Peninsula Resort & Spa

We booked the hotel for a week starting September 4th. We paid an extra €300 upfront for a sea view and an upgraded room. However, when we arrived at the hotel at 10 PM, we were simply handed a key; no one escorted us to our room. Lugging our bags and suitcases with a small child in tow, we wandered the vast hotel grounds at night, unsure of where to go and having to ask people along the way. That was a major downside. We eventually found the room, and we were absolutely appalled by its quality—words can hardly describe it. One room was a walk-through area with no windows at all. The other had a small balcony and a very limited, partial view of the sea. The room's condition was terrible. The paint was peeling off the walls. The sheets were stained with rust and full of holes. There was a horrible smell of mold. In the morning, the curtain—which was supposed to block out the sun—looked like a starry sky because of all the holes and worn-out patches! As for the bathroom: the toilet didn't always flush properly. There were no shelves to place toiletries or creams... Just a small sink—that was it. There was a cheap plastic shelf in the corner, which was completely inconvenient. We were deeply disappointed by both the room quality and the service from the start. Furthermore, there was very little entertainment—almost nothing for children. When activities did take place, they started at 10 PM or later, just when the kids were ready for bed. The children's pool with slides was located on the far side of the hotel, which was very inconvenient. The playground was also very far away, and—to make matters worse—there was absolutely no lighting there!!!!! When we explained the next day that we had paid extra for an upgraded room, they were surprised and didn't even want to look at the photos showing the issues with the room; they simply said, "No vacancies. Come back later." My husband had to keep running back to the reception desk all day. They gave us a key and told us to go check it ourselves. The room hadn't been cleaned and was terrible—definitely one of the basic ones, not an upgraded room. My husband went back, called the manager over, and showed the photos; they scrambled to fix it and said, "Here is the key to your upgraded room." Finally! We went in, and it was a completely different story—a decent, spacious room with a large balcony. Why did we have to spend the whole day fighting to get what we had actually paid for?! The service was abysmal. The food was okay—tasty. However, there was very little variety when it came to desserts. Overall, the food was decent. The beaches were poor. There were rocks everywhere; you couldn't enter the water without footwear—definitely not suitable for children. There were only about 40 sun loungers, and they cost extra. You couldn't even rent one because they were all taken first thing in the morning. There wasn't even space to lay down a towel. The beach areas were very small. It has good reviews, but I don't understand why. We definitely won't be coming back to this place. There was a lot of Ukrainian staff—that was the best part. Nothing else. The view was nice, but that was it. The service was absolutely terrible 👎 Rooms: 1/5 | Service: 1/5 | Location: 2/5 Rooms We paid an extra €300 upfront for an upgraded room with a sea view. We ended up with a truly terrible room, and the sea was barely visible. Nearby activities Limited Walkability It’s a long walk to the playground and the children's pool. Food & drinks Premium drinks cost extra!!! We even had to buy water because it wasn't provided in the room—or they simply forgot!!!! The alcohol was cheap, and free only until a certain time in the evening; after that, you had to pay for everything. Noteworthy details We were completely dissatisfied with the service, alcohol, and entertainment/activities. Hotel highlights Great view Bed comfort Uncomfortable Room view City view

We had a great stay at Peninsula Resort and Spa for almost a week for our honeymoon. The room was clean, staff were really friendly, food and drinks were good, but the grounds are amazing! I’d highly recommend taking a walk around the whole resort on your first day, there’s soo many little pathways and spots that you’ll miss if you stay in the main pool area. We absolutely loved the Tsmiento beach platform unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate and the wind only allowed us to down there one day, but we didn’t see this spot until like day 3! As for rooms: We booked the sea view private pool room/all inclusive and the views were phenomenal. However, the pool is SO cold. I understand wanting a refreshing dip when it’s very hot outside but this was next level freezing where it wasn’t very enjoyable to be in it! It was a bummer as we barely used it, but it was amazing to sit out there in the morning and evenings before heading to dinner and just take in the view. If I were to do it again, I’d honestly probably opt for a room with just a balcony/view. I will say the room location was awesome though, central to the main pool and restaurant for meals and really easy access to the sea pool and the platform beach. Food/all inclusive Buffet food was good, lots of options and variety. Theme nights and the main restaurant had beer and wines on tap. The snack and main pool bar was decent, the cocktails were so-so, they were very sugary and almost like pre-made mixes so I’d stick to beer/wine/basic mixed drinks. There was only 1 alla carte restaurant and it was included in our room booking but otherwise it’s paid. Food was good and it was a nice change from the buffet. Wine wasn’t included in the meal so we paid for a bottle. The beach bar (wasn’t open when we were there I think due to high winds) but the drinks/food aren’t included there. The sea view pool also doesn’t have food included in the package, it was paid, but they do have a beer tap you could fill and bring down to the beach that was included. Similar to the room pool all the pools were pretty chilly! This might just be a cultural difference for us who are used to going to the Caribbean resorts where everyone is in the water all day and it’s a more comfortable temperature. These pools were a quick way to cool down! Lol Overall we had a nice week and there was nothing worth complaining over! The views can’t be beat and the property was great.

Great hotel with an excellent location! The view from the hotel is absolutely stunning and really made the stay special. A beautiful place to relax and enjoy the surroundings. A special thank you to Maria and Fotini at reception, who were incredibly helpful throughout our stay. They gave us great tips on the best places to visit and helped us organise some fantastic trips, which made our holiday even more memorable. We would happily stay here again and highly recommend the hotel!

The most stunning location in Crete, we were upgraded to a better room which made our experience even more enjoyable. The staff are so attentive and always happy to help, big thank you to the girls at reception. Cleanliness is always on point, food in the all inclusive deal was great. We had a very enjoyable stay, highly recommend

We didn't actually stay in the hotel, this is just a review of the hotel beach which is open to the public. A slice of paradise, with amazing views, and a jetty to dive off, so no sand or pebbles to contend with. Super friendly staff, and fair prices on drinks and food. We came here 5 days out of seven, and it made our holiday.