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.
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.
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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The Island Hotel offers a mixed experience; while its prime location and stunning views are widely lauded, guests have called out inconsistencies in room quality and amenities, challenging its five-star status. The atmosphere divides opinion—some enjoy the DJ's music and tranquil vibe, while others are put off by noise.
Cleanliness generally earns high marks, except for occasional lapses. Multiple pools and beach access are popular, but dated aspects and extra fees detract from the overall value, leaving many to question the cost versus benefit of their stay.
Location
Beachfront
Atmosphere
Mixed
Rooms
Cramped
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Spotless
Noise level
Noisy
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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This was our 6th holiday at the Island hotel and we were not disappointed, it felt as if we were coming home to family, you could not wish for a warmer welcome.The staff are all fantastic from reception right through to the maids. the rooms are always spotless and the beds are the most comfortable we have ever slept in. We stayed half board and enjoyed all of our meals ,excellent service from the restaurant staff very friendly many of whom we know. The lunches at the stone are lovely and the service is fantastic. The staff on reception are great especially Eva, as nothing is too much trouble for them. Lovely spa treatments in a wonderful calm atmosphere . If you enjoy a relaxed evening with some great music you will like the Tholos bar which serve great cocktails. I have read some pretty unhappy comments about the Island but personally we would not have returned so many times if we had experienced any of these. Special thanks to Marina,Eva and Eni, but you are all Fantastic. Thank you for a brilliant holiday and can't wait to see you next year.
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Date of stay: August 2024
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have just returned from an amazing stay at the Island. We arrived late and our bags were wheeled to our room for us, some food left in the fridge for us and also some small gifts for our honeymoon. Everything about our room was lovely…comfy bed, fluffy towels and dressing gowns. We had a pool room and it was nice to have the privacy of our own pool to relax in. That being said, all of the 3 pools were luscious. Everything about the Island is relaxing… spotlessly clean absolutely everywhere, no loud music, no rowdy guests (almost too quiet if you like a party!) but we went for total relaxation and that’s what we got! There was never a struggle to find sunbeds or cabanas, lots of little nooks to chill out in and luscious palms/ Greenery along with the very cute resident cats. The spa offered 20% discount so took advantage of a massage too. The food was the nicest hotel food we have ever had, all topped off with an unbelievable sunset dinner view! We had a complimentary meal at the a la carte restaurant- the Taverna which was outstanding and the service was top notch. The beach across the road was small but on a calm day had the clearest waters, you could see straight to the bottom. We hired a car and headed to Voulisma beach approx 1 hour away, would highly recommend. Our only complaint would be having to wait to be seated some mealtimes and waiting a while at the bar before being served (you had to wait to be served as was table service only) however when we bought this up we were addressed by one of the managers who apologised and explained that it was particularly busy at those times. Overall a wonderful stay, we did not want to leave! If you are after a tranquil, picturesque stay in Crete then look no further. Thank you Island hotel
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Hotel itself looks great and feels like a 4 star experience, the pools and lounge sun beds were amazing and were great, however there were quite a lot of annoyances during the stay which were disappointing.
The room was about a 5 minute walk to reception but the walk was nice enough and didn’t mind. The room was good, the safe and mini fridge all free which was welcomed. The sunloungers on the balcony were good and we had a semi-private swim up pool which we loved and used regularly (we paid extra for this room type). The bathroom felt old and tired and we often had ants crawling up the mirror by the sink. There was a stain on the chaise long and the seat which didn’t feel the cleanest.
Check in was dreadful, arriving at the hotel about 1.30am, the sole receptionist decided to group everyone together for their own efficiency, meaning we had to wait for everyone, they said they’d bring the bags to the room, while the clueless security guard took the group of people to their rooms as a group, which was a stupid idea as he didn’t know where he was going and people just wandered off. We waited an hour in the room and still no bag. We went back to reception to find them exactly where we left them, so took them back ourselves as we just wanted a shower and sleep at 2.30am!
I have a milk allergy and the breakfast and dinner options are very limited for me- no dessert options which were unlabelled and I would say about 5-10% is labelled wrong or incorrectly with some dishes clearly containing milk but wasn’t labelled eg pork with peppercorn sauce. Another morning I had the nesquik cereal and soya milk and had a borderline allergy reaction that thankfully didn’t turn serious. They need to label everything, which they don’t. This made me not trust anything new on the buffet unless I was confident. The food was a high quality and tasted great and I did like the variety of cuisines they had. We loved one of the lady’s who served towards the back of the restaurant and the wine and setting was lovely sitting out watching the sunset most evenings.
The evening bar lacked atmosphere or decent entertainment and the service was a bit poor too. They were pushing people to visit the Yachting Bar which was on the seafront, we went their twice, the second time we walked out as we’d waited about 15 minutes and they hadn’t taken our order and also lacked some atmosphere.
The onsite corner store was a good addition and very handy which we used regularly, often for drinks around the pool as it was cheaper and more accessible than the pool bar.
As a gay male couple, it felt like we were the only lgbt+ ones in the hotel, everyone else appeared to be straight couples and we only spotted one other gay couple. That said it didn’t change the experience we had and the staff were lovely and we didn’t feel discriminated at all but it just felt like we were the only ones.
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip: Pools busiest between 9.30 and 1pm so get there early. Get drinks from the corner shop as they’re...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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We always stay in 5 star hotels so we have reasonable insight what the level should be. However, this hotel does not score higher than 4 stars. It's certainly not a bad hotel but at a number of points they still drop quite a few stitches. On arrival You get into the reception that looks a little small for 5 stars. You will be welcomed at the desk. That is, if you do not arrive with many people at the same time because then the staff gets a bit nervous and snarly. We had the Cool room and it is a bit on the small side but otherwise okay. The bathroom area, on the other hand, is far too small. A bath that immediately doubles as a shower is almost laughably small. As a grown man, you're really stuck. The staff were very friendly and the room was clean. The pools incl. number of beds are far too small for the number of guests but they probably bet that a lot of people go to the beach which is just across the street. Another reason could be that a lot of rooms have their own private pool but these people also just lie down by the large pool. The quality of the food is reasonable just the temperature is not. The warming installations are apparently not able to keep the food at the right temperature so you eat lukewarm food every day or you just have to be lucky that a new supply is brought. This is really not possible for a 5 star hotel. Also the space where the food is located is far too tight for the number of guests so a lot of rush. Especially since the dinner buffet closes at 20.30 !!! The staff here are very friendly and friendly. The evening entertainment doesn't go much further than a DJ playing some music. So there are some more small things that do not score high. Again it is really not a bad hotel and many people will experience it as good but it is certainly not worth 5 stars while you pay for it.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is definitely not a 5 star it a 3 star hotel on a good day. The rooms do not look like the photos so be warned. Every item at breakfast is cold and fat dried all over it. Really was disappointed. The hotel pools are really nice though and the sunloungers etc are clean. We was a 6 min walk to our room from reception to our roomand anything this hotel can charge on top of what you have already paid they will. If you check out in the morning and haven't reserved your room for late checkout they want over €200 for the day and of you just want a shower before you fly they want €30 for 45 mins. Will be going back Greece just not with this hotel again
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
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Location
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Fridges are as much use as having a chocolate teapot
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cannot fault this hotel… After reading some derogatory reviews my partner and I were worried with our upcoming holiday rapidly approaching, we didn’t want it to be a letdown.
This holiday has proved us and the unhappy customers wrong.
From check in we were greeted with perfect English, a bellboy took our bags to our room and we had leftover food from the evening meal in the fridge with desserts (we got in at 2am)
The hotel itself is beautifully presented, the staff are up at 6:30/7am to start cleaning the grounds everyday. Every staff member we have come across has been very friendly and helpful.
The room is spacious, well laid out and for being the base level room it felt like luxury. There are numerous pools for every mood/traveller, a busy main pool with a DJ to the relaxation pool there’s something for everyone.
Breakfast was unreal, we were half board so cannot say about lunch but dinner was all well presented, if you’re a picky eater however you may struggle. We always found something to eat.
The beach is just across the road and is free for hotel users. It’s a lovely sand beach which sometimes is calm and sometimes wavy, giving a variety of swimming. It’s very well kept, with crystal clear waters no rubbish to be seen.
The hotel itself is just amazing, I would come back again and again.
There are also 5/6 resident cats that live onsite, they’re friendly and love to have food/treats from people, if you don’t like cats/allergic maybe go somewhere else. We found the kittens adorable and fed them scraps from breakfast/dinner!
10/10
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â The location is very eastern, renting a car is a must, parking is fine and we managed to park...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel is located on Gouves beach, which can be used by hotel guests free of charge with its loungers. The complex has several pools and rooms, suites and private "bungalows". Our room by the pool was beautifully located, but the volume of the music and evening entertainment was a bit exhausting. The facilities are in keeping with a 5-star hotel in Greece and we felt very comfortable overall. A lot of emphasis was placed on design during construction, which can sometimes lead to small hurdles within the complex and is therefore not such a good option for travelers with disabilities. The half board was very good and varied, and the high-calorie desserts are also tempting. The proximity to Heraklion is really good, but a rental car or taxi is necessary if you don't want to walk to the bus in the summer heat. The hotel is also happy to help with this.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
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Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We spent a week at The Island Hotel. The room with infinity pool was good, the size sufficient and so was the balcony with adjoining pool (shared with 3 other rooms). The daily cleaning of the room was fine. The public area, main restaurant, pool and garden area, however, leaves much to be desired and does not correspond to Austrian 4 stars or Greek 5 stars. Catering: Breakfast is good from the selection, but no good quality products (eg cheapest Tetrapak juices) are offered, the fruit selection (daily melon, apple, kiwi, peach) is bored after a few days, when the island would have so much to offer. Dinner also lacks variety. Hotel complex/pool: Pool loungers are through. Every day around noon, the green area around the pool is irrigated with wastewater. The smell in the first 10 minutes is almost unbearable. The common hygiene standards in public areas, especially toilets, leave much to be desired. One cannot even speak of daily cleaning. Reception: The staff are neither friendly nor competent. Conclusion: Value for money unacceptable.
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
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Location
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I must admit, I don't understand the excitement about this Inn.
Certainly it is beautiful, clean, rather pleasant, and at first sight we say "wow!!!"
My first question: what is the point of having so many pools, especially private pools, if they are not heated and therefore almost impassable?? (in September anyway) Even the Jacuzzi and the indoor pool of the SPA are cold.
About the beach: it is not private, so it is not adults only unlike the Pension (not much interest) Certainly, it is free but there may not be enough deckchairs in high period since it is open to everyone against payment. The beach is not really nice, because we saw on the road, and on the graffiti of the wall. Limit, for a 5 star. To finish the bathing chapter, the towels provided are too small, they are shower towels, no beach, and therefore they cover only half of the deckchair.
The room is small, the bathroom ridiculously small, and there is no privacy (I don't know if they are all on the same model), since there is no door between the bathroom and the bedroom and the sink is separated by a simple curtain I don't understand the concept!
An outlet did not work, the first days the dishes were not washed I had to put it in the sink. I also had to ask for shower gel. The balcony is also ridiculously small, in my review it is just for smoking in no way to relax, at least not for two at the same time. There is no clothes rack for swimwear and towels. And the bedding is not good, plus the double bed is composed of two beds with a hollow in the middle.
The buffet is quite varied and the products numerous but I noticed that on Sunday the bread is less fresh.. Desserts are monotonous and of poor quality. We are not even offered a decanter of water, all drinks are paid for at the table.
Animation is monotonous, there are often DJs without much interest. In an Adults Only Inn, a piano bar party might be fun, for example.
Big positive: the sympathy of the staff; with special mention to the car rentals and the lady of the small supermarket.
However, we never saw the Luxair Guide, except at the airport on Arrival and Check-out. No information about the Pension, excursions, surroundings, or anything else. We had to send him a message to find out what time the shuttle was picking us up. That's unacceptable.
The most unacceptable part for a 5-star rating is the Check-out Day We have to vacate the room by 11am, they give us an extra hour (whereas we had the room at 10pm, EITHER) We are told that we can enjoy the facilities until our Check-out (17:15). The luggage room where we can store our suitcases is not secure, no one offered me help to measure them on the shelves so I had to leave them on the ground. There is a scale to weigh our suitcases for... 1 euro Seriously???
The icing on the cake, on the day of Check-out, we do not provide any changing room (or maybe it exists but communication is not the main quality of receptionists....) There's luggage open all over the lobby of this 5-star Pension, and topless men decorating and women re-doing makeup It's surreal.
In conclusion, this Pension is beautiful and pleasant, but it is not worthy of a 5 star rating.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Evitez les chambres autour de la piscine principale, bruyantes
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I would like to give an honest and helpful review on our stay at the Island hotel. We arrived late and were delighted to find cold food in our fridge . It's a fine hotel , we went half board , the food was ok. The staff are first class , always smiling, helpful. Two many names to mention. There are three pools,two small and one large, people do put their towels down to book beds . I thought the hotel was close to the main town , unfortunately it's out in the desert, with a couple of bars and restaurants outside . So if your hoping to go shopping or pick out a bar with great music, forget it . The price of alcohol is expensive and for that reason the hotel emptied after dinner to the small amount of bars outside. Entertainment in the hotel is awful, a DJ who does not do requests or get anyone on the dancefloor, it was like Elevator music all day long . Entertainment around the pool ( games) was Zero and for that reason there was no interaction between the guests. Everyone I spoke to said the very same thing, so quite. We might be middle aged but we are not dead yet . Silence was golden . The beach is just across the road , so that's good . Our room was small and clean ,on the balcony we had a view of a very large bush , but that didn't bother us . The hotel really needs to kick some life into it , it's drowning in boredom. On our last day when I asked about a courtesy shower, we were quoted €30 to use it , never ever before did we have to pay to shower. Would I recommend this hotel, well only if you want a really quiet holiday, just want to look into each other's eyes and speak to no one else in the hotel , this is for you . This hotel has so much more to offer ,but it really needs to up their game plan
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Southampton, United Kingdom388 contributions58 helpful votes
Hi there are 3 pools relaxing pool infinity pool and the main pool where lots going on also dj plays music daytime and evening lively pool we preferred the relaxing pool but we are older and just like peace and quiet it’s a beautiful hotel you will not be dissapointed
There are more places to choose from in the Kato Gouves area.
PRICE RANGE
$113 - $227 (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
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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