Mare Blue Crete

Here is the translation of the review into English, maintaining its sharp, critical tone and formatting it for clarity. Hotel Review: A 5-Star Fiction Even by the specific standards of Greek properties, this hotel absolutely does not deserve its 5-star rating. It is an aging property that has only been superficially renovated and "powdered over." During our stay, not all bars were open. The water slides (I refuse to call it a water park) were also closed, despite being listed as available in the TUI offer – much like the closed bars. Dining & All-Inclusive Reality There is only one cafeteria operating on-site – and I deliberately won’t call this place a restaurant. Food Quality: The food is of poor quality, bland, and monotonous, with the same mid-tier menu served every day. Traditional, themed Greek dishes were virtually non-existent. Service Cut-offs: The cafeteria itself closed as early as 30 minutes before the official end of meal times – live cooking stations were shut down, and food was no longer replenished. Staffing: Wait service is practically non-existent. When I asked for wine to be brought to my table, I was informed that the drink and service would be charged extra, despite having paid for the All-Inclusive option. Beverages: Drinks in the cafeteria consist of cheap, local imitations of juices and sodas like "cola." The coffee was the biggest disaster – only instant coffee was available anywhere, with no normal coffee in sight. Snacks: There were virtually no daytime snacks, unless you count shortbread cookies, which were available for less time than stated in the TUI offer anyway. The second cafeteria, promoted by TUI as an Italian à la carte restaurant, was another disappointment. I definitely do not recommend it – the food was of the same caliber as the main cafeteria and had nothing to do with Italy. The pinnacle of it all was the music: they played Greek radio with commercials as ambient music, which perfectly "complemented" this allegedly Italian vibe. Facilities, Beach & Location During our stay, I had to change my approach. Despite the All-Inclusive option, the hotel became merely a base camp for us after we rented a car (there is absolutely nothing in the immediate vicinity). Pools & Beach: The pools are very modest. The beach is pebbles/shingle, and the sunbeds were a bit dirty, though manageable. Be careful with the deep drop-off into the water right past the shoreline. Beach Bar: The beach bar was alright. They served original/branded alcohols, but mixed them with counterfeit sodas. Rooms: We managed to get a room in the renovated part of the complex, and I actually have no complaints about that. The hotel is rather modest. Its second section remains closed – TUI sells a cheaper version in its catalog, but once on-site, everyone ends up in the same building anyway, because the cheaper rooms are decommissioned and neglected. Entertainment & TUI Offer Accuracy Animations? Or rather, the lack thereof. The hotel has a fixed contract with two travel agencies: a French one and a German one. As a result, the entertainment takes place exclusively in French and is organized by that specific agency. The quality of the entertainment is very poor, done with minimal effort and resources (a simple walk, one person in a costume, etc.). It is not an attraction for children, nor for people looking for themed evenings, as those simply do not exist there. To top it off, the French animators demonstratively ignore guests wearing wristbands other than silver ones. Summary To sum up: for a May last-minute getaway, the trip was okay, though if this were meant to be my main holiday, I would never choose this hotel. The property deserves 3 stars at most. The TUI offer is a fiction and completely fails to align with reality.

Had the funniest time here - the animation team absolutely made the trip. Big shout outs to Samantha, Ebo and my boy Marcus

We have struggled a bit with the cleaning service coming when our children had their afternoon sleep. But other than that we have had a great time. Food was delicious, every day there was something we liked. It is a bit visible the hotel is older, but things were clean and stuff was always willing to help. Lots of activities for children, every day animation programs from various travel agencies who never asked if you have travelled with them or someone else. French agency would have their events in French, but when they saw someone does not speak French they would translate to English too. I definitely recommend staying at this hotel. Big slides were opened only for s short time every day and only for older children.

The hotel is a bit too far to venture out. The kids selection for food was empty apart from chips and pork. I did complain to jet 2 who did speak to the management and it was agreed to advise in the morning what my 4 year old grandson would eat and they would organise for that evening but we just decided to eat out as there were lovely tavernas nearby. The animation team did not cater for the English and favoured the French kids more which made us feel excluded, also for breakfast they served up to 10.30am in the morning but started clearing up before that which I felt you were being rushed. The females making the omelettes etc were actually not very obliging on the borderline of being rude . The hotel itself and the beachfront was lovely though but not for British tourists as the language barrier was a problem.

Booked through Jet 2. Pros: Hotel is clean. Housekeeping on a daily basis and housekeeping staff are friendly and approachable. Stunning location. Hotel grounds are equally as stunning. Beachfront area is lovely, spent most of our time there. Staff were friendly. The kids pool was great with different slides. Cons: Wouldn’t recommend if you’re a British guest. All announcements from the animation team are in French, sometimes German but never in English. Daytime entertainment looked good at times, however not inclusive to British guests whatsoever. Food selection is extremely limited and despite being a family friendly hotel, their kids food options were nonexistent. One night for kids the options were chips, veg and a dry looking piece of pork chop. Unless they cater more for children, then I wouldn’t recommend for families with young children. We ended up eating out at some local tavernas most nights which were excellent! Hotel location is very remote and a long commute from the airport, with a few local tavernas and a few supermarkets, but nothing really else. There is no jet 2 rep at the hotel, so can’t really plan excursions. I’m presuming this is due to the remote location of the hotel. It rained 2 days of our trip (cleared up quickly). As a result, there were leaks throughout the hotel, mostly on the large staircase making it a health and safety hazard. I nearly slipped on one occasion and saw an older man with putting ice on his shoulder, presuming he slipped. Really dangerous. Parts of the hotel urgently needs refurbished to make it suitable for adverse weather conditions. Overall, if they cater more to British guests, improve on the food offered, and carry out urgent repairs then I would say it has the potential to be scored higher!