We arrived at the hotel around 10 am. We were greeted by lovely staff. While we waited for check-in, we were treated to drinks. Did the same for breakfast. After breakfast, while we walked around and got acquainted with the territory, our room was already ready.
The hotel is excellent. It is located, as it were, in a bay... Its own beach. Beautiful area, green, beautiful.
The rooms are comfortable, we were lucky and our room was on the ground floor with access to the garden, with its own small terrace. We traveled with two children, so it was very convenient. The room has a bunk bed for children. The room is bright. Although the plumbing is not the first freshness, but everything is clean.
Food is all inclusive. Even drinks, all the time. Breakfast, lunch and dinner - in a restaurant, during breaks - in a bar near the beach.
The food is delicious. Every day seafood, meat, various fruits. For children, a separate menu - children's dishes.
When you are on the beach, the waiters bring various snacks, fruits and ice cream on trays and there. Nobody was hungry : )
There is animation for children + mini disco.
The doctor is in the hotel every day at a certain time.
For adults in the evenings various programs. Disco, performances, etc.
Sunset in the sea - stone, only in one place sandy. The beach is sandy. When there is a storm, it is difficult to enter the sea. You need special shoes.
I liked everything very much. Such an island of tranquility, harmony and beauty... like in paradise : )))
The only drawback - to the nearest settlement - 2 km. Those. going out to walk somewhere outside the hotel is difficult... because. hot and 2 km to go along the road is not very attractive. But we rented a car for the whole time and it did not bother us. The nearest village - Sissi - is very beautiful. . . I heard some people called a taxi and went there for souvenirs, etc. Perhaps there is some kind of public transport, but we did not recognize.
I liked the food, the friendly atmosphere of the hotel team, unobtrusive animation, thematic events in the restaurant and in the evenings; It is clear that they are trying to entertain their guests from the bottom of their hearts.
They left a lot to be desired in the rooms, their cleaning and the plumbing, which has long been in need of replacement. Well, the beach. The entrance to the sea is uncomfortable, it was possible to create more favorable conditions for vacationers.
Before that, I read in reviews that the dishes in the restaurant are mostly not always clean - it happened that they paid attention to dark spots on the plates, either from underwashing, or from the time they served)
Separately about the rooms: their quality is very dependent on the type of room; according to our observations, rooms with a sea view had a more interesting interior and modern furniture in their arsenal. I don't know about plumbing. But with a view of the garden - I would like newer furniture, high-quality plumbing and privacy on the balcony, as there are no partitions as such, and, going out to enjoy the views or just drying things, I am not always ready to meet the eyes of my neighbors at arm's length.
And yeah! Upon arrival, we had experience with room 051: there was absolutely no ventilation !! ! and the bathroom is literally 2x2. Imagine all the moisture walking around the room, beauty!! ! Fortunately, we managed to change it to another, on the 2nd floor of the main building - this is another matter.
In general, the rest left a pleasant and warm impression!
The Meli Palace Hotel has completely satisfied us. The hotel has its own beach, which flows smoothly into the park (ie sunbeds can be placed not only under the "mushrooms", but also under the trees). The beach is bounded on both sides by rocks. Because the hotel is small, the beach is never very crowded.
Children's animation was different every day of the two-week vacation. I liked that among the animators was a girl who spoke to children in Ukrainian (there were many children from Ukraine). Children either build something every day, or learn to do something in the kitchen, or "travel" around the hotel (it is not large, but there is a place to walk).
The food is varied and different every day - new dishes are added.
Rooms are classic, cleaned daily. Room service is not intrusive.
This is not a youth hostel. There are no discos or other entertainment. Everything is set up for a quiet holiday by the sea, and that is why the main contingent of tourists in it - families with children and retirees. To the nearest settlement about a kilometer, but there is no regular transport (the hotel is relatively far from the road).
So a very quiet, peaceful hotel that can be recommended to tourists with small children.
The hotel is located in a quiet place, removed from the highway, and the nearest settlement is 3-4 kilometers away. This is good for a family vacation, when you don’t really want to go anywhere, but for the “youth”, of course, it’s worse, because it turns out that everything is far away.
They feed well. Really good, because in Greece not everywhere they offer high-quality and varied food.
Entertainment is mostly for children, but artists are brought in in the evenings, and for the 10 days that we were this year, the program was not repeated.
The entrance to the sea is the same as everywhere in Crete - stones-stones-stones. Not very nice. but in the past, 2014, we were in the Peloponnese (Aldemar hotel), and there is a beautiful beach, but just disgusting service.
The rooms are neat, very comfortable and well maintained. They clean up well. I gave money to the servants for a tip, but they did not take it))) We lived once in the building (right above the reception hall), and once in the outskirts closer to the sea. And both times it was just great.
In short, a wonderful hotel that I recommend to everyone. I took off one star for wifi, which, although free, is only available at the reception. Although this is already a bag - in Aldemar, for example, it was everywhere, including the room and the beach, but it cost 7 euros per day. So overall this is one of the best hotels we have stayed in so far.
Pros: well-groomed, clean area; friendly staff; great food; good mini disco for kids; many sun loungers on the beach; free alcoholic cocktails ANY.
Cons: rocky bottom, did not like the entertainment after the mini-disco, small area of the hotel.
We will come there again, although we try every time to relax in a new hotel.
Oh, very helpful staff! Starting from the reception, Alexandra is the best, but this choice is very difficult - everyone is smart. Top management does not supervise, but works on an equal footing with ordinary staff. The main maid personally arranges flowers in vases in the rooms and at the same time controls the quality of cleaning. The chef goes into the hall, smoothes the surface of the porridge, smoothes the mashed potatoes, chats with hotel guests, and learns their opinion about the cuisine. A very interesting Greek cooking class is taught by the chef at 11.00 on Mondays. There is a simultaneous translation into German and Russian. In general, the hotel has a lot of Russian-speaking staff, and even the Greeks understand basic Russian words. At the a la carte dinner we were served by the maitre d', very attentive, friendly.
I recommend visiting a la carte. It is informal, as it is found in Turkey, but very tasty with beautiful serving, contemplation of the sunset over the sea, candles, etc. The food is very tasty, a lot and often. There is a detailed menu in the previous positive reviews, so I won’t repeat it. Those who are not satisfied with the “juice”, please turn on your head - it’s more like instant drinks like Jupi, try it yourself before giving it to children. Very interesting themed dinners, especially the Greek fish festival with fresh mussels. Still, you should not come to dinner in flip flops, a T-shirt and shorts. The staff tries very hard and expects guests to understand this. The maitre d' unobtrusively made it clear. Always a large selection of ripe fruits - pineapples, bananas, apples, kiwi, cherries, oranges, apricots, peaches, watermelons. Ice cream 3-4 types always in the main restaurant and pool bar. My husband liked Metaxa, the beer, apparently, depends on the keg, the table wine didn’t really inspire me, but people around me drank with pleasure both at lunch and at dinner. If you ask, the waiter will bring their famous Retsina - wine with the smell of pine needles. Sniffing is interesting, drinking - not so much. But, like everything - for an amateur. Ouzo - anise vodka, smells very loud, crayfish - grape moonshine - smells like raisins. In the morning, the animators brew Greek coffee at the request of the guest. for an additional fee, only orange fresh juice - 3 euros each.
A room with a laconic setting, everything works properly, an extrabed is a full bed, the mattresses are very comfortable. plumbing is not new, but everything is whole, clean. In general, for 2 weeks there was not a single problem in the room. Bed linen is changed daily, towels are changed by the maid even if they are hanging. Those. it is clear that they were used, but they were not thrown into the bath, although the memo for guests states that you need to drink this way if you want the towels to be changed.
There is enough space for everyone on the beach, but in the hotel more than half of the guests are Russian-speaking and shady sunbeds, apparently, according to an old habit, they occupy in the morning. Therefore, the husband had to do the same, at the beginning of the eighth, the choice is much richer than at 10: ) The beach is sandy, but the entrance to the water is mostly pebbles, only on the left of the meter 2 length is the sandy entrance zone, where people with small children and not floating. Pebbles with not very comfortable edges, but in us it did not arouse the desire to put on bathing slippers. Water 2m from the shore is already clear with fish, not as bright as in Egypt, but very numerous. We got a complete calm for 1 day, the rest of the time there were small waves, but due to the fact that the beach in the bay they were extinguished and did not interfere with swimming. The lifeguard works from 10.00 to 18.00, he is very worried and will help if people swim behind the buoys. Opposite the beach there is a small island, which is tempting to swim to, but even on a canoe or catamaran, it actively objects to tourists approaching there.
Excursions seemed expensive to us, so we rented a car and received an additional bonus and a small discount - we took it for 4 days in the beginning and the choice of a convenient time for us. The hotel guide freezes on extraneous questions. They asked if it was possible to get to Spinalonga from another port. from Elounda (as suggested in the excursion) it takes 30 minutes to sail, and from Plaka - 10 minutes, which obviously should reduce the cost of the event. The guide said that she didn’t know at all that there were sightseeing boats from there, but the Internet and communication with local residents in Agios Nikolaos helped clarify the situation and sailed to Spinalonga from Plaka. I strongly advise you, if you plan to take a car, upload a map of Greece to your navigator at home - saving 40 euros, because. you don't need a navigator in your rental car. Car rental from a hotel guide is 40 percent more expensive than in ordinary offices. Do not be lazy to walk to Sissi - 20-25 min. walks after dinner to the left of the hotel - compare yourself there. We rented a car at Smile. Information about this office was also found on the reviews on the Internet. Full insurance, no mileage limit, the contract is duplicated in English, the Russian-speaking employee Ignatius is very polite, punctual. We were generally impressed with the process of returning the car. Ignat said just leave the keys at the reception by a certain time - no inspection of the car, checking the remaining gasoline, in short, after that I finally believed that the insurance was still full. With the permission of Ignat, I publish his mobile number and the number of the company itself. Ignatius +0.30 694.185900, Smile mob.
Of the excursions, I really liked the Center for the Rescue of Marine Animals, also known as the aquarium-terrarium in Hersonissos - he conducts an excursion, or rather, talks about his pets with great love, at the same time he cleans and feeds them himself. Many animals can be interacted with up close. Their site is aquaworld. com, I think. In the Crete Aquarium in Gouves, near Heraklion, huge sharks and octopuses impressed. At the Museum of Natural History in Heraklion, I liked the earthquake simulator, my son was interested in seeing all sorts of stuffed Cretan animals, dinosaur skeletons. Very professional animation team. Its core from Romania is Daniel, Simone, Raul, Christina. I was satisfied with Simona's stretching, Daniel's tsumba. Children adore Raul - even outwardly very cool. But they have a very clear age differentiation in activities. Those. children under 18 years old will not be allowed to play darts or table tennis with adults, because. there is a teen club for them. Of the excursions, I recommend that residents of big cities reserve "Agreco" "Be a farmer for a day" - this is a registered agricultural estate of the owners of this hotel chain. For the first time I saw a working water mill, milked a goat, planted and took out bread from a wood-burning oven, showed how cottage cheese is prepared. The children were allowed to bake their own pizza and buns for each, collect eggs from the poultry house, a very cute mini-zoo. It is located near Rethymno, in the village of Adele, 110 km from the hotel, but it’s not a problem by car. It was interesting to cook a Greek lunch with their Vanity Fair titled chef. During the olive season, they also show how olive oil is crushed and wine is made. We were very pleased and would love to come back!
I chose a quiet and family hotel, for children. I am delighted with the country and the hotel. We traveled together with my daughter Mashulka 4.5 years old, so very good. worried about getting lost, etc. I met a girl with a Millennium sign at Heraklion airport, they said which bus to go to. We arrived well, looked at other hotels along the way =) We met super at the hotel, Andrei is a Russian-speaking guy, took the suitcase to the room, Anna-Maria, an amazing girl, also Russian-speaking, told and showed everything. I was very worried about the fact that the settlement was at 2 pm, but we arrived early, somewhere at 9-10 in the morning, while we ate, the room was already ready. And so the rest began : p_a-r_t_y: .
Room: 222 on the 3rd floor, overlooking the sea (on the right) and mountains (on the left and right), well-groomed, clean, the furniture is normal, the double room had one huge bed and one one and a half. The room was cleaned every day. The bed was also changed daily. There is a hair dryer and shampoo and shower gel in the room, a refrigerator with a bottle of water, which can then be replenished in coolers, a safe, I gave 10 euros, they gave me the key to the safe, returned the key at the end of the holiday and returned the money to me. TV, table and chairs on the balcony. Satisfied with the number.
Restaurant and food. :
Meals breakfast 7.30-10.30
lunch 12.30-14.30
dinner 18.30-21.00
something like this, there was always a place to eat during the day
The restaurant is the main one, the food is varied, there are a lot of fish, various meats, fruits, vegetables, milk, cheeses, etc. a good choice. A 4.5 year old child can be fed. I didn’t see baby food separately, there was a table, but there was no food there, maybe later I don’t know. But my child ate. You can almost always have a bite to eat in a bar near the beach. Ice cream is very tasty : co_ol: , ate and ate, expanse for children. The pie is very tasty, in general, a feast of the stomach =). There is also another restaurant, you need to order a table and food on Tuesday or Thursday, we didn’t get in because I rushed in late. But I didn’t get upset =)
Beach, territory and weather: ] Nice beach, clean, pebbles on one side, sand on the other, the entrance is first sand, then stones, a little stones strained but did not spoil the impression of the rest. I was very worried that we were going early. We were very lucky, not a lot of people, the hotel is not crowded, it's hot, the sea is warm and clean. Sometimes it stormed but not for long. The beach is located in a bay, so it's generally cool, the water warms up faster. Masha is my thermometer, she almost did not climb out from the sea. Sun loungers and towels free of charge. The territory is not large, clean, well-groomed, moderately green, which gave a feeling of comfort and were not afraid to let the children run around the territory, the children were in sight.
[b] Animation team [/ b] just SUPER, I'm just delighted, almost all Russian speakers, my child was delighted with the kids club and animator Christina, mini disco, I am delighted with the evening programs in the amphitheater. Costumes, programs, super, very talented guys. Throughout the day, fitness, beach volleyball, dancing, etc.
The hotel is located in the middle of nowhere, there are no hotels nearby, 2 km to the village of Sisi, about 5-10 km to Malia, 45 km to Heraklion. That's why you don't really go to the store =))). But we didn’t need it, there is a mini market on the territory of the hotel with creams, hats, shoes, etc. Who travels with a family and drives a car is not a problem at all, car rental is 40 euros a day and if it’s cheaper for more days. But for some reason the beauty around the hotel, the mountains and the sea, class. The hotel is quiet, not for parties, family, children. [b]The hotel staff is just SUPER[/b], hospitable and always helpful, very helpful.
The people in the hotel are from different countries, Germans, Italians, Americans, Ukrainians and, of course, Russians. But everything was civil and good. Somehow she left the camera at the concert "Greek evening" (singing mmmmm and playing : co_ol: ) on the territory of the hotel, returned and gave it to me. Holidays in Crete with children are the best, many villas and apartments are for rent. I am very satisfied with the choice of the hotel and would like to visit again. Leaving my vacation for a long time, I didn’t cry, this time I sobbed aaaa that I say goodbye to such a vacation and new friends
]Who travels to Greece without children, I advise you to visit Santorini, an island of unusual beauty. We got to Malia by taxi 15 euros, (to Heraklion a taxi 60 euros, I decided to save money =)) took a bus to Heraklion at stop number 33, my daughter was free, I paid 3 euros. In Heraklion, they came to the port, bought a ferry ticket, a round-trip ticket for me 120 euros, my daughter is free (4.5 years). I planned to go back the next day, but there were no tickets for the ferry. I had to gallop....The ferry sailed for 2.5 hours, with a child in general a very tiring road. We arrived at Santorini, beauty, where we were met by friends, and they also took us to the city of Oia. How beautiful it is there . . despite our fatigue and heat, I got a lot of pleasure. You need to go to Santorini on an excursion only in May or September, even in May it was VERY hot for us. We looked at the beauties and went with my daughter to Crete, well, we were very tired, but I was very impressed . . Masha, of course, is still too early to watch this =).
I'll post a photo later
Greece left a very big mark in my heart.....and the choice of the hotel played a big role, of course, I recommend. . .
The atmosphere in the hotel is calm and relaxing. A hotel for families with children, adults of all ages.