3 Star Crete Holidays

Annika Tomlinson

I spent a week here along with 8 other girls and from the other reviews left about this hotel, we were nervous. However as soon as we got there we were pleasantly surprised. Owners were very nice, we had to pay a deposit and wifi/aircon payment in cash upon arrival (you get €20 back at the end of your week depending on the state of your room). They told us the rules such as no loud music on the balcony’s after 11pm, no food or drinks that weren’t bought at the hotel to be by the pool ect (these all seemed reasonable). The rooms were very modern, clean and much nicer than we were expecting. However, we did have 2 single beds and a sofa bed which is not what we thought we paid for. We had to ask for a second mattress for the sofa due to it being extremely uncomfortable. Air-con does need to be paid for but it is definitely worth it as works really well. They also only provide you with one toilet roll and no hand soap, but these can be bought from any of the shops nearby. (There’s also a tiny shop at the hotel with a few essentials in) WiFi works wells if you’re near the pool/have a room near the pool. The restaurant in the hotel was amazing as it was well priced with lots of breakfast/lunch/dinner options. However it’s also less than 5 min walk to get to old town where there’s lots or traditional Greek restraunts. Overall, all the girls were very happy with our experience at Happy Days Studios and I’d recommend this hotel to anyone going to Malia.

elliot mairsss

I came here on a lads holiday and after reading some reviews we were very skeptical but the hotel was nothing like any of the bad reviews. We stayed in the “Apartment Superior Two Bedrooms” room and it was the best decision we made. The room was very spacious and perfect for 3 people. As you arrive there’s a few additional costs like tourist tax, air con cost, safe cost and a deposit. They are all fair costs and worth the money and the deposit was given back at the end as long as you keep your room in a good condition. The 2 pools were very nice and clean and there’s a lot of sun loungers dotted around the pool and bar. The staff are very fair and reasonable if you respect their rules. It’s located in Malia Old Town and is a nice 10-15 min walk to the strip. Would definitely recommend for young people looking at staying just outside of the strip. The pictures below are from the double bed room inside the “apartment superior two bedrooms” and the other bedroom had 2 single beds.

Holly

I would definitely not recommend for girls and couples. I stayed here with my boyfriend for the week and honestly couldn’t believe how we were treated by a member of staff. We were followed back to our room while a male staff member was shouting at me to leave while accusing me of not staying at the hotel, as if i was being brought back. I would definitely be careful if you’re looking for a girls holiday with the way he went on. If i wasn’t with my boyfriend i would have felt really threatened. The rest of the staff were nice enough but for it being a vibe hotel it definitely did not have fun atmosphere as you constantly feel like you are being watched. The location was decent though as it was close to the restaurants in the old town.

Nicky Havard

Love this little gem, local to beach, restaurants and bars. Rooms are well out together for sharers and couples alike, clean and well equipped. The staff are just lovely, can't do enough for you and this is what sets this hotel apart from others, a great place to stay!

Jess mullen

If I could give the service 0 stars I would. Staff are rude, upon entrance it was a 60€ PER PERSON deposit without knowledge. Only €20 refunded if in prestige condition. No makeup blood etc on absolutely anything. Do not stock you up on toilet roll. Strict with music & balcony time, being constantly watched and judged. Uncomfortable visit and didn’t feel relaxed felt on edge the whole time. Only hotel condiments around the pool. Really wouldn’t recommend especially if young

P. E.

For a low season price it's a very good place. Spacious room. If you take a room with the yard view, it's gonna be quiet at night. A few steps and you're at the sea. I'd definitely come again, it's a good, budget friendly place. 👍

Mike Dave

Basic rooms are in need of an update. The bathroom is the same needs a renovation . Everything you need is in walking distance. Beach very close, so are the shops. Owner always there till 5 pm for questions and directions. For breakfast and lunch , ood cheap food. Tip. Use the rrooftopterrace for sunbathing when it's windy.

Jennifer A KresseRodriguez

Manolis was amazing and so was his team. He told us about a beautiful rustic beach where we snorkeled in crystalline waters right off the shore. There were lots of gorgeous fish. The place was just what we were looking for. The price was incredibly good. It was super quiet. I love Hersonissos- I'm referring to the quiet part where Klery is. I highly recommend the self service restaurant called DAVID. They serve Cretan food and it is so good I'm still dreaming about it.

Celeste Settembre

Very close to the beach and the restaurants. Dirty rooms from the first to the last day of my holiday. Old furniture. I refused to have breakfast in there. A real nightmare.

Daniel Villain

Super friendly and super location

Dan Nemes

Really nice place for a hotel, 5 minutes of walking till you reach the beach. Shops even closer, not too loud at night so you can sleep Pool was really nice, exactly what you need in the afternoon before dinner. Open hours for pool are from 10:30 till 18:30. Really nice dinner, you can have spaghetti, you can have French fries, different kinds of meat but really wonderful cooked. The rooms are ok, the bathroom is quite small. Rooms are equipped with ac, fridge, safe box, tv. The staff is really friendly and will assist you in any way poasible.

Elena Stefanovic

the hotel was great, good food and good location. but the staff is definitely the reason i’m giving 5 stars ESPECIALLY because of Ele the receptionist. he was so sweet and really fun. definitely made our stay at this hotel 100 times better, it wouldn’t have been the same without him❤️❤️

Wahrheit Kommt

Dear Sir or Madam, I would like to share my honest feedback regarding my recent stay at your hotel. We arrived at 11:00 a.m., but unfortunately had to wait until 3:00 p.m. to check in. After a long journey, this was quite inconvenient. When we finally entered the room, we were extremely disappointed. The condition of the room was unacceptable – to the extent that I wouldn't even let my dog in Germany sleep there, and I say that without exaggeration. One of the most concerning issues was the shower. Due to the extremely thin shower curtain, water flowed directly into the room while showering, causing significant mess. In addition, there was visible mold in the shower area. As a result, I felt physically unwell – in fact, I was sick to my stomach, something that has never happened to me in a hotel before. The dining experience was also far from what we expected. Although we had booked half board, we were charged extra for drinks in the evening – a practice I have never encountered in over 25 years of traveling. The quality of the food was disappointing as well; it was neither visually appealing nor appetizing. Even the birds I tried to feed some of it to refused to eat it. I am not someone who complains easily, but in this case, the conditions were so distressing that I felt compelled to speak up. Unfortunately, under these circumstances, I cannot recommend the hotel. I sincerely hope that you take this feedback seriously and take the necessary steps to improve the experience for future guests.

Milena Rankic

Beautiful hotel with wonderful staff. Staff is outstanding, cleanliness is more than excellent. A diverse selection of food that is delicious, the only flaw is that you will gain weight😊

Sarah Mcleod

Terrible hotel, staff quite unhelpful. Rooms are basic, do have air-conditioning and a fridge, the shower has good pressure but beds are hard. The room appeared to be cleaned each day but all they really do is empty the bin and attempt to make the bed, twice the sheets were folded up and left on rge bed. Only received 2 new towels in a week. Continental breakfast was basic but reasonable, however the evening buffet was dreadful, cold, tasteless, and made up both feel quite ill, so half board was a waste as only ate the breakfast. Avoid the downstairs toilets as they are dirty, smelly and full of mosquitoes.

Oleksandr Tishchenko

I stayed at this hotel, and I must say — it was absolutely wonderful! Despite its rating, the quality of service and experience exceeded all expectations. The food was delicious every single day, and the rooms were always clean and well-maintained. The pools were spotless, and even the outdoor tiles were washed daily — a small detail that really shows their commitment to cleanliness. But what truly made the stay special was the staff. Everyone was incredibly kind, always smiling and ready to help. Special thanks go to a man named Dali — the heart and soul of the evening entertainment. Every night, he hosted Showtime — whether it was a quiz, dance party, or karaoke, he brought great energy and fun to the event. What’s even more impressive is that he speaks (if I’m not mistaken) five languages — definitely French, Greek, English, and German — so conversations flow easily no matter where you’re from. He clearly gives his all to make sure guests are enjoying themselves, and his positive energy is contagious. I truly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a warm, clean, and fun place to stay. Don’t let the 3 stars fool you — this place shines bright!

Oleksandra Chumak

I recently stayed at Lyda Hotel and I absolutely loved it! One of the best things about this place is the incredibly friendly and welcoming staff — they really make you feel at home from the moment you arrive. But the real star of the show is the DJ, Dali! He’s hands down the best staff member — so fun, energetic, and knows exactly how to keep the vibe going. He made every evening unforgettable! I 100% recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a great vacation in Crete. You won’t regret it!

Lea Thompson

This is not a hotel that will receive repeat custom. I was lucky with room listening to fellow travellers. The food and drink choice is terrible and what is served is of low quality. This hotel should have stayed self catering. Nearly everything is extra, you cannot get a glass of water between 9.30am and 11am. The bar closes at 10.30pm so no water again until 7.30am. The snacks are served regimentally for 1 hour, 1 small tray (of their choice) at a time for over 1000 guests. Pay a little extra and go elsewhere. The only saving grace for this hotel is that there are two others. Valentina's and Rena's very close by where you can get nice food and drink.

Sammy Barlow

Stayed at this hotel for 2 weeks just arrived home. If you have kids i would not recommend this hotel, there is very little entertainment for them at night and non existent in the day! i did ask at the reception and was told they have staffing issues. food not so good over all not good for kids the evening meal does state no kids menu so was very hard to find something or them. the walk to the beach s about 10-15mins but you have to cross a main road first with no lights so not very safe! The hotel does have a bus on but does not run weekend, the little entertainment they do have they also do not do anything weekend its like the hotel shuts down on a Saturday and Sunday. On a brighter note the hotel is very clean the pools are very clean and the staff are lovely its just a shame the food, entertainment and distance to other areas lets the hotel down. Also if your AI they only offer brandy, Raki and Oozo, wine and beer on the alcohol no vodka not even the cheap version - i have always been offered cheaper versions of alcohol on the AI and obvs pay for the proper makes anywhere else but not this hotel. snacks during the day (or should i say snack) is at 11 for an hour which was onion ring or a pastry of some kind. nothing else during the day apart from cake around 4/5 - ice cram for kids isnt offered through the day just at lunch/dinner. Felt a bit cheated with the AI to be honest. I wouldn't stay here again, i did see the reviews about the above when i booked but thought id see for myself and gutted i didn't change the hotel now - if they at least put more snacks on in the day for the kids if they struggle to find something and entertainment was better it wouldn't be as bad!!

karin

Starting this review, i want to say that the staff, especially the service, are very kind people. They are attentive and always listen to requests. The location is pretty okay, with a bus stop at a near walking distance. The beach is also not far ( about a 10 minute walk). This is just what you would expect from a 3-star hotel. Now to all the negatives: we arranged our trip mit TUI and booked a double room. We are a family of four and expected two rooms, but unfortunately we got one small room with four beds and one small bathroom. After bringing this to the attention of the receptionist there wasn’t anything she did or could do to help us but only told us to contact TUI. We did, they agreed with us and spoke to reception - we spoke to the manager, a bit intimidating but it was clear she was trying to help us understand that it wasn’t their mistake but TUIs. In the end we stopped trying, we weren’t willing to pay more money for another room and the discussion just stressed us. What was the cherry on top for us was definitely the food. I don’t want to criticize the cooking, since different people like different kinds of food, but it was a very disappointing experience for my family and me. It wasn’t very vegetarian friendly and the smell of pork was very overwhelming on some days. The most basic of foods just had a weird taste to it and even vegetables and fruits tasted old and flavorless. We all had to endure terrible stomach aches. Maybe its just that we are not used to the food but it was a singularly terrible experience. I lost my appetite because i didn’t look forward to eating and after spending so much money for the hotel, i wasn‘t willing to dine out to spend even more. Outside our room was a lingering smell of sewer and farts, that was extremely penetrant at night. So much so, I had to sleep with my hand covering my nose. The AC, which was above my little brothers bed, leaked water overnight, my brother sometimes waking up drenched in cold water. They fixed it, but it only worked for a couple of hours before it started leaking again. To sum all this up, there are definitely worse hotels and considering the kind service it was a decent experience. But when you are on vacation you shouldn’t have to get used to bad conditions in order to be able to enjoy it. I almost want go give it two stars but again you can’t choose who enjoys your food and who doesn’t. Wouldn’t visit again but i do not blame the workers! Management should definitely renovate their rooms, be more specific in their room descriptions and start investing in quality foods. Despite all this we thank you for welcoming us!

85bosin

I was at the hotel for over a week and I don't understand the completely negative reviews. I feel like someone was at a different hotel. From start to finish I was very satisfied with my stay. Room service worked on a daily basis. The food was tasty and there was a varied selection. The alcohol was good - better than last year in Rhodes in a 5 star hotel. For me, the only imperfection was: coffee (Nescafe machine) - I had excellent coffee somewhere around the island. And then the regulation regarding the impossibility of refilling bottled water. Yes, if there were more people at the drinks machine who needed to fill up water - they would delay others. This could have been solved by pouring water into two cups and pouring it into a bottle at the table. Then repeating this for each family member and their bottle. A tap with only bottled water would have fixed it. But that was a minor thing and I can only recommend the hotel. PS: Rent a car and moving around the hotel and the island is great.

soroosh khosravi

This hotel does not look like any of the all inclusive hotels I have ever been in. It is full of stairs and not a single lift in the hotel. We have a 1 year old kid and it was a disaster moving the pram up and down the stairs daily. The restaurant is so small and during the meals it is normally full and you struggle to find the empty tables. One day, the tables were full all and there was just one 6 seat table left. Me, my wife and our one year old kid had to take that. The restaurant manager named George treated us in a very rude way as we don't understand the difference of 6 and 3 and kind of kicked us out of the restaurant with his behavior. The children's playground is like a graveyard and there is nothing for the children. The gym is in a very bad situation and all the equipment is worn out. They charge you for water! You should pay half a euro for each small bottle of water. One evening, my wife was suffering from diarrhea and I could not leave the room to buy water. After calling the reception, they said they don't have anyone available for the room service, so I had to leave my sick wife and daughter alone to buy some water. I would never recommend this hotel to anyone. Don't waste your money there. You will get badly surprised there!

Dayana G.

The hotel is very nice. The food is great, but I think there is not enough variety for the snacks in the afternoon. There are several pools you can choose, some quieter than others. It’s not right at the beach, so you have to walk a bit, rent a car or ask for their beach shuttle. All in all is a good hotel.

Emma Culley

Lovely hotel with stunning sea views and a spacious, comfortable room. The staff were very polite and helpful—we had an issue with our mattress and it was replaced the next day without any trouble. The buffet could use improvement: food options were limited, not always replenished, and dinner ended early at 21:30. We’d love to see more traditional Greek dishes instead of burgers and pasta. Breakfast was decent but could benefit from more fresh fruit, cold fish, and maybe freshly made omelettes. Drinks were self-serve, which was fine, but having wine glasses and water already on the tables would elevate the experience. There’s an à la carte restaurant on-site with a 15% discount for guests, but we found some amazing local restaurants nearby instead. Beach towels require a €10 deposit and can only be changed every three days. Overall, a nice hotel in a great location. A few improvements would make it even better, but we really enjoyed our stay!

Roman Burton

Stayed at Panorama Village Hotel for a week in July - and wow it was great! We originally booked a garden view room - which wasn’t to our standards - completely our fault so no judgement held against the hotel. After 1 night in the garden view room we asked if we could move to a Sea View room, which the kind staff and manager managed to sort out for us at a very reasonable cost. Well worth the extra cost as we absolutely loved the room and in fact it made the holiday as we were on the top floor with a beautiful panoramic view of the sea and nearby towns. The staff are amazing - from reception staff to animation team, we were thoroughly looked after everyday! I cannot thank the staff enough, they work tirelessly to provide a quality service; and it shows in this review. The food and drinks are great, with all inclusive resorts we always worry as we are not very experimental with food, however panorama hotel has a good variety of options for all tastes which was great, we didn’t have a bad meal! The drinks are great - the cocktails are a great bonus! Delicious! The entertainment was the best we have seen in a hotel - the animation team went above and beyond to ensure you were having fun and feeling interacted with throughout the day and then in the evenings the entertainment was great for a bit of background noise whilst you play card games and have a drink or if you want to get up and dance aswell. Location - given the amazing sea views comes with a downside. It’s around a 10 minute walk to the beach downhill and 20 back up- however this isn’t a huge deal as the hotel offers a shuttle throughout the day. Overall, this hotel is amazing! I will be recommending to my family and friends and will be back again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Little Al

Visited 1st week in June 2025. Was dubious at first due to being Scandinavian visitor area and hotel, but that was soon dismissed. Got to hotel early afternoon and had a speedy great check in and was taken to room by the lovely lady on reception. On the way to room was given all information on food and drink and hotel. Great room and view. Lovely balcony and free safe and air con. After a few days got to meet lovely Scandinavian visitors and everybody was friendly. All inclusive Food was great, great choice and staff very fast and efficient, tables always cleans and plates removed and very polite sans friendly and all inclusive drink was also great and the bar staff Dinos (Dino) and Maria where fab, had some fun at the bar, No complaints at all. Everybody speaks English and I leaned greek whilst here. Thank you to all the staff at reception and cleaners and restaurant and bars it is a 10 out of 10 hotel. Very clean and staff are always cleaning and tidying and lovely to visit, Local town is only 5 minutes walk to all shops and bars and restaurants. Met 2 ladies called Margaret and Rita as I named them due to drinking margaritas all the time, lol. And Met a lovely couple from Denmark Henrik and Henrietta who come a couple of times a year and great fun. Also met other couples from Wales and Scandinavia, Overall this hotel is a must to visit and it is clean and tidy. We are looking too come again next year if we can get find it available for next June.

Lobster WRLD

AYYYYYYYY HOMIES! That place I went, to — sheeeeeshh. Everything about it was AMAZING, no cap! Let's start with the rooms, youre getting what you payed for absolutely, 100% worth it, bathroom was very clean and nice, everything was clean, the cleaning lady who comes every day is friendly fasho. The service? These guys are real friendly, nothing to complain about. Location? Lowkey goated. It's close to a beach, close to a shop (I'm gonna warn all yall tourists that boutta go to Greece, these small shops might look normal, but many of them sell some disgusting, inappropriate souvenirs and magnets where kids can see it all, so just a small warning if you're coming at this exact place in Crete, SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE!). Now let's focus on the positives, cause I can only talk about positive stuff in the sunrise village hotel. You basically get a big ahh swimming pool where your can spend time with the lil ones, beach bar is goated, everything you need. Now one of the best things about the place that 100% makes it worth it. The food dawgssss 😍😍😍😍. Like no cap, I loved the food whilst there, there was something for everyone, they got like unique stuff every day (when I came there was mexican food, then next day was Italian I guess and Asian, it was real unique) 😸 loved the breakfast options, truly amazing. I was once kicked out of the restaurant for being shirtless 😿 can't flex anymore bruv

Yvonne Skelly

Sunrise review I stayed at Sunrise Village for a week at the beginning of July with my family, including a 15 year old and 18 year old. What a wonderful hotel! We had a lovely welcome from the reception desk, Konstantina was there to answer any of our questions and she was most helpful and friendly. The food was of excellent standard, very tasty, varied and hot. There were always salads, feta, olives, dressings, pickles, etc. there was also soup available, and kids food set aside separately, such pizza, nuggets & burgers, and a selection of desserts and fruit too. The staff worked tirelessly to ensure the area was always topped up with food and clean. The staff also kindly arranged for my husband and I to have decaf coffee with breakfast as the machine didn't have this. Ask at this hotel and you will get, no matter what. There were two bars, one for day time and one for evening. Good selection of drinks, local beer, wine & spirits, plus some very nice cocktails, and bottles of Raki on the bar for guests to help themselves to. The evening bar closes at 10.45pm, so there is no late night rowdiness around the complex and plenty of late night bars down the road if required. We enjoyed getting a drink before dinner, and sitting on the open balcony area near reception as there were some comfy seats, also there is a pool table nearby in reception. Fairly large, clean pool, with deep and shallow end and a separate kids area. Pool towels are available for a refundable deposit. No shortage of sunbeds, plenty stacked up to the side. We had a maisonette, with 2 x sofa beds on the lower level and a double bed on the upper level, ideal for families. Each level also has its own bathroom and balcony. All very clean and comfortable, with good air con. The cleaners came in each day and did a wonderful job in our place as teens aren't the tidiest and we were able to borrow an iron from reception, free of charge too. The beach is a 7-min walk away, past a couple of small shops. The staff are a credit to this hotel, they will go out of their way to help and were ever so friendly and chatty. How anyone could comment negatively on this hotel is beyond me, it is a 3-star hotel that strives to achieve its best for it's customers, and succeeds. If something isn't right, all you have to do is ask and the staff will go out of their way to help. I've stayed in 4-star hotels and not had such excellent and attentive service. Would highly recommend this lovely, family-run hotel.

Robert McGregor

Absolutely brilliant place to stay for our summer hols, very well kept and modern decor, staff all lovely and very helpful with plenty of amenities locally would definitely recommend to anyone and would definitely revisit in the future

Bogdan V.

the resort is quite nice. The AI service is too good for the 3 star hotel. The atmosphere is nice but too crowded in October. Probably when the hotel is fully booked, there are some queues to the breakfast, lunch and dinner and also to the pool. The girl from the reception was nice as well the manager. It's hard to find good personnel to do proper hospitality services. A girl that was serving, called Christina should be clones as she was doing everything with passion and a smile on her face. Was a pleasant stay after all.

Elizabeth Sekela

We had an amazing stay at Maleme Mare. The resort is clean and spacious with two pools and and nice clean beach just across the road. Hotel is also very family friendly and doesn't feel overcrowded. Overall it has a very relaxed vibe and food was also amazing. Staff were fantastic, friendly and extremely helpful with everything we needed. Big shout out to Alex, Elena, Nikos, Stavros and everyone else that took such an amazing care of us. We enjoyed our girls trip so much and will definitely be coming back again!

Chris Donnay

Just had a fantastic holiday at Maleme Mare Hotel. All the staff are friendly and polite. The manager Stavros is a great guy and very helpful. The food is fantastic, always a good choice and beautifully presented. We enjoyed our week and thoroughly recommend it.

Tim Hiscock

Lovely little hotel with great staff and lovely location. Shops and bars/restaurants nearby but not too close to the busy parts of town so nice and quiet. Good food, pools and right on the beach (over a quiet road). Regular bus service to Chania and other towns from right outside and very cheap. Entertainment is 3 times a week in the evenings and is ok but don't get too excited about the singer (its like vic and bobs guess the tune) you'll find out. Clean and tidy with good facilities, rooms, food and bar. Worth a visit

Raihiem Singh

Got back 10 days ago and was meant to review sooner.. had the best time here. It’s a smaller hotel so was nice and quiet compared to the bigger ones. The entertainment was fun, some of it (no spoilers) was so bad it was good and I mean that with love honestly wish I got to see the entertainment more. ALL the staff/cleaners and cooks were lovely and really added to the experience there. Look out for Shasha, he remembered my gin and juice order instantly and will ruin your morning with his special shots. Harry and Alex are both unreal at their jobs. Couldn’t speak higher of how helpful they were I’d give the hotel an 5* review for them alone and also Harry’s “dad” I forgot his name. Stavros is a real good entertainer and host but unfortunately was ill for most of my stay. I’d love to come back thanks for a great holiday guys

Lars Sønderby

Wonderful little family driven hotel. Everyone is treated as the most special guest, and you always feel welcome. The food is good, varied traditional greek mixed with other types, as well as a varied kids menu.