Этот отель не стоит тех денег, которые за него требуют! This hotel is not worth the money that is required for it!

This year I was in Crete for the third time. So I have something to compare. Three hotels in Crete, all "three": "Amnissos" "Mari Beach" and "Kalia Beach" - three different areas in Crete: Rethymno, Chania and Heraklion. Hotel "Kalia Beach" is the worst of the three.
I'll start in order. First of all, I really didn't like the host company "Phoenix Tour". Not only was their bus late for our arrival, and we, like unfortunate "homeless people", stood for forty minutes in the sun and watched the passengers of our flight go to their hotels. Finally, we got the bus. Our hotel was the first on the route, so the guide from Phoenix did not even consider it necessary to take us to the hotel. She led us to the road and said: "Walk straight along this road. You will see your hotel there. " After that, we saw the guide only once, when the next day she came to offer us her expensive excursions (as usual, the same excursions on the street behind the Marina Hotel cost half as much). To all the questions when we will see her again, we have not received an answer.
Now about the hotel. The only big plus of this hotel is a very beautiful and well-groomed territory. Very beautiful flowers grow in the inner garden. The walls are lined with greenery. For a "treshka" area is just wonderful. But there are many more cons. The layout of the hotel is made in such a way that only a tavern for guests, a restaurant (through the tavern) and a large spacious hall overlook the sea, in which the reception is located. So the employees are very happy to work there. What can not be said about vacationers. Stuffy, not ventilated rooms, no air conditioning, the windows of the rooms look at the front doors of other rooms. The constant feeling that you are a participant in the reality show "Behind the Glass".

Pleasantly pleased with the breakfasts. A three-day cycle (scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled egg) added variety. Plus for breakfast every day there were canned peaches, but otherwise - a standard European breakfast. The only negative is the absolutely inedible sausage.
But at lunch and dinner, at first we were shocked by the presence of a cook and a food distributor. Still, for several years I got used to the fact that "All Inclusive" involves a "buffet", where everyone can choose what to take. But after a few days everyone got used to them, because they gave as much as you asked for and did not create any special problems. And waste with such catering was still noticeably less. But the food itself was depressing. Still, earlier, in other hotels, I got used to the seven-day menu cycle, but here, as well as in breakfasts, the menu was repeated every three to four days. The choice was very small: two hot options, two or three side dishes. The almost complete absence of salads. It is difficult to call coarsely chopped vegetables salads (there were usually five varieties): tomatoes, cucumbers, beets (carrots), peas (corn) and cabbage (broccoli). Sometimes, when rice or pasta remained from lunch or dinner, they were mixed with the same vegetables. Soup is for dinner only. And to call it a soup, even European, is quite difficult. Still, in a European soup, as I heard on the radio, as a rule, at least something should float, for example, a boiled egg or a piece of chicken. Here, the soup was a stew of water and a few tablespoons of dry potato powder.
The only "plus" of lunch and dinner is the constant availability of fruits: in addition to standard watermelons, there were always melons, or grapes, or nectarines, or grapefruits. In addition, I would like to say a big thank you to the waiters for their friendly and well-coordinated work. They really remembered us by sight and already on the third day they knew our tastes and brought our favorite drinks.
Beach. The website of the travel agency says that from the hotel to the beach - 20 meters. As it turns out, this is a pure lie. Not to the beach, but to the sea 20 meters. But swimming there is impossible, because the entire coastline in front of the hotel is littered with stones. To the nearest (the best, but very expensive beach: 2 sunbeds, towels, water and an umbrella - 8 euros) - 100 meters. To a more democratic one, where sunbeds cost 6 euros for a couple and you can sunbathe on your bedding - 200-300 meters, but the people there are like sprats in a jar. The other one at the Aphrodite hotel is also about 300 meters away. There is a closed bay, there are no waves. But on the other hand, there are enough stones, and the water is already beginning to bloom and algae are growing. Since I don’t like sunbathing, I chose an expensive elite beach with a good flat sandy bottom for swimming. I just silently threw my bag into a free place behind the sunbeds and swam. And then she went to the hotel. After all, all the beaches in Crete are public. And you only have to pay for additional services.

In general, it seemed to me that this place - Gouves is more designed for parents with children from 7 to 10 years old, who will be happy to splash in the pool, go swimming in two water parks, visit an aquarium and an exhibition of dinosaurs. There were also several options for water excursions on a boat, but I was not on them. A train ride in this place did not give me any pleasure. Although excursions on trains are the best and most inexpensive entertainment in Crete!