- Greece Holidays
- Analipsis
- Stella Palace Aqua Park Resort
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Stella Palace Aqua Park Resort
Greece, Europe
Analipsis
Surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens and palm trees, the elegant and modern Stella Palace is set on a private beach in the traditional village of Analipsis on the northern coast of the popular holiday island of Crete. The luxurious hotel offers stylish accommodation and features two gigantic lagoon-style swimming pools, a wide range of sports facilities and many entertainment options for children. The cosmopolitan town of Hersonissos with its famous nightlife can be reached within a short drive. An ideal hotel for couples and families with children for a beach holiday.
Hotel Information
Pamper yourself with a visit to the spa, which offers massages, body treatments and facials. After dipping into one of the 2 outdoor swimming pools, you can spend some time at the private beach. Additional amenities at this hotel include complimentary wireless Internet access, concierge services and babysitting (surcharge).
Facilities
- Badminton*
- Tennis*
- Billiards*
- Volleyball
- Spa treatments
- Massage*
- Steam bath
- Sauna
- TV lounge
- Children playground
- Please note some facilities may incur an additional fee
The Local Area
Tripadvisor Reviews
4.5 Excellent4,017 reviews
Excellent
64%
Very Good
24%
Average
9%
Poor
3%
Terrible
1%
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Lovely hotel shame about reception
Firstly the hotel is lovely, we had a great room which was really clean overlooking the pool. Hotel staff were lovely and friendly and always wanted to help. Especially attentive to our little grandchildren. Food was lovely. But a few things really let it down. Along one side of the walkway of the pool towards the park etc all the lights were out, either broken or faulty. This made it difficult to walk that way especially if the sprinklers were on as the floor was slippy. Really can’t see why these weren’t repaired. Poor. The reception staff (except the man) were awful! Rude and unhelpful. Don’t even bother asking for a late checkout, they string you along and then dismiss you. Often talking to you whilst on the phone. We managed to get a shower room slot and the receptionist basically lied about waiting for housekeeping. She just wanted me to wait! Her colleague just passed me the key with one key actually being in the shop! I expect so much more from a 4 star reception and this was awful. Would not recommend based on this as reception is such a key part of a hotel service.
First time visit and Great holiday
We stayed at Stella Palace, 17th - 28th August. We booked a direct access room so prior to arrival I requested room 962 which was granted on our arrival. This suited us as we liked having the bar near and extra room out the front of our room as the 900’s 2 bedroom direct access rooms behind the water park get no sun all day. The one bedrooms single storey ones opposite do. It also looked like the 900’s behind the Mexican get sun all day too (if this is important to you). The 2 bedroom rooms are spacious. Two toilets, sinks and showers which was a bonus with my 15 and 12 year olds. In both showers you’ll find shower gel, shampoo and conditioner as well as hand wash and body lotion at each sink. The mini bar had 2 beers, soft drinks and waters that were included and refilled daily.
My husband was unwell at the start of the holiday and the hotel were amazing, I called reception at 4.30am and within 25 minutes the doctor was in our room. He also said he needed more water, again I called reception at that time and within a couple of minutes 4 bottles arrived. We needed to attend the local clinic the following day for treatment and he was picked up and dropped off from reception as well as seeing a doctor on site for a follow up. All in all the service was brilliant from the local clinic and hotel helping us.
The staff in the 900 bar are amazing, especially Gianni, Stamatis and Esteban. Both through the day and on an evening, it had a lovely atmosphere and we really enjoyed drinking there, We also had a few drinks in the Kochlyi bar as we enjoyed the live music. We didn’t bother with the entertainment in the amphitheatre or activities through the day or the teen zone but that was down to personal preference.
Cocktail wise we only tried the Bloody Marys and espresso martinis that were both very good. The beer is a local Crete lager which is lovely, no IPA on draft. The rose wine is lovely and dry so had that most evenings with our meals. The bar staff were often keen to share a Skinos shot with us, which added to the fun.
The buffet was good, but not great - quite chaotic however we always found food we liked, to be fair it is similar to most other buffets in AI resorts but we preferred the al a cartes. We booked into all 5 al a carte restaurants through the app and were able to cancel and rebook to suit our time there.
Our favourite was the steak restaurant Veranda, followed by the Asian (Enso) and Mexican and the seafood one. Our least favourite was the ELIA.
We ate each day in the veranda for breakfast, this was a great perk of being in the 900 rooms. The staff in there were brilliant every day.
The snack bar serves food 12.30-5pm each day so we would wander over to grab something as usually had a later breakfast therefore rarely when to the buffet or Elia for lunch. Although the water park looked impressive my kids were not bothered about the slides so never went in for that reason.
We loved our little pool which was lovely and cool when first going in so helped cool you down in the heat, so we never ventured to the main pools either apart from the pool party night which was fun.
We also went to the little beach one day, water shoes are recommended. We bought floats from the mini Mart and they have a compressed air machine outside to blow them up, we used this through the holiday to re inflate. There was lots of floats left around the 900 pools too.
You can change your towels daily at the entrance to the water park too. It’s important you keep them and get the vouchers back at the end of the holiday to return to reception.
The majority of staff here are hard working. Friendly and go above to give you a great holiday experience. Particularly the staff in the veranda at breakfast, the 900 bar and our cleaner who came in each day to clean was friendly and made jokes with my son.
Location wise I can’t comment as we didn’t venture out of the hotel although we were only 30 minutes from the airport in a private transfer.
My husband used the indoor gym which was well equipped, never busy and had air con.
Shower rooms - we booked this facility for our last day as we checked out at 11am (reception arranged to collect our cases) and were not being picked up until 10.30pm. We were able to use the AI facilities all day prior to pick up. The shower rooms are well equipped with a hairdryer, plugs for straighteners, towels, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. There is also a toilet in there and a changing table.
All in all we loved our time here and would definitely return but only if we booked the direct access rooms we feel we have now been spoiled by this we wouldn’t want to experience it any other way.
Review by jobhalla South Shields, United Kingdom
Holiday
Everything is perfect, the rooms are clean, the food is of the highest quality, the bartenders are friendly, the drinks are fantastic, the entertainment is excellent
Our short stay had too many interruptions
We had a short break, meeting family, 3nights all inclusive, while I can’t really complain about the place itself aesthetically pleasing, food ok the usual all inc food choices, excellent salads. However I do like to enjoy some background noise of a tv while I’m in my room getting ready to go out, News, weather etc, TV no signal, maintenance came to change the remote it worked for that moment we went out came back it didn’t work again for the duration. Our bathroom flooded I had a shower the water spread into rooms that it shouldn’t, to stop it we used all the towels available, again called reception to wait for a visit from maintenance he cleared the blockage but no towels were bought to us, we used the dressing gowns provided, then the hairdryer blew in my husbands hand good job it wasn’t a child it would have burnt them my husband threw the dryer on the side & avoided the sparks. I went to reception they said they would send another dryer ,still no new towels) which they did but it took a while it made us late out for dinner that was booked we missed our table. By this time I’m unhappy & feel our short stay was interrupted many times. This hotel is pricey so I do expect top service which I didn’t receive. I reported my concerns & spoke to the hotel manager who said he would speak to the owner & get back to me before I left that day, he didn’t & I have emailed many times but still nothing. So I feel it’s worth a mention to anyone who’s going there. If all is going well then you will have a lovely time, we were unfortunate, it happens but I did expect a reply from the owner / hotel manager to ensure that this wouldn’t happen to another family. These things should work well for the the prices we pay.
Review by Groovychick68 Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Very good resort and excellent water park
We stayed for 5 nights at a family room with a shared pool view. It was on a 2nd floor and very close to the water park which was convenient. The room had a good soundproofing and was comfortable and spacious. The beach towels were an issue since you can receive and replace them only at the waterpark one towel per person with a ticket you have to return at checkout. Not a 5 star experience. Room housekeeping is daily and we received water bottles each day that can later be refilled at the bars. Beach bags are not supplied, another disappointing "not a 5 star" thing. The hotel is built as a long sloping strip. There are several pools and the rooms are located around them, and each area has its own bar. The waterpark is on the top end of the complex and the beach on the other lower end. Considering this we had a short walk to the park and the main restaurant , but quite a distance from the beach and other locations. The waterpark: the park is excellent. It has plenty of slides for all ages and no frustrating queues. The park is very clean and well maintained and we always found vacant sunbeds. This is indeed the main attraction of the hotel and makes it stand apart from other resorts. Though, the fast food in the park was not to our taste, and we preferred to go for lunch to the main restaurant just across the street. Food: The main buffet offers a good variety of food. However, we found it hit and miss. Some dishes were average, meat dishes were often oversalted. But nevertheless we always found something good and there were plenty kids options there. There are several a la carte restaurants, we have been to Veranda (steak) and Elia (Greek). Both had no food suitable for our 7 year old who just wanted chicken nuggets or a burger. The Veranda was excellent for the adults and also has a great view of a sunset. The Elia food was less to our liking and had oversalted meat dishes. Bars and drinks: The bars have a great team of professional bartenders. The beverages included in the all inclusive are lower level than expected in a 5 star resort. For example Johnnie Walker Red and White Jim Beam. The wine was lower than average, and good wines were with extra charge. Even the Greek Metaxa brandy included was the basic level. However the bartenders were able to mix top notch drinks even with these basic ingredients. Service: all service was good, helpful efficient, effective and kind. Cleanliness: All facilities and our room were very clean, surprising considering the amount of small children and food around. Entertainment: Sadly the entertainment was not a big success for us. The kids disco was late (should begin at 20:30 but was usually later) and the music was for very small kids, leaving our 7 year old very disappointed. The evening shows started around 21:30 and at this hour kids are usually exhausted from the waterpark and pools. Adult entertainment was lacking. Another point is no Greek music or theme nights whatsoever. We would expect a bit of local flare and suggest to add this to the entertainment routine. The only place we heard Greek music was in the gift shop. Gyms and sport facilities: we used both the indoor and outdoor gyms. The outdoor is very well equipped for strength and CrossFit workouts with plenty of racks and Olympic bars, dumbbells and kettlebells, but is hot during the day. It opens at 7:00 and had 2 instructors present. The indoor gym has less weights but more machines and cardio machines but there was no instructor present which would have a potential safety issue. There are various sports classes every day but we didn't attend those. App: The hotel has a very convenient app that allows to see all daily activities and book places when required. Beach: the beach is on the far end of the hotel. It is a small sand beach and has still water due to wave breakers around it. Conclusion: Overall a very good resort for a family with kids. The main attraction is the waterpark and pools, and the great service and cleanliness. If you are looking for a more luxurious experience this probably will feel less satisfactory.
Review by 1natashak Kfar Yona
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