Giannoulis Santa Marina Beach Resort

"Myself and my girlfriend have just returned from a 10 night stay at this hotel. We had a wonderful time! The hotel is spacious and set in a great location. The reception, the evening bar, the main buffet restaurant and the al a carte are situation on the side of the beach. The beach is footsteps away and here you’ll find sunbeds to use if you’re staying at this hotel. The buffet restaurant is great. The food was excellent and one of the best all inclusives I have stayed at! The staff are very attentive and lovely. The night time bar is also great! The staff here were great. There is a relaxing atmosphere in the evening as 3/4 times per week there was some entertainment of sorts on such as; a violinist, a saxophonist and singers. To get to the pools you have to go under a tunnel which goes under the road, here you find two pools and a day time bar. We spent our days at the ‘relaxing pool’ as the other pool was a shallower pool more for families! The only issue we had with the pools was with the sunbeds. On the first few days, I headed down at 8:30 to reserve two sunbeds but all of the sunbeds were already taken which was frustrating! This was because we don’t think there was enough beds round the pool for a hotel the size of this. On the second half of the holiday I headed down at 7:30 to ensure we got beds. This was a tad annoying as you shouldn’t have to set an alarm and wake up early on holiday just to reserve two sunbeds! There is another bar situated on this side of the hotel! The bar staff who ran this bar were amazing! They would walk round the pool multiple times a day asking if you’d like to order anything. Theodore - the man who ran the pool bar is a great guy who really wanted to ensure you had a fabulous holiday! There is another buffet restaurant situated at this side of the hotel. This restaurant was smaller and had less options but also had great food! We ate at the al a carte once on the holiday. The food was yummy and was different from the buffet however we found that there was too little choice and having to pay for a bottle of water when we were all inclusive was a little silly! On our first night we was told that our room wasn’t ready and that it would be the next day! Considering we had booked this holiday 10 months prior, we found this very frustrating! The room we had on our first night wasn’t great and we were not very pleased! However, due to this the next day they upgraded us to a sea view room, this room was lovely and made our stay! The room was clean and relatively modern. The bathrooms are lovely! I would say the value of the hotel is about right. For what we paid for 10 nights in the summer holidays was about right when you consider the location and the quality of the food and drink! The location of this hotel is in a lovely, quiet place but with stuff to do nearby! There are a few bars, a place to play mini golf and other shops right on your door step. Overall, we had a lovely stay here and I would definitely recommend it to couples and families!"

"We had a fantastic stay at this beautiful hotel and can honestly say that we enjoyed every moment. The surroundings are absolutely lovely, with a beautiful garden area, a relaxing atmosphere, and well maintained facilities that made the whole experience feel like a lovling holiday. We stayed in one of the rooms in the newer part of the hotel, and we were very impressed. Everyday cleaning, special thanks to the maids, always clean, new towels and so plesant! The room was beautiful, clean, comfortable, and had everything we needed for a relaxing holiday. The hotel overall was very clean and well taken care of, from the rooms to the pool area and the common spaces. The restaurant was another highlight. We enjoyed delicious all inclusive food throughout our stay, with great options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The quality and variety of the meals were excellent, and it was clear that a lot of effort goes into making guests feel satisfied. The pool area was a perfect place to relax, and we especially want to give a big thank you and special praise to Anastasia by the pool. She truly made our days even better with her wonderful service, positive energy, and great sense of humor. She always greeted us with a smile, made sure our orders arrived quickly, and had a way of making everyone feel taken care of. She really took care of us and made sure we stayed hydrated while enjoying the sun! Her kindness, humor and personality added something extra to our holiday. The location is also great, central, convenient, and close to everything you need while still feeling peaceful and relaxing. We had a wonderful time here and would happily recommend this hotel to others. Thank you for a memorable stay, we will definitely be coming back!"

"Fantastic hotel! It was divided into three sections: the first block had direct access to the sea, while the second and third had their own pools. So if the sea wasn’t calm, you could just use the pool right next to your block. We had a room in the second section, and it was new and clean. The cleaning staff came every day. The food in the main restaurant was great — over the seven days, the menu was never repetitive, and there were always plenty of options. The staff were veeery friendly, polite, and attentive. Biggest thanks to Christos, Georgi, Olga, Elena, Katerina, the restaurant manager, and the rest of the team! Without you, our stay in Crete wouldn’t have felt so cozy!"