Civitel Akali

Great location and beautiful hotel with lovely pool and fab breakfast, but where this hotel stands out is for its customer care , I had a reason to leave the hotel early from my stay and the kindness that the manager Xirouchaki and the receptionist Rena showed me was unbelievable, they actually cared and helped me a lot - thank you ! 🩷 I would highly recommend this hotel

The Civitel Akali in Chania, Crete is a genuine 4-star hotel. I say genuine, because some places are 'rated' 4-star but would struggle to achieve 3 stars. First impressions are important. The foyer is expansive, the front desk staff are attentive and friendly, and the cold drinks and snacks are welcome treat. Our standard room was on the small side but serviceable enough. Thank the Good Man for A/C because you needed it! A feature was the range of bathroom giveaways, such as shaving kit, dental kit, shampoo and shower gel. A negative was the lack of soundproofing from the busy road and traffic noise went pretty much well into the night. The view from these standard rooms is really nothing to write home about. The hotel boasts a pool, but sunbeds are in very short supply so if you want to work on your tan, I suggest taking a 10 minute walk to the nearby sandy beach. Akali’s buffet breakfast is very good, the seating is more than adequate although a larger variety of fresh fruit plus a dedicated eggs chef would have been beneficial. All in all, a very pleasant stay in a very pleasant hotel.

The hotel itself is very nice. We stayed in a Superior Room with a city view, which was comfortable and pleasant. The location is perfect, close to everything, and the breakfast was also pretty good.

Unfortunately, our experience with the service was very disappointing, especially considering that we stayed for about a week.

At check-in, we informed the reception that we would need a late check-out because our flight was late. We were told that this would be arranged before our departure day. We followed up several times during our stay, but despite these reminders, nothing was actually arranged.

Then, at the very last moment, we were told that a late check-out was not possible. We were offered the option to store our luggage and use the pool and shower facilities instead. However, the shower available in the hotel garden had ice-cold water and was not at all what we would expect from a four-star hotel.

What disappointed us most was the lack of proper communication and care from the reception team. In particular, our interaction with Rena was frustrating. Although she gave the impression that she cared about our situation, the actual service and outcome did not reflect that.

It is a shame because the hotel itself is lovely, with a great location, a nice room, and a good breakfast. However, good service is an important part of the overall hotel experience. Unfortunately, because of how our situation was handled, we would not choose this hotel again and cannot recommend it to others.