The Island Hotel

We arrived mid afternoon on 26th July. Checked in quickly and were escorted to our room with our luggage being carried by a lovely porter. The room was a decent size and spotlessly clean. We opted for a room with a shared pool and this worked out well, as we just naturally weren't in there at the same time. We didnt bother with the other pools on the resort, but there seemed to be enough beds but as some have mentioned, there will always be selfish people who put towels on beds then buggar off for the day, meaning those who want a bed now, cant get one. Hotel staff should be on top of this.

We opted for b&b, lots of variety but the options were the same every day, and the breakfasts were always cold. When you entered the eating area, they insisted on showing you to a table, not sure why, as there were plenty of empty ones so we often moved once left.

The beach opposite and the lovely sea breeze were great to eat breakfast to each morning.

We opted to eat in one of the onsite restaurants one evening, we checked at lunchtime what time they serve until and were told 5.30, this was also stated on the menu. We arrived at 4.50 and was told, they were no longer serving food today. Disappointed as we'd not bothered with lunch as expected an early tea only to have to then leave and find somewhere else offsite to eat. Fortunately this wasn't difficult, as lots of little bars/restaurants on the doorstep. Seems a strange business model for the hotel to adopt though.

The on site shop run by the lovely Sofia was a really great source of information. She starts each day at 12.30 until late and gives some great local knowledge. The bloke who works there in the morning not really helpful, so wait for her to come in. During our stay, there were fires close to Sofias home, 3 firemen lost their lives, and she still turned up daily with a smile on her face, not knowing what she might go home to.

We booked a few trips with Melon, they are situated right outside the hotel if you exit via reception and turn left, 2 minute walk, right next to small supermarket for water etc. The boat trip we did, I can highly recommend, just under £50 each, collected by coach from beachside of hotel. Heraklion market, not so much, mainly food, so as we werent SC not really relevant, but atmosphere was good. The transfer to the market was an experience with Stellios who I think was a frustrated formula one driver, I know you have to be ballsy to drive in Greece, but Stellios was VERY ballsy!!

We ate at the Island restaurant twice during our stay. Highly recommended. It was our anniversary during our stay and my husbands birthday and they decorated our table and kept bringing us free desserts! We had to give them away in the end to another lovely family. The first night we went was Greek night, the atmosphere is fantastic and the staff are out of this world, soooo attentive. Portion sizes are HUGE, so bear this in mind when ordering starters! The food was good, well presented but I found the chicken and next visit the pork, were slightly overcooked so a little dry and tough but the views, the atmosphere, the staff, more than compensated for this!!

If you go through reception and turn left, there is a cocktail bar called Kondimar, nice cocktails and one of the nicest tuna salads I've ever had. And you might get to meet lovely Molly the dog.

Further down that road on the opposite side of the road you have Milos restaurant, food lovely, but again, portion sizes huge, so be aware! But definitely worth a visit.

Overall, loved the holiday, beach small, but on a non choppy day, the water is beautiful to just relax in. Plenty of loungers and comfortable to lie there as the sea breeze is gorgeous. The young lifeguard was often AWOL though, hanging around the hotel, so be aware of this if not confident as the waves can be aggressive on some days. There was another lifeguard who was a bit more committed to his role, and his whistle! But they never worked together, so one or none available on a given day.

People have mentioned cats too. Greece notoriously LOVE cats so surprised people found this strange. We went to a bar called the Anfield, highly recommended for sunsets BTW, and the amount of people who came just to see the 2 cats who hang around there, taking pics, feeding them. Tip, the ginger one, very friendly, the black and white one, bit more discerning, so make sure you have his/her permission to stroke, or it will tell you off, if you have young kids be especially respectful when trying to pet!

Hotel spotless, quiet, staff very accommodating and generally the people all around the hotel were warm and friendly. Will definitely go again 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

We have just returned from a relaxing week's stay at the Island Hotel B&B, and although I don't usually write reviews, I felt I should share our experience after reading the negative comments. We had a fantastic holiday from start to finish. The staff were always friendly, welcoming, and happy to help whenever needed. We stayed in a room with access to a shared pool, which was cleaned regularly and well maintained throughout our stay. Our room and bathroom were spotless, the air conditioning worked perfectly, and the hotel grounds were beautifully kept. During a couple of windy days, a member of staff was working hard to clear the fallen leaves with a leaf blower. Despite the constant wind making it a difficult job. We never had any problems finding a table at mealtimes or getting a sunbed, which made the experience relaxing. The beach is just across the road, from the hotel, and it was always easy to find a sunbed there too. There are plenty of local restaurants within walking distance, offering a great choice of food at very reasonable prices. We did have one small issue during our stay, but it was dealt with quickly and professionally by the hotel manager. We were offered complimentary drinks, which we really appreciated. The DJ around the main pool brought a fun atmosphere and played a good mix of music. There are other pool areas where the music can't be heard, so there's something to suit everyone. One piece of advice would be to bring insect repellent, as there were quite a few mosquitoes. Other than that, we had an enjoyable stay and recommend the hotel to anyone looking for a relaxing holiday. We will be back.

I stayed at The Island Hotel in Crete from 16 July to 23 July 2026. Unfortunately, what should have been a relaxing holiday became an extremely distressing experience, particularly because of the way a serious health concern was handled by hotel management.

On 20 July, I ate chicken wraps at The Stone restaurant, which is located on the hotel premises. I have kept my digital receipt confirming my payment at the restaurant that day.

Approximately three hours after eating, I developed severe vomiting and diarrhoea and became extremely weak. I was unable to leave my room or enjoy my holiday and spent approximately two days recovering in the hotel.

I had not eaten outside the hotel during my stay, so I naturally became concerned that something I had eaten at the hotel could potentially have contributed to my illness. I want to make clear that I cannot medically confirm the exact cause, and I am not claiming that the chicken wraps definitely caused my illness. I am simply explaining what happened and why I felt that my concerns deserved to be taken seriously.

Once I was feeling well enough, I contacted our TUI representative, who contacted reception and told me that a manager would come and speak to me. Approximately 11 hours passed and nobody came to see me. I therefore went to reception myself and asked to speak to a manager.

The Operational Manager came to speak with me approximately nine minutes later.

Unfortunately, the conversation was extremely upsetting. I felt that I was not given a reasonable opportunity to explain what had happened. She repeatedly spoke over me and interrupted me while I was trying to explain my experience and did not allow me to finish speaking. She repeatedly raised her voice and shouted during the conversation, despite me still being unwell and recovering from severe vomiting and diarrhoea.

I felt that I was in a particularly vulnerable position as a guest who had just experienced severe vomiting and diarrhoea, and I did not feel that my concerns were being listened to calmly or respectfully.

She told me that my illness was a virus that had appeared “from the air”. No medical evidence was provided to me to establish this explanation.

During the conversation, she also made comments about my health, including saying that I was unhealthy and had a poor immune system. I found these comments inappropriate, as she had no medical information or medical assessment of me to support such statements.

The conversation lasted approximately one hour. During it, she repeatedly raised her voice and referred to involving a lawyer. I was also warned about possible legal action in connection with leaving a negative review.

I find this particularly concerning because I believe guests should be able to share their genuine experiences and opinions, provided that reviews are written honestly and responsibly. This review is based solely on my personal experience and the events that I personally witnessed.

I was also offered the possibility of seeing a private doctor during the night for blood tests. As I was already unwell and did not know the doctor being suggested, I did not feel comfortable with this option and chose not to proceed.

To be completely transparent, I cannot say with certainty what caused my illness because I did not receive a medical diagnosis establishing the exact cause. What I can confirm is that I stayed at the hotel from 16 July to 23 July, ate chicken wraps at The Stone restaurant on 20 July, have a digital receipt confirming my payment there, and experienced severe vomiting and diarrhoea approximately three hours afterwards. I then spent around two days confined to my room.

The illness itself was already extremely distressing, but the response from management made the experience considerably worse. I would have expected empathy, professionalism and an opportunity to explain my concerns calmly, rather than being repeatedly interrupted and shouted at while I was still recovering.

I am sharing this review so that future guests can make an informed decision based on my genuine experience. I am not claiming anything that I cannot personally substantiate, and I am not stating that I know the medical cause of my illness. I am simply documenting what happened to me and how my complaint was handled.

Based on my experience, I would not choose to stay at this hotel again.