"We booked Mitsis Bali Paradise with confidence after several wonderful stays at Mitsis Family Village in Kos. There were things we loved here too, and some staff who made us feel very well looked after. But overall, this holiday fell short of what we had come to expect from Mitsis.
Our garden room was one of the highlights. I had emailed about it before our arrival, and we were very happy with it. It was small but pleasant, private and wonderfully quiet, which mattered most to us. Even though it was beneath the main restaurant, it remained peaceful. The beds were exceptionally comfortable, with crisp white sheets and very good pillows.
The hotel is more compact than the larger Mitsis complexes, and the greenery is beautiful. The resident cats and even a chicken added some character. The lobby is beautifully decorated, and the swimming pool area is lovely, with comfortable sunbeds.
Our housekeeper deserves a special thank you. She was always smiling, kind and attentive, and housekeeping was splendid throughout our stay. The minibar was full on arrival and restocked every second day. We also appreciated how consistently clean the toilets near the lobby were.
The bar and main restaurant staff were fantastic. Their warmth and friendliness made a real difference to our holiday, and they deserve recognition.
Sadly, we didn’t feel that same warmth at reception. We arrived after midnight, tired after a delayed flight. Although the receptionist smiled, there was little welcome or information, and we were left to find our own room. At that hour, someone showing us the way and explaining a few basics would have meant a lot.
Our later dealings with reception often felt equally cold. A stomach bug was affecting many guests during our stay. From conversations with other holidaymakers, it seemed that a large proportion had spent at least two days unwell in their rooms. Under those circumstances, a little concern and compassion would have been particularly welcome.
There were also small practical things that made the stay less comfortable than it needed to be. There was nowhere outside our room to dry swimwear or beach towels, so we ended up with a wet heap each day and used the hairdryer to dry our swimsuits. A simple drying rail would have helped enormously. Even exchanging wet beach towels for dry ones felt like asking for a favour.
The food was a real letdown. We look forward to eating Greek food when visiting Greece, but instead found a largely bland mix of European dishes with very little Greek character. Walking past the nearby tavernas and smelling their food only highlighted what we were missing. We noticed many guests eating locally and eventually did the same ourselves.
The pool bar and snack bars offered fairly basic choices, and the main bar had only three non-alcoholic mocktails. We missed the variety we had enjoyed at Family Village. A crêperie, pizza and ice cream by the swimming pools would have been lovely additions.
The beach was our biggest disappointment. The hotel’s section was tiny, with around 20–30 sunbeds, and polystyrene balls were scattered across the sand. There were no proper bins, only small plant pots used for litter, and we noticed animal waste in the sand. The toilets were in a particularly poor state, a striking contrast to the clean facilities in the main building. The beach bar offered only basic refreshments.
What stood out most was how neglected the hotel’s section of the beach felt. With so much care given to the greenery and shared areas within the hotel, it was difficult to understand why the beach seemed almost forgotten.
The watersports equipment available there was also expensive. At The Skippers in the nearby port, we found prices around half as much and equipment in much better condition, clearly cared for and maintained. Both the pedalos and kayaks were great, and we would happily recommend them.
The outdoor gym felt similarly overlooked. It consisted of a limited selection of kettlebells and dumbbells, a couple of bars, a few plates, one bench and some old mats. The weights were in poor condition, with large gaps between the available weights, and there was no TRX equipment or shade. I had hoped to keep up with my training, but I wouldn’t describe what was provided as a proper gym.
Entertainment was another major disappointment for us as a family. Unless you speak French, don’t expect to feel included. The FRAM team’s activities and interaction were directed almost entirely towards French-speaking guests, and the hotel offered no alternative programme for other families. We missed live evening entertainment and something we could enjoy together. For children unable to join in with the French-speaking activities, there was very little organised entertainment.
More than anything, we missed feeling that we were in Greece. There was so little Greek character in the food, music and overall atmosphere. At times, it felt more like being on holiday in France than in Crete. Greek flavours, music and atmosphere are part of what we look forward to, and we felt their absence throughout our stay.
Thankfully, exploring beyond the hotel gave us some wonderful memories. We would warmly recommend Apithano Apiary, the olive oil factory, Melidoni Cave, Heraklion Archaeological Museum and CRETAquarium. The apiary was a particular highlight.
There are lovely things about Bali Paradise, and we remain grateful to our housekeeper and the bar and restaurant teams. But based on our experience, I wouldn’t recommend it for a family holiday unless you speak French. Looking back, we wish we had chosen Mitsis Cretan Village, which we had also considered. My advice would be to read the reviews carefully. We took previous concerns too lightly because our experiences with Mitsis had always been superb.
The way our departure was handled summed up what had been missing from our dealings with reception: warmth and a willingness to help. My email about late checkout went unanswered, and we were sent back and forth to reception before eventually agreeing on 5 pm. We were happy to pay to stay later because our flight wasn’t until 11 pm. When we asked about somewhere to shower before dinner, we were told to use the outdoor pool shower. Explaining our late flight prompted only a shrug from the receptionist. We appreciated being able to keep the room until 5 pm, but even a simple expression of understanding would have made us feel more welcome.
By then, only a handful of guests remained. Diggers were working immediately outside the fence, the food selection had noticeably reduced, and the whole atmosphere suggested the hotel was ready to close, even though our holiday wasn’t over. We felt as though we were in the way.
Normally, we leave a holiday wishing we could stay a little longer. This time, we were ready to go home."
