The Island Hotel
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Vlihadas Street, Kato Gouves, Gouves, Crete 700 14 Greece
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$126
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Full view
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Pool & Beach (519)
Room & Suite (326)
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Travel safe during COVID-19
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What you can expect during your stay
- All linens sanitized in high-temperature wash
- Face masks required for staff in public areas
- Floors marked for social distancing
- Hand sanitizer available to guests & staff
- Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
- Staff required to regularly wash hands
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Updated 07/24/20 Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
A note from The Island Hotel
Updated 07/24/20 Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
About
#3 of 37 hotels in Kato Gouves
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Travelers' Choice
The Island, the 1st Adults Only Hotel in Crete, is located at the seaside village of Kato Gouves, just 20 minutes away from Heraklion. A place of relaxation combining sea front location, amazing views of the Aegean Sea, 4 different pools to choose from, a great variety of local and foreign cuisines and professional services. This hotel has 3 outdoor pools, framed by hammocks and double daybeds, 1 indoor pool and 1 spacious outdoor hydromassage pool. The 298 rooms are tastefully decorated with neutral beige tones, silky textiles, robust furniture and velvet furnishings. All rooms feature the latest facilities such as 32” Satellite TV, air conditioning, refrigerator, safe deposit, soundproof windows, natural latex upper mattress, hairdryer, slippers and beach towels. The dining scene is made up of a buffet restaurant, an Italian place, a taverna and a laid-back eatery by the pool. You’ve got a good tally of activities in the day, and there’s easy-going entertainment come sundown.
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Full view
Property amenities
Free parking
Free internet
Pool
Fitness Center with Gym / Workout Room
Free breakfast
Beach
Tennis court
Conference facilities
Parking
Wifi
Pool / beach towels
Infinity pool
Adult pool
Indoor pool
Outdoor pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Breakfast buffet
Poolside bar
Entertainment staff
Evening entertainment
Table tennis
Banquet room
Meeting rooms
Spa
Couples massage
Facial treatments
Foot massage
Full body massage
Head massage
Massage
Salon
Adults only
Baggage storage
Concierge
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun terrace
Sun umbrellas
24-hour front desk
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Ironing service
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Room features
Air conditioning
Private beach
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Room service
Safe
Refrigerator
Flatscreen TV
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
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Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Bay View
Romantic
Languages Spoken
English, German, Greek
Location
Full view
53Somewhat walkable
Grade: 53 out of 100
10Restaurantswithin 0.3 miles
4Attractionswithin 0.3 miles
Contact
Vlihadas Street, Kato Gouves, Gouves, Crete 700 14 Greece
Name/address in local language
Getting there
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2507Reviews361Q+A100Room tips
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Popular mentions
This Hotel is simply amazing, perfect for relaxing and with huge property, with three pools, several bars, a gym, many places where you can rest and if you want to hit the beach, its just across the street with many beach loungers to choose. The staff was always really friendly and extremely helpful, they explain how can we reach Heraklion or where can we get tested for Corona for our flight and so on. And the food was so delicious! I got so sad when I was already satisfied from eating, but still wanted to try many of the other delicious dishes. I'm definitely coming back!
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Date of stay: June 2021
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Helpful
+1
The hotel property is very nice with 3 main pools a hydro pool, a spa, bar etc. The rooms and bathroom are small with basic amenities...but they were clean. There is a refrigerator, tv and a safe. The lighting is weird in the room where there are only overhead lights which are very bright and hot. The air conditioner didn't cool very well even though it was set on the lowest setting. The ocean is an the rougher side but okay when you go out a little ways. Only one restaurant was opened for breakfast and dinner both were buffets style for each meal. Fabulous view at the restaurant especially if like watching sunsets. I liked that they had a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables available for both meals. I usually don't like the food in the chaffing dishes so I shy away from those items. The pizza was delicious if you like a thin crust simple cheese pizza. The woman overseeing the restaurant can be a little overbearing but I guess she is doing her job. They give you one beach towel in your room so you just keep exchanging that one everyday.…
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Date of stay: June 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Katja Kemmeren, General Manager at The Island Hotel
Responded 6 days ago
Dear Ramadama Thank you for taking the time to review your recent experience at The Island. It gives us great pleasure to know that you enjoyed our pools, the cleanliness of the hotel and the fabulous view and the sunsets from our restaurant. Regarding the air conditioning, we are really sorry for that inconvenience, if only you had mentioned it at the reception, a member of our team would have adjusted the temperature to your preference on the spot. Thank you for staying with us, we hope to see you again on your next Cretan adventure! Best regards, The Island Team
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August 2019,,,,,,Best Hotel in Greece. Second time at this amazing hotel for our honeymoon with beautiful staff . Christina, Marina, Irini and Angelica made our time so special. If you want the best greek holiday ever this is for you. Don't forget to pop into Maria yannis bar which is 50yds up the road and Dimitra Taverna almost opposite.
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Katja Kemmeren, General Manager at The Island Hotel
Responded 6 days ago
Dearest Mr. Mathias, Kalispera and warm greetings from Crete!!! Satisfying our returning guests can sometimes be a challenging service, since we need to constantly keep improving ourselves. We are so glad that we managed to do that on this occasion! We will happily share this review with the whole team and especially with the people that you mention by name. It was a pleasure having you stay with us and we hope that we will see you again soon! Sunny regards, The Island Hotel Team
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This is a review of a hotel, not a location, but that said, although I very much like Crete and the wonderful fishing villages with turquoise waters and places like Elounda, Chania and Rethymon, Gouves itself is not a particularly interesting or scenic location, and that's where the hotel is. The good thing about the location though, is that it is only a 20 minute drive from Heraklion, so if you are keen to get to your hotel quickly, this is ideal. It is also a 20 minute bus ride to Heronissos, the nearest larger tourist town. The hotel has its own beach area just across a small beach road, and the use of the sunbeds and umbrellas was included in the price. There was always plenty of room in August, but I am guessing it might have been busier in pre-Covid times. The hotel has three pools for public use, with a variety of sun "beds" with canopies and the usual loungers. At the main pool a local DJ played chill out music. It's not particularly my thing but I didn't mind it. There was a "relaxing pool" which was quieter, and a pool nearer the beach. The complex is actually quite large and my first impressions of the hotel were very good; a pleasant layout with palm trees and Grecian urns. By the main pool there was a restaurant/bar and we thought the quality of the food was good, although a little expensive for Greece. Our room was near the back of the hotel so did not have a particularly great view, and the room was not particularly big either. The bathroom was quite small and I didn't like the way the sink area was not properly separated from the sleeping area other than by a roller blind - weird. You could choose to have the room cleaned daily, or every other day, or even weekly - obviously a Covid thing. I actually thought th is was a good idea but couldn't see why you would want to wait a week for clean towels. Beach towels could be changed every day in the spa area, which looked very nice. If you got there at the right time the setting for meals was very nice, under a canopy overlooking the beach. Lovely. This was especially nice at breakfast, although some of the seating was actually inside too. The arrangement for meals was buffet service, but in an effort to control hygiene during the pandemic only staff were allowed to serve the food. Fair enough, but this sometimes led to queues, and it could be irritating having to go in one line for toast and another for butter. It reminded me of a childhood Butlins holiday in this respect. I realize it probably isn't the norm, but the situation might have been solved by hiring a few more staff. You could also order from a menu of three options which would be served at the table. The food was OK, but I didn't find it particularly authentic or hot, and cuts of meat, such as chicken, were legs or thigh, which, for a five star hotel, is not what I would expect. For me, as a pescatarian, there were not enough fresh fish or vegetable dishes. I only had dessert once, but there was plenty of choice, and plenty of people seemed impressed by it. For me the best meal was breakfast, as I like copious amounts of fresh fruit, and the fruit station was always replenished quickly. The greek yoghurt and honey was also nice. Tea and coffee was always made with tepid water brought to the table. We went on a half board basis, which meant all drinks, including bottled water, had to be paid for. I personally thought the food at the poolside restaurant was far nicer than in the restaurant, probably because it was cooked to order and fresher. The Greek salads there were enormous and delicious, and the bar staff in that area were the friendliest and politest, although one lady in the morning breakfast area (Elvira?) was always chirpy and polite. We met quite a few people of different nationalities there. A French couple explained how they had their own private pool. There were several rooms that shared a pool with a neighbouring room or were completely private; I am guessing at a huge premium. Our room was by no means cheap; probably the most expensive European holiday I have had (the last few years I have tended to go long haul during the summer) since I stayed at a Sofitel. I love being in Europe and people watching and chatting to different people from other countries. Most of the people there were young couples, although there were a few older ones, mainly from Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany and England and of course, Greece. The younger couples were of the variety who like to "pose" in the pool, which my husband and I, along with another couple we were friendly with, found very amusing. Thank goodness I am not of the "selfie" generation. My recommendations to eat out (which we did quite a lot) are the Paradise restaurant right opposite the hotel where the fresh fish platter is fab, but the other local places were also quite nice; much better than eating in the hotel all the time, and the drinks were considerably cheaper. The Island restaurant, a short walk away towards Gouves centre, has a lovely setting right at the water's edge, and there is some form of live entertainment a couple of times a week. The fish there is also great and the staff are very friendly. Maria and Yannis' bar next door was also a favourite, and Andreas runs a nice little bar too. Not upmarket, not pretentious, just friendly, and Greek. If you want to venture out (who doesn't?), you can get a bus to Heraklion or Herossinos at the top of the road, or you can hire a car for a very reasonable price. We went back to our favourite area of Elounda, but also visited Rethymon and Chania for the first time, along with many fishing villages and inland villages like the lovely Spili, famous for its fountain. Would I recommend the hotel to someone else? Yes, probably, but not sure I would go again myself as life is too short and there are too many places to see.…
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Date of stay: August 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip: Front of hotel have views of the sea. Rooms facing the main pool as the chill out music/evening...
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5 Helpful votes
Helpful
Advertised as 5*, no better than 3*, most of the staff were bordering on rude. Hot breakfast food was always cold. Room was small. Clean enough. Facilities non existent. No Kettle, No Iron. Our room was a sea view but overlooked the pool. Music every night outside our window. Last resort was the refusal to give us more than a 2 hour extension to the check out time, we were there for 2 weeks and the hotel was only half full, our flight was 10 pm so we had to sit around in travelling clothes for 5 hours. Food outside in a few of the local Tavernas was far superior to the hotel and the people very friendly. If you want a 5* hotel don't expect here.
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Date of stay: October 2020
3 Helpful votes
Helpful
PRICE RANGE
$115 - $231 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
pantheon palace beach gouves, hotel pantheon palace beach
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Pantheon Palace Beach Hotel
LOCATION
GreeceCreteHeraklion PrefectureGouvesKato Gouves
NUMBER OF ROOMS
298
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Claim Your Listing Frequently Asked Questions about The Island Hotel
Which popular attractions are close to The Island Hotel?
Nearby attractions include Sport Cafe Central (0.10 miles), Maria Yannis Cafe Bar (0.05 miles), and KonDimAr Cocktail Bar (0.04 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at The Island Hotel?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include an indoor pool, free breakfast, and an on-site restaurant.
Which room amenities are available at The Island Hotel?
Top room amenities include air conditioning, a flat screen TV, and a refrigerator.
What food & drink options are available at The Island Hotel?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to The Island Hotel?
Conveniently located restaurants include Limanaki Cafe Restaurant, Medusa Restaurant, and Mylos Taverna.
Are there opportunities to exercise at The Island Hotel?
Yes, guests have access to an indoor pool and a fitness center during their stay.
Are any cleaning services offered at The Island Hotel?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Does The Island Hotel offer any business services?
Yes, it conveniently offers meeting rooms, a banquet room, and conference facilities.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at The Island Hotel?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English, German, and Greek.
Are there any historical sites close to The Island Hotel?
Many travelers enjoy visiting The Palace of Knossos (9.2 miles), The Throne Room (9.3 miles), and Kouloures (9.3 miles).