Mitsis Cretan Village

Amazing food and drinks (proper cocktails for once) , the best we have ever had at an all inclusive and we have been to lots across Greek and Spanish islands. Beautiful sea view and crystal clear waters! The room was also so clean as were the pool areas! Kids loved it as did we!

There are many things that really bothered me during my stay. First of all, let’s start with the food. For the €2,500 I paid for five days, I expected the hotel to at least make an effort to offer a different menu on different days. Instead, the same food was served every day, with very little choice and variety. I really did not like this, and I am not satisfied with it at all.

As for the taste, the food was just average. If I had to rate it from 1 to 10, I would give it a 3. There is almost no choice at all. What is described in the hotel information is one thing, but the reality is completely different.

The cleanliness is also a serious issue. The glasses used for drinking water are often covered in grease. You can clearly see that they are not properly clean. Cats from outside are also constantly coming into the kitchen, which I find completely unacceptable.

We are staying right by the beach, so I expected the hotel to make at least some effort to offer a variety of seafood. Instead, there are only two types of fish. During the six days I have been here, I only had mussels twice. I didn’t see a single shrimp or any other variety of seafood during my entire stay. I came here specifically hoping to try different seafood dishes, but unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to try any of them. This was very disappointing.

The hotel also states that snacks are available from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m., but there were no snacks at all during my stay. It honestly seemed as if the leftover food from dinner was simply put into one container and left for guests to eat later. This was very disappointing and not what I expected from a hotel at this price.

Another thing that disappointed me was the beach towel service. I went to reception at 1 p.m. to ask for a beach towel, but I was told that towels are only available from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. I was simply told to wait until 3 p.m. I found this very inconvenient, especially when you are on holiday and want to enjoy the beach and the sun during the day.

Overall, I would not recommend this hotel to anyone, and I definitely will not be recommending it to my friends or family. This is the first and last time I will stay here.

I paid a very large amount of money for this holiday, and unfortunately, I am extremely disappointed with my experience. I expected much more for the price I paid, but I was completely dissatisfied with my stay.

We've just returned from two weeks at Cretan Village Hotel in Crete, and overall, we had a lovely family holiday. Like any holiday, there were things we absolutely loved and things that could have been better, but once we got settled in, the hotel provided a beautiful and relaxing base for exploring Crete.

One of the things we loved most about Cretan Village was its authentic Greek setting. The resort is spread across a large area, with lots of different areas to explore, and even though the hotel was full during our stay, it never felt overly crowded. It had a spacious, relaxed feel that made it easy to switch off and enjoy being away.

Our favourite of the three main pools was Pool B. It had a much more chilled and welcoming atmosphere than the others, and we liked the Roman-style steps leading into the water, which the other pools didn't have. The pool is chlorinated rather than saltwater, which we preferred, although it did have the very strange habit of turning our swimwear green, more noticeable with lighter colours. The Fontana bar was also right by the pool, and the staff there were consistently helpful and attentive.

Our biggest disappointment was the start of the holiday. We had booked over a year in advance, so after all that anticipation, arriving to find we had been given the wrong room was frustrating. We were initially shown to a bungalow which, although it was a lovely room, was clearly intended for two people rather than a family of four. Two camp beds with actual mattresses had been squeezed in, with one even blocking the balcony door.

After a long day of travelling, we were taken to the room and only then realised something wasn't right. When we returned to reception, we were told there was an issue with our block and to come back the following day.

Unfortunately, the following day turned into several trips back and forth to reception. We were repeatedly told to come back later, without being given a clear indication of when our correct room would actually be ready. Eventually, around 11am, we spoke to the manager and were told that we wouldn't be able to move until the following day. In total, it took two nights in the smaller room before we were relocated.

The manager was very apologetic and offered several complimentary extras to make up for the disruption, including a daily mini bar top-up (even though, in my opinion, it should be replaced daily rather than every two days on an all inclusive holiday), unlimited visits to the two, à la carte restaurants, a day pass to the neighbouring five-star Mitsis Laguna resort, and two days of car hire. We also raised the issue with easyJet, who offered compensation of their own.

We were given different explanations for the delay, initially a vague mention of a toilet issue, and later an explanation that an entire block had lost its water supply and that other families were affected too. We couldn't confirm either explanation, but my suspicions are that they were overbooked. More frustrating than the delay itself was the lack of clear communication from reception. We felt we should have been told about the issue at check-in rather than being sent to a room to find it wasn’t what we had booked. During our stay, we also spoke to several other guests who had experienced similar problems, which suggested this wasn't an isolated incident.

Once we were finally in the room we had booked though, things improved. Our family seaview apartment was the perfect size for the four of us. We had plenty of space without feeling like we were on top of each other, and the sea view was absolutely incredible. The balcony was a lovely place to sit and unwind after a day in the sun. The beds were comfortable too, and the housekeeping team did a fabulous job keeping the room clean and tidy. They even made some lovely little designs with our daughter's bedding, which was such a sweet touch. Unfortunately, on this room there is no seating (other than the beds) and the seating on the balcony isn’t very comfortable either.

The staff throughout the resort were, warm and welcoming. The restaurant staff in particular deserve a mention. The food was really tasty, there was always something to choose from, and we enjoyed the atmosphere in the restaurant. The waiters and waitresses were fantastic, always smiling, cheerful and happy to help. We did find that the variety became repetitive quite quickly compared to other all inclusive holidays we have had, but overall we enjoyed the food.

The rooms were also well equipped, with shower gel, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes and sewing kit provided. These were a nice touch, although we found the hair products dried my family's hair out, so we ended up buying different products from the hotel shop.

On a similar note, Pool B did have a few other downsides. We noticed dead bugs and debris in the pools on a regular basis, and didn't see them being cleaned particularly often during our stay. There was also no convenient toilet close to Pool B unless your room happened to be nearby. The nearest options were back at reception or at the toilet block by the main pool, which had limited facilities. Food services were also some distance from Pool B.

There are quite a lot of steps around the resort, so it's worth bearing in mind if you have mobility issues. The beach is made up of fairly coarse sand, and swim shoes are definitely recommended. We personally preferred the pool for this reason.

One of the best things we did during our stay was hire a car. We had one for four days, which gave us the freedom to explore more of Crete, visit different places and eat at some lovely local restaurants. We visited Agios Nikolaos, Ierapetra, Plaka, Sisi, Almyros Beach and Hersonissos, and even hired a boat. Crete itself is absolutely beautiful, and getting out to see more of it made the holiday even more memorable.

Overall, despite the shaky start, we had a great holiday. The beautiful Greek setting, spacious resort, incredible sea view, comfortable apartment and friendly staff all helped make it a relaxing family break once things settled down. The initial room problem and, more importantly, the way it was handled took some getting past, but it didn't define the whole holiday.

If you're considering staying at Cretan Village, we'd definitely recommend getting out to explore Crete as the island itself is a huge part of what makes the trip worthwhile.