Name: Hydramis Palace Beach Resort
Price range: from £425.68pp (7 nights includes flights and transfers)

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This is the third time we visited Hydramis Palace (of the 6 times we visited Crete in a time span of 10 years), we've visited many hotels and also a lot of places. Practically visited the entire island north-east-south-west, we've seen pretty much all. This hotel in particular left a very good impression on us the first time we visited and then during corona was our second time that we stayed. That stay was also very good. In september 2023 we returned to Hydramis Palace by booking via phone with Maria. The price-quality ratio is very good, we've also noticed that the hotel has undergone some changes during the course of these years.

There's a renovated pool bar, the entire sunbeds location is renewed and increased in size. The restaurant (buffet style) has improved bain-maries so the food stays warm for a longer period and preserves it's quality better. The gardens are still very lush and full of colors, well maintained. The brushes that were trimmed in the shape of faces are gone though, it was a nice touch but probably the work to keep them in very good state wasn't worth it. We didn't miss them to be honest, it was a nice thing to see but if you didn't know they were there to begin with, then it was a non factor. Instead there are beautiful flowers there now, etc.

This time we had a room on ground floor (totally different place than what we had before) , we had a private pool which was a nice addition. The room and all it's facilities were very clean. I've been told that the rooms will be receiving a renovation somewhere soon (if not already). Honestly the rooms were still good but I understand the move to make it more modern and update the style to be more in line with the new pool bar and main bar. Overall they are improving the hotel to be a tier higher that it used to be so far. Which is good, progress is always good but I have to mention that it might come at an increased price in the future. Not sure though, this is something that we'll have to discover in the future and update in a future review.

There were still plenty of events and there was animation even in september (almost all the way till closing time if I recall correctly). This hotel also has a very good location in terms of reachability of certain places on the east and south side of Crete. Georgioupoli is a beautiful small town, this hotel is located in Kavros though. A very small touristic hub, it used to be very very small, now there's more shops and other stuff organized near and in Kavros. 

Kavros is an ideal place to stay and use as your 'main base' to start from with the car. You can go towards Rethymno and from there on scout the entire south side or stay near Rethymno. You can opt to go to Chania and enjoy Chania or drive a little bit further to Falassarna beach or to the port in Kissamos to take the 'cruise' to Gramvousa island and Balos beach. This is definitely a must if you're in the neighbourhood. Falassarna also. You can drive towards Chania and go further towards the south for Elafonisi, which has become more touristic once again but still worth the visit. In short, it is a very good and central positioned hotel that gives a lot of possibilities. 

Hydramis also works with Oscar car rental which is definitely a good thing, Maria managed to get me in touch with Oscar car rental. It is a family run business and they had a very good price-quality service also. We rented an automatic and asked for a newer model, as we are used to quite a luxury car at home. At first we received a little bit older car, not exactly what I described via mail (but I booked 1+ year in advance). After a quick WhatsApp message (call would've sufficed also) , the daughter of Oscar came to swap the car and we had an almost brand new car for our entire stay. Just like Hydramis Palace, Oscar car rental is very responsive and will do everything in their power to make your stay feel like paradise. Which it truly is!! ;-)

Lastly, Hydramis is a very good hotel for people who want to stay the entire holiday in the hotel and enjoy but it also a very good hotel for those who want to travel a bit more and see the East + East South side of Crete. Even the center; like Heraklio is a possibility (we did it twice) in the trip of 2023. It takes a bit longer but definitely possible to go shop there and such, just expect a night drive back. What makes Hydramis truly special is it's employees, majority of the employees have remained the same as since our first visit to this hotel and that is a charm. We've definitely created a bond with the people there and every single day one or more of the employees really took the time to have a little chat with us. Even if we were limited on time, they would make your day already by greeting you with the biggest smile and small joke or compliment.

To those looking for a great introduction to Crete or just searching for a very good hotel in this region. Make sure you take Hydramis Palace into consideration. Call Maria, ask questions, she will reply to them asap and go for it. Enjoy your holidays. To Hydramis Palace and employees: A big thank you from Belgium and see you next time!!

-Mauro, Aziza and Ezio
(Note, our son was not born yet the first and second trip and the third trip we went alone as a couple, he stayed with his grandmother - though the hotel is very friendly for children as we've seen them have the time of their life.)

Third time is a charm! The first and second time also. :-)

This hotel could be amazing, but they cut corners on the all-inclusive package.
The rooms are clean, but a little dated and the beds in room 344 were like stone! The communal areas are beautiful and well kept, and the pool is lovely.
However, the all-inclusive snacks during the day and the drinks are nothing short of shocking. There are 3 options of food in a Bain Marie (which are lukewarm) and some smashed together sandwiches wrapped badly in cling film. The drinks are the cheapest, lowest grade alcohol you can imagine, and the coke/lemonade are cheat alternatives out of bottles which are always flat. 
At £1600 per person for a 10 day stay, they could easily give the customers branded products and still make a killing.
I’d like to say a thank you to the housekeeping staff as they worked tirelessly and were alway happy and helpful. The bar and reception staff however were blunt, snappy and bordering on damn right rude.
I would not recommend staying here due to the value for money aspect. You can get a lot more for your money in Crete.

Not worth the money.

Before check-out, I thought that the hotel was not bad, but on the day of departure, the blonde employee took away the wristbands and our all-inclusive was over.  We waited 5 hours in the heat for departure, the hotel showed us the door.  There is not a single tavern within a few kilometers, the place is very bad.  Although most of the guests bought AI, the hotel tries to take as much money as possible and many services are extra.  At night, when the drinks are extra, there is a disco and the whole hotel has to stay awake with the music.  The beds are very hard and unconfortable. I do not recommend it very much!

Worst

This is a beautiful hotel set I n an idyllic setting.  We stayed here for a week. The staff every where we're friendly and attentive.  Rooms were large and clean. Very nicely decorated. We found the bed too hard and the hotel put a topper on the bed for us which totally solved the hard bed problem.  Nothing seemed to be too much trouble.  Food was excellent quality and  plentiful. Drinks were free flowing and the waiters filled glasses immediately upon seeing them empty. Waiters were fast and very helpful.  Sweet smelling flowers everywhere. Loved this place and totally recommend it. 

We loved this place.

Really disappointed definitely not 5 *
Push at 3* 
I’ve never left a review before but was So disappointed.
Nice grounds and beach location however quite isolated 
Food is really poor and same repetitive every day Luke warm and only one restaurant for meals 
Has a pool bar during day with very limited choice beach bar was not open 
Entertainment non existent unless you class as playing music through speaker 
Rooms very basic and dated 
Bar tenders not very polite 
Overall not a great experience as you would expect when visiting 5* and paying 5* prices 
Don’t waste your money

Poor

The hotel lies 5 km away from the picturesque village of Georgioupolis, known for its long, sandy beaches and the breath-taking views of the Cretan mountains. The hotel is located 95 km from Heraklion International airport and 55 km from the International airport of Chania. The town of Rethymno, 16 km to the east, offers a wide selection of tavernas, bars and night-clubs. The hotel offers various leisure activities. On the beach there are sunbeds, parasols and beach volleyball. There is an outdoors freshwater swimming and a fully equipped gym. At a short distance from the hotel there are horseback riding, scuba diving and other water sports facilities. The resort offers a conference room theatre style and classroom style with audio-visual equipment. All rooms are well-equipped as standard and feature a balcony or terrace with magnificent views.

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Hydramis Palace Beach Resort