Kristalli Hotel Apartments

"I can see why guests return year after year. We booked this hotel based on the reviews and were not disappointed! On arrival we were met by one of the owners, checked in quickly and the night person was there to show us to our room. The room was red hot when we arrived at around midnight, so glad we paid for air con. Now the air con was €15 a night as we had an apartment so had 2 units. It is a tad expensive but I wouldn't have slept without it. I also knew the cost before so wasn't an issue. This seems standard across Greece now. The room was a typical Greek style room. Basic but clean. The bedroom and living areas looked to have been renovated but the bathroom was dated. Not an issue but it was very dark in there. I could see when passing, some of the other buildings had more modern bathrooms so I guess this is something they are working on. The beds were comfortable and our daughter slept on a sofa bed in the living area and was fine. We had 2 balconies, one off the main living area and one off the bedroom. Nice to have different spaces but only had furniture on one of them. Couldn't actually fit the chair through the door to move but didn't impact anything. Kitchen area had a kettle, toaster, 2 ring hob and fridge. We did bed and breakfast so only used the kettle and fridge. Was a small freezer compartment, useful for putting a bottle of water in to take out with us. Breakfast. Before coming I couldn't really find much information regarding breakfast and was a little worried what our daughter would eat, but needn't have been. There were 4 cereals, bread and a toaster, selection of pastries, cake and pancakes with honey and chocolate sauce. There was a small hot selection with different types of egg, beans, bacon and sausages. There were cheeses and cold meats and some vegetables. There was also a nice selection of fruit. There was a coffee machine and juice machine. Food was checked and topped up regularly. Plates were cleared away quickly and the areas were always being kept clean. Breakfast, in my opinion was great. The pool was lovely and the hotel grounds are very well maintained. The owners definitely take pride in their hotel. People seem to leave inflatables so theres probably no need to buy them. There was a little playhouse and slide for smaller children and a collection of sinky toys. There were plenty of sunbeds and it got quiter as our stay went on. There are parasols available and there were plenty. There were even pillows available for the sunbeds which I've never seen before. The hotel also provides towels for the sunbeds with no deposit needed. These were handy on the last day. Food and drink. We ate at the hotel a couple of times and the food was lovely. A basic toastie was €3.50. There was lots of choice with pizzas, gyros, pasta. Lots of healthy breakfast bowls too. I felt the drinks were a little expensive as it was €4 for a soft drink, so would add up if drinking a lot. We tended to have water in the daytime which was €1 a bottle. The coffee was great served at the bar and so was the ice coffee. Ice creams were €5 which again I think is a bit pricey. There is a shop 2 mins away which is well stocked. We hired a car for 3 days and there was plenty of room to park in a designated car park. We found all of the staff helpful, friendly and engaging . The hotel is a few minutes walk away from the Old Town and a bit further to the strip area. We found lots of nice restaurants and bars not too far away. The best thing to do is just go and explore and have a wander round. The hotel was really quiet at night so we had really good nights sleep. One huge bonus for us was there were no cockroaches. I didn't see a single one. The rooms were very clean, beds were made daily, towels changed and bins emptied. There are a couple of things which slightly let it down for us. We had a late flight back and check out is 11am. We did enquire about keeping the room on and it is a €60 cost to do this. In the end we decided not to. There is no dedicated luggage room, it is just left in the reception area and reception is not always manned. There is also no courtesy room so we had to use the freezing cold shower by the pool and change clothes in the bar toilet. A bookable courtesy room would be a nice touch. It would have been nice to be able the have a proper shower and get changed before flying back. Overall we had a fantastic holiday and if we were to go back to the same area I would definitely consider booking the same accommodation."

"This has become our home from home, my son has complex needs and from the first year we come here they treated him like family, and he feels the same way. My sam feels so at home here which is such a blessing!"

"​We recently returned from a wonderful 10-day self-catering stay at Kristalli Hotel Apartments, and we miss it already! It was the perfect setup for our family with young kids. ​The staff are incredibly friendly and welcoming. The pool area and bar are kept spotlessly clean, and there were always plenty of sun loungers available—no need for early morning towel runs! ​While we did self-catering, we ended up eating at the pool bar frequently because the food was absolutely delicious and so convenient. It’s a short, easy walk into the charming Old Town, which has tons of great restaurants. Since we have young children, we avoided the busier main strip, and the location made that super easy to do. The beach directly at the end of the main street gets very busy and is mostly maintained by the larger resorts. Instead, we took a short, cheap taxi drive to Potamos Beach, which was a huge hit for us. It’s much more family-friendly, spacious, and has great amenities including a restaurant, clean toilets, and a food truck right on site. ​We would definitely recommend Kristalli Hotel Apartments to anyone looking for a relaxed, welcoming stay in Malia and would love to go back!"