My boyfriend and I stayed at the island hotel for a week in July 2022. The hotel is beautiful and very well looked after - the grounds were cleaned every morning. The hotel grounds are quite large, we stayed in room 903 (I think!) and it was a 10ish minute walk to breakfast but we were more than ok with that. We paid for a room with a shared pool which we shared with 1 other room which was nice but we probably wouldn’t pay the extra for that again, simply because we spent most of our time at the main pool. The main pool had a DJ during the day a few days during our stay which was a nice atmosphere. Although if you want a more peaceful pool, there is a quiet pool which a lot of guests spent their days reading around, and also an infinity pool. We never had a problem getting a sun bed. Staff were all very friendly, the staff serving drinks in the evening often looked rushed off their feet but still polite and lovely. We saw the evening entertainment a couple of nights which was good although sometimes it was a bit difficult to find a seat. We paid for a couples massage at the hotel spa which was amazing! We stayed bed and breakfast and breakfast was always good and we never had to wait for a table. There is a shop in the hotel grounds which was very reasonably priced for drinks, snacks, pool floats, bat & balls and even sold handbags, clothes etc. There were a family of cats with their two kittens at the hotel which were so sweet. Also the hotels cat, Aristos who was often laying on the wall when we returned from our evening meals was lovely. On our last day we had a late evening flight so the hotel looked after our bags while we spent the day at the pool and we were able to have a shower etc. in a different room before our transfer collected us. Overall we loved the hotel and really enjoyed our stay. The only thing I would say is that the area (Kato Gouves) is quite quiet, there are enough restaurants around the hotel in walking distance if you are staying for a week and a few cocktails bars but it’s not a lively area. There are shops and supermarkets nearby though. It completely depends on what type of holiday you are looking for but if you want lively/ busy, Kato Gouves probably isn’t for you. There is a excursion shop just up the road, we booked a day trip to see a few other places on Crete (Elounda, Plaka, Spinalonga) which was good and the coach picks you up right outside the hotel on the beachfront. We also rented a quad for the day and went up into the hills and into Hersonissos which was a more busy/ touristy area. We had a lovely relaxing holiday staying at the Island hotel, it was perfect for what we were looking for and would highly recommend staying at the island.…
A perfect hotel for a ten day break. Good food throughout the day with a varying menu in the evening of delicious meals and nice wine. Nice swimming pools throughout the complex with sufficient number of sunbeds, some covered to get out of the sun. Entertainment in the evening in various bars. Service by the staff cannot be beaten although, I must admit, reception staff need to learn to smile a bit. Maybe they should go out around the complex and see the serving staff smiling a lot. However, they did their job so no complaint. I certainly will be thinking of another stay at theis hotel if we ever return to Crete. OH, yeh, and a beeeeeg plus for we older generation……adults only, no kids.
We had a fabulous stay at the island hotel. Room was great with a swim up pool. Food was fabulous we were half board. We stayed 4 nights in October to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Weather was great. Would love to return.
Very nice hotel. Good location right on the beach. Lots of bars and restaurants nearby to enjoy. Staff was friendly, helpful and provided good service. Adults only which was very nice. We stayed in the Shared Pool room with some friends in the other room. Very nice pool area, great view and very comfortable to lounge. Buffet breakfast was really good, way to many choices. Buffet dinner was also excellent. They had a small convenience store on-site with reasonable prices. You could get t-shirts, sunscreen, food, alcohol, etc. that was nice to have on-site. Room was nice, clean and comfortable. I highly recommend this hotel and would happily stay here again.
The hotel looks beautiful, it is very clean and well presented. The staff are very polite and friendly. We were dissapointed to see that there is a road running between the hotel and the beach, the pictures in TUI brochure did not show this. The private beach was a bit untidy, debris after tide went out not cleaned. There are 3 outdoor pools that all look beautiful, sadly they were all too cold to use, the sea was warmer. We went to use the indoor pool in the bathhouse, that too was also cold and not heated. We were told all the indoor area cold steam room cold, staff member said nothing working in the bath house and we were given the impression that the whole indoor area was closed. The food was great, but other restaurants in the hotel closed. The evenings were boring, no atomophere DJ entertainment some nights, but club style remix without a club feel, no club lighting, DJ did not engage with audience at all and appeared to be in his own world. We found a bar behind the hotel that had more energy about it and drinks more affordable. The stay was expensive one we paid because we wanted to use the advertised amenities, pools, indoor bathhouse and resturants. Sadly the hotel did not deliver what the brochure said it would.…
A great find! We stayed for a week in September and would highly recommend this hotel. It was clean, organised and the food was among the best I have enjoyed on any holiday - we stayed half board. Our room overlooked the main pool and the housekeeping was of a high standard. The hogging of sunbeds was well managed and so we never had a problem with choice of beds and we particularly enjoyed the Bali beds around the pool. We didn’t take advantage of the games room or spa, but it was handy having a kiosk on site for drinks which you could take to the pool, if you didn’t want to order from the bar. Several small local supermarkets just a few hundred metres outside the resort were convenient and we also used a couple of the tavernas for lunch- both enjoyable. Easy access to Iraklion by bus (really a coach) and the stop is around a 10 min walk from the hotel. We will be keeping the Island on our list of hotels worth returning to. Thank you to the whole team who made our stay so enjoyable.…
We stayed at the island hotel for a short October break and booked the package through Tui. The hotel facilities were excellent and spotlessly clean. All the hotel staff were really friendly, polite and attentive. We stayed half board and the food selection at breakfast and dinner was really good. A good mixture of general dishes, as well as traditional cretian food. Service was always excellent. We had a room with a sea view and balcony which was a good size and well appointed with a small fridge, a safe, tv and free bottle of water every day. The bath room was however on the small side, with a very small shower and no bath. We were unlucky with the weather having high winds and rain for most of the week so we were glad that we were staying in such a nice hotel.
We had a great experience at the Island. The buffet dinner in the Restaurant is the best buffet we have had at any Hotel. The team of the Hotel, particularly the waiting staff in the restaurant, front desk and housekeeping were brilliant, and our sea view pool room was very nice
We rarely leave reviews for restaurants or hotels. However the review left recently leaving very negative feedback was so far removed from our experience at the Island hotel that we felt it only right to offer our views as a balance. My wife also has a gluten intolerance so her experience can be directly compared. We stayed for 2 weeks on half board at this superb hotel during the last 2 weeks of September. As soon as the restaurant staff were aware of my wife’s intolerance they could not have been more supportive or helpful. Every evening she was kindly greeted and given a hand written list of all the gluten free options available within the extensive and high quality buffet. In addition to which, whilst there were gluten free dessert options available from the buffet they also had made a specific chocolate gf dessert they brought out from the chiller as another option. GF bread was always available at breakfast, in fact the wonderful staff always sought out my wife to make sure she had it. True there is no dedicated toaster for gf bread. Travelled all over the world and never seen a dedicated one before. As my wife has an intolerance and not an allergy, brushing off any crumbs wasn’t a big issue for her or she could have chosen not to toast it at all. The standard of food and drink was excellent. I don’t think 12 euros for half a bottle of very good red with dinner is expensive. Maybe others do. The buffet varied daily and gave extensive options for all appetites. I’d read the unnecessarily negative review during the last few days of our holiday. So I went out of my way to look for sun beds with holes in them. There weren’t any that I could see. The whole hotel was beautifully maintained. Yes, the hotel sits on the approach flight path for Heraklion airport. But let’s face it, these things are at 2000 feet and 13 km from the airport. You can hear them but they are not intrusive. Unless you are in a grumpy mood to start with I guess. We had also waited 3 years for this holiday and it was worth the wait. To be in luxurious surroundings overlooking a beautiful beach, being looked after in a very kind and friendly way was great. Having clean sheets and towels changed daily when the room was cleaned was marvellous. If you can afford it, go for a room with a swim up pool. Enjoy life.…
Perfect location, friendly staff, and beautifull hotel. We had only breakfast but was very complete everything was fresh and big choices in almost everything. Rooms were nice and clean. only 1 complaint about the balcony, it is impossible to sit with 2 adults on the balcony, but that`s really the only thing
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Listing