Alexander House

Came to this hotel Solo for my 60th Birthday, the hotel was lovely and clean, the cleaners were really friendly, the bar staff lovely, the Manager couldn’t do enough for you! The pool was relaxing, the beach was close by. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer place to stay for my 60th birthday.

We arrived after midnight and was greeted with a 70 euro tourist tax charge which is a lot of a 3 star hotel. We paid and as there was 7 of us we paid 4 lots of 70 euros as we had 4 rooms between us. We then went to our rooms after a trek up and down lots of steps. Our room was very clean on arrival with lovely white sheets and bedding. Two of us were staying in our room and to our delight there was four beds in two rooms therefore we had our own room each with wardrobes and a lot of storage and floor space. A small balcony but was nice. The pool area is well kept and clean with plenty of sunbeds if you like to relax. Bar was lovely with very attentive staff who really do go above and beyond to make your stay a happy one. FOOD ; All inclusive menu that was ok, breakfast was my favourite time as served lots of fresh fruits , fresh baked breads and waffles with a wonderful continental feel. There was a hot option too with eggs , sausages , toast , beans etc however I did not try these. Fresh fruit juices and water along with hot drinks. Lunch was served daily however did not try this. Fresh pizzas baked daily in a fabulous outdoor pizza over at the pool bar with fresh drinks flowing too. Ice cream and cakes there too. Evening meals were different themes over 7 days however not a lot of traditional Greek foods. No souvlaki which was a disappointment. They did a gyros night however it was not the best. There was spaghetti bologniese served each evening which was nice. Not a good menu for kids however chips served daily. Staff work so hard to make the stay memorable as possible and always have a smile and ready for a chat. The local area is stunning with amazing beaches which are small but typical greek. Lots of tavernas and shops along the front. Lots of quaint little villages with the friendliest of locals. There is a little church on the beach path too which has a seated area by it making it a lovely spot to sit and watch the world go by. A bus stop outside the hotel costing 4 euros per person to go into Hereklion town centre where you can catch others buses to other destinatons. Over all Alexander House Hotel is a lovely little place however it is not good for ones with poor mobility due to lots of steps and very steep ramps. Crete is amazing in every way with a lot of happy people.

We had a lovely week here early October. The rooms do vary and we changed rooms due to my husband's mobility issues. However we had lovely rooms with an amazing sea/town view. There is a fridge but no kettle so we took our own travel kettle. We were near the bar so could hear the music and chatting but it wasn't disturbing. The food and drink was very good (lovely salad) and the staff work hard to please. I loved the pool and didn't find it cold at all. The beautiful, traditional village and beach of Agia Pelagia iare only 5 minutes away.We visited a beautiful restaurant very close to the hotel which was amazing.There are alot of steps in the hotel which can be an issue to the not so mobile..A big bonus for me was how the villagers cared for their animals.We are hoping to return as we just loved this little place.

On arrival, late in the evening, I was shown to my room and offered a pre prepared buffet which was nice. There was meat, breads and cheese as well as wine, beer and juices. My room was very large. For a four star hotel I would have to say it did not really live up to this rating however it was clean. It just lacked finesse and just fell a little below my expectations. Because they rate themselves as a 4 star hotel, you are liable for a €10 euro a night tourist tax charge. This is a substantial charge as it is, at best, a 3 star hotel. TUI should not have advertised as such and I Will be seeking financial recompense. The food was ok for a Greek all inclusive but again it was not 4 star quality. The staff were enthusiastic ant attentive and we're happy and very much guest focused. No snacks after the restaurant closes which is something ive never experienced before (again remember this is a '4 star' hotel). Pool was freezing but sunbeds were in good supply. Despite the hotel stating that sunbeds could not be reserved with towels, this still happened. This infuriates me and why say it will not Not be tolerated and let it happen? Despite my gripes, I really did have a lovely time here. A 3 star hotel yes, but 4, nowhere near. That's an issue for TUI to explain.

First of all I have to mention the amount of steps here as other reviews have but I have to reiterate it no matter where you go there are steps so if you have mobility issues this is not the place for you and it’s definitely not wheelchair friendly saw a lot of the older people struggling which was a shame. Anyway other points the staff were lovely especially the bar staff Manos, Panos and the young lady who worked in the pool bar and also helped in the main bar wonderful service and fun banter your glasses were never left empty. Food was average some days better than others but you never went hungry. There is no animation team here so don’t expect any activities in the day but it was nice and quiet and relaxing also entertainment wasn’t much a lady singing on Monday nights not too good but surprisingly there was a dj on Thursday night which was good as he got people up to dance and that was the extent of the entertainment so could improve on that aspect. The other main issue as mentioned by other reviews is the sun bed situation you did have to be up early to get one which I know is the norm wherever you go. The problem here there is nowhere else to go if you don’t get a bed apart from sitting in the pool bar all day. There are 3 main buildings so Im assuming they have been added but unfortunately no additional facilities especially as the pool isn’t that big too accommodate everyone. There is a bus stop not far to go into Heraklion when we went to go there was loads of people waiting and when bus turned up they only had room for 4 people which was not good and the buses are not regular this happened a few times so we gave up luckily we have been there on a previous trip so wasn’t too bothered but they could have provided more buses apparently the taxi would have cost about 40 euros each way. We did have a good time despite all this the beach is a thin strip and sun beds are packed on the town was small but enough bars shops and restaurants. We personally wouldn’t come back though