Petra Mare

Me and my family recently stayed for 2 weeks at Petra Mare in Lerapetra, Crete, and we had a wonderful time from start to finish. Situated right on the beachfront, the hotel is in a fantastic location, offering stunning views of the sea, easy access to the beach and a vibrant town surrounding it. The hotel itself is exceptionally well-maintained and provides a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere that made us feel right at home. Our room was spacious, spotless, and comfortable, providing a great space to unwind after a busy day in the sun. When it came to dining, the food was a real highlight—there was a fantastic variety of delicious dishes at every meal, with plenty of fresh options that kept everyone happy throughout our two-week stay. But not only was the main meals delicious, the snacks and bars were nicely crafted as well, providing a hospitable area to relax during evenings. However, the absolute highlight of our stay was the animation team, which is quite simply the best I have ever seen. They brought incredible energy to the resort every single day. For sports, Tim and Harley were fantastic, running everything from darts and ping pong to boccia and water polo. Beach volleyball was a particular favorite of mine, and Harley also did an amazing job running the Teen Club, giving teenagers a brilliant outlet with PlayStation games, VR, board games, karaoke nights, and movie nights. Meanwhile, the fitness and mini-club schedule was packed and brilliantly run by Gaya, Tresor, Lara, Jana, Clara, and Katie. Whether it was high-energy water fitness classes like water Zumba and water gym with Gaya, Jana, Clara and Tresor, dance classes, or the dedicated stretching, yoga, and Pilates sessions with Jana, Clara, and Katie, alongside all the wonderful mini-club activities for the younger kids, every single member of the team went above and beyond to make everyone feel included. Personally, the fitness classes with Jana and Clara, as well as Beach Volleyball were my favourite activities, I think I came back from this holiday fitter then I have ever been and I was given lots of advice on how to keep up with stretching, Yoga and Pilates after I leave. Beyond the daytime fun, the evening entertainment was another massive highlight. On various nights, we enjoyed brilliant live music in the bars and fantastic Greek Culture Nights in the hotel garden. Every single evening at 8:30 PM, the animation team put on a wonderful mini disco in the spacious, well-seated amphitheater. This is where the team truly shone; Gaya, Jana, Clara, and Katie showed incredible dedication, dressing up in amazing costumes like Supergirl, Elsa, and witches, and leading 30-35 minutes of non-stop songs and dancing that my cousins absolutely adored. Following the mini disco at 9:30 PM were the evening shows. The lineup was brilliant, featuring animator-led productions like A Variety Show, Music Night, and The Lion King—where kids even got involved, such as playing hyenas in the Lion King show—alongside top-tier external performers like Latin dancers, an authentic Crete Night with the animators joining the traditional dancing, and breathtaking African Shaolin acrobats. To top it all off, the Saturday night White Dance parties by the pool and the late-night (around 10:00 PM) adult-only karaoke and game nights in the Almyra Bar (which also doubled as a relaxing adult-only zone during the day) rounded out an already perfect holiday experience. ​On a final note regarding the resort's organization, while the animation team carried the entire spirit of the hotel through their tireless, hands-on hard work, it was a shame to see the animation team leader often standing back, remaining largely detached from the day-to-day effort and being unseen until it was time to be involved with the shows, before disappearing again. Overall, we had an incredible time and would return in a heartbeat!

"We have nothing but positive things to say about the Petra Mare hotel. The facilities and rooms are modern and classy, and the location and surroundings are just perfect. The staff is very competent and helpful, with diverse language skills. It is just as well-suited for family vacations as it is for adults traveling without kids. The food is truly delicious, featuring a varied, high-quality buffet. Lots of variety, including lots of local food selection. The all-inclusive alcoholic beverages are premium brands. The cleanliness is impeccable and clinical throughout the entire hotel. The only areas for improvement are: the quality of the wine selection for the all-inclusive, the afternoon snacks for children (pancakes or waffles would have been nicer, in addition to ice cream), and finally, the size of the buffet facilities can sometimes be undersized during peak periods, which can cause some stress when getting your food."

I have visited this hotel 5 separate times already and I simply love it. The location is nice, very close to the town of Ierapetra, just a short walk next to the beach and you’re there. It’s so peaceful in the hotel, just lovely if you’re going for a vacation and all the staff is so friendly. The rooms are big, clean, comfortable well equipped, big bathroom and shower. A couch! And the beds are super comfy. And the beach is also just lovely. Clean water, sand, nice big umbrellas, perfect for swimming. The hotel does have activities and a nice animation team, but it also gets calm in the evenings so perfect for sleeping. And the reastaurant is just perfect. Many varieties and everything just tastes so good, really lovely. And an amazing value this is amazing for the low price to what you get. If you want a nice holiday for the whole family (also great spot for kids) go here. Was here many times and will visit again!

We spent 10 nights at this hotel as a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 older teens - 16 and 18) from 7th - 17th July 2026 and it's one of the best hotels we've stayed at! What really stands out is the excellent customer service here, attention to detail from all of the hotel team, it's spotlessly clean and nothing is too much trouble. We had a bit of a mix up with our rooms on arrival and this was dealt with swiftly and professionally by Elisabet on Reception without question. Maria, Guest Relations Manager is incredibly helpful, friendly and made us feel so welcome throughout our stay - she takes a genuine interest in you and seems to pop up everywhere checking guests are happy. The hotel is right on a private beach (take water shoes as it's quite rocky and a bit slippery on entry) and whilst not golden sand, it's coarse sand that doesn't stick to you or get everywhere. It does get very hot as it's black sand so again, water shoes helpful, but there are walk ways throughout the beach area. Plenty of sunbeds on the beach, we didn't have any problems getting 4 at any time of the day - possibly because we stayed just before the majority of UK and European schools broke up for summer break. Beach towels are changed every 3 days at the spa and are of good quality. Our rooms had a sea view and this a big selling point for this hotel, it's stunning! Pulling back the curtain in the morning, looking out to sea you feel so relaxed. Our rooms were a good size, comfy beds, plenty of storage space, a safe, fridge with water provided daily, TV, hairdryer, daily cleaning service, a balcony with chairs, table and a drying area for wet towels etc, everything you'd expect from a 4* hotel. The food was tasty, lots of variety, so much choice for everyone to enjoy - all diets catered for. The restaurant and kitchen team work very hard keeping everything topped up and tables clean and cleared efficiently. We would recommend the Elia Cretan ala carte restaurant - my advice if you book this, don't eat too much during the day!! This was a highlight for us. The snack bar serves a range of snacks, drinks and ice creams - handy between meals and there is a beach bar where you can help yourself to soft drinks, local beer and local wine. There are a couple of reasonably priced shops on site, prices were mainly inline with the shops in town. Whilst you're in the area, it's worth a stroll into town to visit the archaeological museum, Napoleon's House and the old fortress, also lots of lovely little shops. We took a trip to Chrisi island (easy to arrange in town) which was stunning (take a beach parasol - no shade at all here) and hired a car to go exploring the north eastern coast. Something to consider is that this hotel is a long way from the airport, we booked a private transfer both ways and I'm glad we did, doing the journey on a coach would have felt like a real trek so it was worth spending the extra for the transfer. I would definitely recommend the Petra Mare for a relaxed, friendly and comfortable stay.

We stayed here for a week in June as a family of four (kids age 5 & 2). We stayed in a junior suite with a sliding door, which whilst cosy, was all we needed! Room for a bed for my eldest and a cot for the youngest. We upgraded to sea view and we can highly recommend! Absolutely stunning. We didn’t have a bath, but the shower was huge! Large enough for both kids. The rooms were spotless. We had a light go out during our stay and it was replaced super quickly!! Food was spot on, something for everyone and constantly being replaced once a dish was empty or just to keep it fresh. The staff all worked incredibly hard. One thing to note, beachy cover ups (anything remotely a bit see through) were not accepted in the main food area. They were pretty strict on this 😊 There is a snack bar which was open from 10am, which has lots of fruits, breads, cheeses, salad, chips, pizza plus various other things, so if you don’t make it to the specific breakfast and lunch times, then there’s always something to eat. Cocktails were available too at the snack bar as well as a variety of other soft & alcoholic drinks. There were always sunbeds available. Never any of this getting up to reserve sunbeds which was so refreshing to see! The beach was lovely, with a beach bar and shaded kids play area. There is a small shop on sight for inflatables, snacks, other drinks, souvenirs. The kids club was amazing - colouring, face painting, toys, music, bouncy castle on certain days. just somewhere cool to play! The entertainment staff were absolutely incredible! So friendly and worked tirelessly all day! The kids loved the mini disco every night, which was then followed by a variety of other shows. We were really impressed. The staff were all fantastic. I can’t speak highly of them. They made our trip, and we are so grateful!! Even when our toddler was having a melt down in front of everyone, one of the staff came over to check I was ok and gave me a little sweet which was so kind. The hotel is also walkable to the town, which I’d recommend going to. Much more lively than I was expecting, lots of little cafes, bars, shops, some playing the sports too which was great! I’d highly recommend this hotel!!!