TUI BLUE Insula Alba

A stylish, relaxing hotel with some real highlights We spent a week at Insula Alba and overall had a lovely stay. The hotel has a modern, stylish feel and a very relaxed atmosphere. If you're looking for lively entertainment and all-night partying, this probably isn't the place for you, but if your idea of heaven is a sun lounger, a cocktail and a good book, you'll fit right in. Check-in was seamless and, despite arriving on a late flight, we were delighted to find the restaurant had reopened for snacks. After travelling all day, that was very much appreciated and set a great first impression. The standout feature of the holiday was the BlueFit programme. I took part in aqua dance, yoga, fascia fit and several other classes with Ana, who was absolutely fantastic. Every session was well planned, engaging and suitable for different abilities. Yoga in the Cretan sunshine may have ruined normal yoga for me forever. It's now one of my favourite holiday memories. The food was generally very good. The Italian restaurant served delicious meals, although vegetarian choices were a little limited. The Culinarium was another excellent experience, with six appetisers served as a tasting menu before the main course. As a vegetarian, I was pleased that five of the six were suitable for me. The buffet restaurant offered plenty of choice and vegetarians are certainly well catered for, but after a week the menu did begin to feel a little repetitive. I would have liked to see more protein-based vegetarian options such as beans, lentils and pulses included more regularly. The pool bar had an impressive selection of included drinks, although worth noting that it closes at midnight. Personally, I was usually ready for bed by then anyway, but night owls may find themselves cut off before they're finished solving the world's problems over cocktails. The pool area itself was spacious, well maintained and had plenty of comfortable sunbeds. However, if you're visiting in October, be prepared for a refreshing experience. I'm fairly certain the pool water had only recently completed its journey from an Arctic glacier. One thing to be aware of is that the hotel doesn't have a beach directly attached. We had to walk along the road to find a beach bar with loungers available to hire. Not a major issue, but worth knowing if beachfront access is important to you. The rooms are beautiful, spacious and very comfortable. The king-size bed was excellent, the shower was good and the minibar was restocked daily as part of the all-inclusive package. The only real disappointment was the swim-up room upgrade. I'd booked it as a holiday treat after seeing the promotional photos, but our room was in a block of ten rooms connected by a narrow swim channel rather than one of the larger pool areas pictured online. Beyond the channel was a white fence that managed to block most of the sea and mountain views, which felt like a missed opportunity. At this time of year, the sun only reached our loungers from around 3pm, and given the temperature of the water, we didn't make much use of it anyway! In hindsight, I would happily book a standard room next time and save the extra money. Overall, Insula Alba is a beautiful, peaceful hotel with excellent fitness activities, friendly staff, great facilities and a genuinely relaxing atmosphere. While there are a few areas that could be improved, we had a wonderful holiday and would happily return, just probably without the swim-up room next time.

Have just returned from 2nd visit to this beautiful hotel and enjoyed our stay just as much as the first time. We were checked in smoothly and quickly and after a drink and snack we were transported via golf buggy to our room. Which was clean and spacious i didnt have an issue with clothes storage and we managed quite well yes we left some things in case such as swimwear and shoes. Our soap shower and lotion was full for entire 10 day holiday our fridge was replenished daily. The restaurants were lovely and we always found something nice. The staff were amazing always a smile manos and kostas were as always attentive and funny as were all the bar staff and resteraunt staff . My only complaint is the access into the pool for older guests and those with mobility issues it was a struggle and also very very cold . The entertainment was minimal but vi have to say silent disco night was the best and everyone was enjoying it for it to be cut dead in 10pm we are on holiday to enjoy ourselves 10 seems very early to finish. We had a lovely couples massage to finish our holiday would I return absolutely

Had a lovely chilled holiday. Spacious Double room with balcony. Room 1804 sun - when we had it - majority of day. Powerful shower and very clean. Mini bar restocked and towels changed daily. Quiet hotel entertainment wise but suited us. Food was plentiful and lots of variety at all meals. Loved the two à la cartes. Nicos the restaurant Manager was at all restaurants/bars, such a hardworking Manager as were all the wonderful staff. Due to weather we used the indoor pool several times. Warm welcome as soon as we arrived. Taken to and picked up from room with our suitcases. Quiet resort but nice to have walk around. It’s a very good 4 star. Highly recommend. Thank you. 🤩

From the moment we walked through the doors, we were greeted with big smiles and such a warm welcome. The staff really are a credit to this hotel. From reception and the bar staff to the restaurant team, everyone was so friendly, welcoming and accommodating. Nothing ever seemed too much trouble, and they were always checking that we were happy and had everything we needed. It really made a difference to our stay! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ On arrival, our luggage was taken to our room for us, which was a lovely touch after travelling. There were also plenty of sunbeds available, so we never struggled to find somewhere to relax. The food was nice, with plenty of choice between the main restaurant and the snack bar, so there was something for everyone. We also discovered the Tropical Vibes cocktail, which quickly became our favourite! The hotel is starting to show some signs of wear and tear in places and could benefit from a little TLC and some maintenance. However, this didn’t affect our stay or the enjoyment of our holiday, and we wouldn’t want this to take away from the positives. There are a couple of little shops just a two-minute walk away along the beachfront, which are handy for picking up snacks and bits and pieces. We also had a full-body massage at the hotel, which was absolutely amazing! We would 100% recommend treating yourself to one during your stay. For anyone looking to explore Crete, there are plenty of day trips and excursions available on GetYourGuide. We found these worth looking at, as some options were considerably cheaper than booking through the TUI reps, so it’s definitely worth comparing prices before booking. If you like watching tv like Netflix etc then bring your fire stick with you as we did and worked a treat Overall, we had a fantastic holiday and would like to say a huge thank you to all the staff at Insula Alba for making us feel so welcome. The friendliness and hospitality really stood out to us, and it’s what we’ll remember most about our stay. Thank you for a lovely holiday! We are genuinely sad to be leaving! ☀️

My thoughts after staying at this hotel This is NOT a 5 star despite paying the tax of a five star hotel it is a 3 at most. We asked for a sunny room but it got none so instead of using the swim up we had paid for we ended up at the main pool . However I have never stayed at a 5 star that gave you drinks in a paper cup which incidentally had a weird sewage smell probably due to being stored by the toilets . Drinks are not true fanta/ coke etc but more like rola cola standard around the pool . Manos at the bar clearly gives his primary attention to those who have been before to the point that we saw guests getting drinks at regular intervals without actually going to the bar or speaking to a waiter ! Our room was clean but we had a broken shower which when we complained we were told was how they were made until miraculously a plumber appeared and reattached the missing part. Bath towels were like hanky size and no amenities like you would expect , tissues etc . We had a robe that I think was there from the day it was built and when we asked for a new one the next one had holes in it . The electric switches outside the bathroom had a surround which kept coming off and the electrician glued it on so well we had to use a spoon to push the switch on and off Aircon is set at 22 you can’t change it ? We went to discuss our issues and see if we could get a more sunny room to be told all full which was not true Our rep offered to speak to the manager and returned offering us some extras to make up for the faults now this is where it gets interesting, the hotel offered us a taxi back to the airport , a spa visit and to keep our room on for nothing and vouchers for top shelf drinks , we were asked to return later to sign that we accepted this . We returned an hour later to be told by guest relations they had not agreed to a taxi or top shelf drinks and not a spa treatment but we could use the pool and the drinks were cocktails - it’s all inclusive My husband normally very calm told them what lies and that he was there when our rep told us the offers we then walked away as they could not care less. Later that evening two brand new robes appeared with vouchers for top shelf branded drinks so it was clear they were not upholding the offer , we never did get the taxi The hotel is low key entertainment but it is in the pool bar which is cold not enough seats so guests sit on sunbeds and also allows smoking inside so not pleasant . The piano bar is also outside seating but your in the pasta restaurant so felt weird The lobby has lots of seating but is missing a bar or even a coffee station or cold self serve drinks so in essence there is nowhere at night to sit comfortably. There are 2 à la carte but you only get one visit to each which is the same as someone staying a week . However we thought the food was good but breakfast wasn’t so good and was overcooked and cold at times. I cannot fault the staff they were super friendly and helpful except for guest relations lady . The town outside is very small and nothing to see outside . We would not return to this hotel due to the poor quality and lack of evening areas if it is wet or chilly or a non smoker. There were too many areas surface cleaned but it needs a good deep clean