Caramel Grecotel Boutique Resort

My Experience at Caramel Hotel From the very first email I sent to Caramel Hotel, I had a really good feeling about the place - and after staying there, I can honestly say that feeling was completely right. Before booking, I had quite a few questions. The hotel replied to every single one of them on the same day and gave me detailed, helpful information. When I was ready to book, I asked for booking links and they sent everything I needed.

Then my booking turned into a bit of an adventure. I was trying to book our two rooms, (103 and 104), but my bank kept declining my payments and flagging the transactions as fraudulent. This was completely an issue with my bank and had nothing to do with the hotel, but the reservation team was incredibly patient throughout the whole process. They sent me several different payment links with smaller amounts and waited while I tried to sort everything out. It took around 2–3 days, but eventually I managed to make the payments and secure our rooms.

And then, because apparently one problem wasn't enough, I had another issue when booking our flights. Money was taken from my account, but no tickets were issued. I contacted the hotel again to ask whether there was any flexibility with changing our travel dates if necessary. Once again, they were incredibly accommodating and understanding. Thankfully, I eventually received the tickets and our original arrival date stayed the same.

I really want to mention the reservation team here - Kalliopi, Gresilda and Polly. They supported me through every step of the booking process and were always patient, helpful and quick to respond.

Two days before arrival, I received a WhatsApp message about the complimentary airport transfer included with our room type. When we arrived at the airport, the driver was already waiting for us with my name on the sign. A comfortable minivan took us to the hotel.

Our arrival at the hotel was lovely. One of the team members made us feel welcome immediately. We were offered refreshments and some sweets while she helped us with check-in and explained everything we needed to know about the hotel. After travelling with the family, this kind of welcome was very much appreciated.

Caramel Hotel is a beautiful boutique hotel. It's not one of those huge, crowded resorts where you feel like you're sharing everything with hundreds of other people. Instead, it has a much more relaxed and personal atmosphere. There are standard rooms, suites with private gardens or pools, and villas, so there are different options depending on what you're looking for. The hotel has everything you might need on site, while also being close to everything you need outside the hotel.

We stayed in Junior Suites with Private Gardens, and they had everything we needed. The rooms had lovely bathrooms, comfortable beds, sofas, tea and coffee facilities, water and minibars with drinks. Outside, our private gardens had tables and chairs as well as two sunbeds.

One thing I particularly liked was the cleaning service. The team came in the morning to clean the rooms and then returned in the evening to prepare them for the night. Every evening they left a little chocolate and water on the bedside tables, which was such a nice touch.

The hotel has one decent-sized pool, which was beautiful and very clean. There were plenty of sunbeds around it, so we never had a problem finding somewhere to relax. There was also the option to order food and drinks directly to the pool by scanning a QR code, which was really convenient.

The private beach was only about a two-minute walk away. It was well maintained, there were fresh towels available and plenty of sunbeds.

The only thing worth mentioning is that the sea itself is rocky rather than sandy. This isn't something the hotel can control - it's simply the natural coastline - but I would definitely recommend bringing sea shoes. Once we had them, it wasn't an issue at all.

One of the biggest advantages of staying at a boutique hotel like this is that it never felt overcrowded. There was always space in the restaurant, around the pool and at the beach. It felt peaceful, which is exactly what we wanted from our holiday.

Breakfast deserves a special mention because it was fabulous. There was a buffet as well as a menu, both included in the price, and the choice and quality of the food were excellent. There was plenty to choose from and everything we tried was really good.

The hotel also has a kids' buffet from 12–2pm, where children up to 12 years old eat for free.

We actually missed the kids' buffet by about 15 minutes one day and it had already closed. I thought that was going to be the end of it, but one of the team members noticed and prepared a plate for my 10-year-old anyway, making sure he had something to eat. It's small things like this that really show the level of care from the staff.

We stayed as a family across two rooms. Our children were 10 and 15 years old, and our eldest, joined us later during the stay.

For families, there are some good facilities available, including a kids' pool and kids' club. We didn't use the pool or kids' club ourselves, but the kids' buffet was definitely useful, particularly for our 10-year-old.

More than the facilities, though, what stood out to us was how welcoming and helpful the staff were with the whole family. Nothing ever felt difficult or inconvenient, and the hotel was a very comfortable place to stay with children and teenagers.

The staff are one of the biggest reasons I would return. They were always happy to help, whether it was answering questions, arranging taxis or helping with travel plans. Nothing ever felt like too much trouble.

The service went beyond what I expected on several occasions.

On our check-out day, we couldn't get a late check-out in our own rooms. We completely understood, but then the hotel sent us a WhatsApp message saying that another room had been arranged for us to use before we left. We hadn't even asked for this.

It was honestly a lifesaver, especially with the family and a later departure. We could leave our rooms at the standard check-out time and move to the other room while waiting for our airport transfer.

The hotel also arranged our return transfer to the airport, making the whole process completely stress-free.

Would I return? Absolutely. Without hesitation.

Caramel Hotel is beautiful, but what really makes it special is the combination of the hotel itself, the relaxed atmosphere and, most importantly, the people working there.

From my very first email before booking, through all the problems I had with my bank and flights, to the airport transfers, check-in, our stay and check-out, the team consistently went above and beyond.

This is the kind of hotel where you can actually relax because so much is taken care of for you.

We had a fantastic stay and I would happily recommend Caramel Hotel to anyone looking for a beautiful, peaceful and well-run boutique hotel with genuinely caring staff.

Would I stay here again? Definitely. In fact, I would be very happy to come back.

We went back to the Caramel after having our wedding night there after our wedding at Agreco Farms in 2022. It was extra special as we bought our 2 year old son and celebrated my birthday and our wedding anniversary! The team went above and beyond to make our stay so special ✨ perfect place for our first family vacation to celebrate such special milestones

My wife and I had the pleasure of staying at Caramel for four nights, and from the moment we arrived, the staff were proactive, extraordinarily gracious, and highly professional.

A special mention has to go to Maria, the General Manager, who was truly exceptional — one of the best hotel managers we have ever encountered, and we have stayed at a great many hotels over the years. From sharing excellent local recommendations for dining and shopping to personally making sure our sea-view room was perfect in every way, Maria went above and beyond throughout our stay.

The pool area is beautiful, although we spent most of our time relaxing on the beach sunbeds. We also had an excellent à la carte dinner at the hotel - definitely try the lamb.

One tip: be sure to ask the front desk to arrange a guided hike through one of the nearby gorges. We did a spring-water river walk that was absolutely glorious and one of the highlights of our time in Crete.

A beautiful property made even better by genuinely outstanding service. We would happily return.