printed individually for our case, but was part of a stack duplicated in an undefined number of identical copies. This detail removes any doubt that the overbooking was an isolated incident; rather, it appears to be a recurring practice of the hotel, applied systematically to multiple guests alike. Aggressive Communication and Responsibility Shifted onto the Guest: Instead of an empathetic and transparent approach, the reception staff adopted an aggressive tone, attempting to turn a purely organizational failure of the hotel into a problem that guests should accept without objection, as if it were something normal. This attitude is unacceptable – overbooking is the hotel's sole responsibility, and guests should not be put in the position of having to "bear" its consequences without proper explanations and a minimum degree of consideration. Significant Delay Compared to the Communicated Schedule: Although the room change had been verbally promised for 10:00 AM, it only took place after more than 3 hours of waiting, and only following our repeated insistence regarding the status of the transfer and the completion of the new room's cleaning. The lack of proactivity and clear communication throughout this interval added an extra layer of frustration to an already unpleasant situation. One Positive Aspect: It should be objectively noted that hotel representatives did offer an in-kind compensation, changing the original "mountain view" option to a "sea view" one. This gesture was appreciated and partially eased the inconvenience caused. Conclusion: Kernos Beach has potential (location, the compensation offered), but the overbooking practices appear to be systemic, and the way reception staff handle these situations – through aggressive communication and shifting responsibility onto the guest – needs serious review. I recommend that hotel management reassess its overbooking policy and, especially, the training of staff in dealing with guests who are already in a situation created by the hotel, not by them. Cristian Cocheci

I would highly recommend a massage at the Spa! The service was really good and they had very much offers for facial and body massages to choose from and would also give individual recommendations. Also the communication during my session went really well which was important to me as Im in generel more of a tense person. Im a female and my massager was Aris. It was new to me to be massaged by a male but I didnt feel uncomfortable so I could fully relax. Thank you Aris!

More Style Than Substance Don’t let yourself be fooled by the pictures – the reality is considerably less impressive. We stayed in an economy room, and “economy” apparently means providing the absolute bare minimum. The room was basic and certainly did not live up to the impression created by the hotel’s promotional photos. Unfortunately, the same applies to the overall experience. Mealtimes were anything but relaxing: far too many people, lots of noise, and what can only be described as a daily race to the buffet, with everyone seemingly fighting for survival. The situation at the beach was no better. If you enjoy getting up early on holiday to take part in the traditional morning towel battle for a sunbed, this might be the perfect place for you. If not, be prepared to go without. There simply did not seem to be enough sunbeds for the number of guests, meaning that sleeping in and then finding a place at the beach was more a matter of luck than anything else. Housekeeping was another disappointment. On one occasion, our room was completely forgotten and not serviced at all. On another day, the used towels were neither removed nor replaced with fresh ones. I have also attached a photo showing what my bed looked like after housekeeping had supposedly made it – I think the picture speaks for itself. Overall, the hotel looks much better in the pictures than it feels in reality. Too crowded, too hectic, and lacking the level of service and attention to detail one would expect. The one genuinely positive aspect was the staff, who were consistently friendly and pleasant. Their kindness made the stay considerably more bearable – and, unfortunately, they were very much needed for that.

To begin english isnt my native language so im sorry for any grammar mistakes, but I wanted that as many people as possible read how amazing this hotel is. Everything was very clean and taken care of. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. It was a great atmosphere there and a lot of things to create an amazing and relaxing holiday. Especially great were the pool and the spa. In the spa were many options for massages and beaty treatments. We all had a qualified and very professional staff member who massaged us. Especially great was our experience with Pui. She was very experienced and very professional, all of us got an amazing massage from her. The Location is pretty much perfect for everyone. Its close to a street but the rooms are far enough away to not hear anything from there. There are many shops close by and a few clubs when you go to malia. To the other side are more shops and car rentals. Heraklion and agios nikolaos are also pretty close (30-45 minutes with a car).The beach is directly included in the pool area and has parasols from the Hotel. Everything is clean and great. The food had good opinions for everyone. It wasn’t very special or very greek but it was good. In conclusion amazing hotel for basically everyone who isnt a cook or super athletic. The gym has good equipment from the 80’ . You can use it and the AC there (and everywhere) is very good. There is enough space to have a workout without equipment. The treadmill is working pretty much okay. The rest of the machines are rusting, but are still working. You can workout there but you can also just walk into a forest and get tetanus there instead of the gym here. The equipment works but not as well as in the 80’ when they were put there and never touched again. Its still clean in there and again you can workout there if you’re willing to its just not so much fun. So everything is perfect besides the food (which is still good just not as amazing as the rest of the hotel) and the gym (which may be not as horrible as you now think it is, it works and that’s all that matters). We all realy like it here and will definitely visit again next year.

Nice location. Food was very poor, hotel staff not so friendly. Room cleaning was terrible- depending on who was cleaning;. MASSAGE; best experience ever- Elizabeth & Pui did a very good job. Thank you ladies!