The Island Hotel

Comentarios destacados

• Luisin78

  08 julio 2014
  Muy buen hotel

  Hotel muy cuidado con 3 piscinas una miniplaya cruzando la carretera y mucho espacio para relajarse. La comida muy bien hecha y variada. Los empleados muy majos y atentos. La zona esta bien tiene una carretera que va a lo largo de la costa donde se puede pasear. La única pega es que no va nadie de España y tienes que hablar inglés por obligación. Esto es así en toda la isla ya que el turismo español no va a Creta. Por lo demás una estancia de 10

  

• Ana G

  05 septiembre 2015
  Un querer y no poder (o, más bien, no saber)

  Hotel de cuatro estrellas que se encuentra muy lejos de merecerlas, y ello porque todo fueron despropósitos, teniendo que "pelear" todo el tiempo con ellos (y yo no voy de vacaciones para eso): 1. El día de entrada llegamos dos horas antes del check-in (de acuerdo, fallo nuestro), y se limitaron a decirnos que "diéramos una vuelta" hasta que fuera la hora de acceso, sin ofrecernos siquiera la posibilidad de dejar el equipaje allí (tuvimos que ser nosotros los que lo solicitáramos, obteniendo como respuesta un "déjenlo ahí mismo" mientras señalaban hacia un lugar inespecífico del hall de entrada sin ni siquiera mirarnos). 2. Cuando (¡por fin!) pudimos acceder a nuestra habitación, ésta resultó ser de una categoría evidentemente inferior a la que habíamos contratado, con lo que fuimos enseguida a dar queja, a lo que respondieron que "en ese momento no disponían de otra superior", y se quedaron tan anchos, pretendiendo solucionar todo con una cesta "extra" de fruta y vino de bienvenida. 3. Al irnos a la cama descubrimos que las sábanas estaban sucias, con signos más que evidentes de haber sido usadas (mejor no entro en detalles), y nuevamente intentaron escurrir el bulto con un simple "el personal de limpieza no se encuentra aquí hasta mañana". Y todo ello por no hablar de la antipatía, prepotencia e ineficacia del personal (incapaz de dar soluciones ni informaciones), o de la comida (que si bien es abundante, carece de cualquier ápice de calidad). En definitiva, se trata de un hotel con ínfulas de grandeza, donde la calidad brilla por su ausencia (ni hablar del "lujo" que intentan vender), solo apto para quienes buscan bañarse en sus piscinas. Aunque incluso para eso puedo asegurar que existen mejores opciones en la zona.

  

• angel_ika177

  11 octubre 2020
  Perfect vacation

  I had a really wonderful stay at this hotel. The staff is extremely friendly and welcoming. Everything is very modern furnished and clean. Had two wonderful relaxing massages at The Bathhouse, definitely recommend one of those. The beach and the sea were just amazing, clear water and you can go in really far. The evenings at the poolbar are very inviting, I've met some new friends and we had a really great time drinking and dancing to the music. One might even have the chance to find a little spark/magic moment ;) Definitely planning on coming back next year.

  

• disgruntledNantwich

  18 octubre 2020
  Disappointing

  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.

  

• missnorth

  20 noviembre 2020
  Very nice but not a 5 star

  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.