Mare Garden

"We recently spent a week at the Mare Garden Hotel. Overall, we had a good holiday and enjoyed our stay, although there are definitely a few areas where the hotel could improve. Arrival & Check-in We arrived in the early hours of the morning following a delayed flight. Our taxi dropped us at the hotel, but as we were staying in one of the additional buildings, there was no clear signage explaining where reception was, which was a little confusing after a long journey. Once we found reception, however, check-in was smooth and straightforward. The hotel had also left plates of snacks in the fridge in our room for our arrival, which was a really nice touch and much appreciated after travelling. The Room Our room was modern and spotlessly clean, although it was a little on the small side. There wasn’t a huge amount of storage, but we managed for the week. The bathroom was lovely and modern, with good water pressure and a nice-sized shower. The only real negative was the quality of the towels. They were clean and changed daily, but they were quite small, thin and looked like they had seen better days. Housekeeping was excellent. Our room was always cleaned and made up by the time we returned from breakfast each morning. Food & Drinks The food was a bit of a mixed bag. The meals that were cooked fresh were generally lovely and there were some really tasty dishes. However, some of the food placed in the warmers was only lukewarm, which was disappointing. The fresh salads and fruit were excellent, with a really good variety available. The hotel’s restaurant is actually located down the road, which we didn’t mind at all. The waiting staff were lovely and would seat you and take your drinks order each time. However, we would have preferred a self-service drinks option, as it could sometimes take quite a while for drinks to arrive. The soft drinks were also off-brand and, unfortunately, didn’t taste particularly good. The coffee, however, was lovely. We did eat out on a few occasions just for a change of scenery and would definitely recommend heading into the local village and trying one of the traditional tavernas. Pool & Snack Bar The pool itself is lovely, but there are nowhere near enough sunbeds for the number of guests staying at the hotel. We were unfortunately caught by the storm during our stay and, on one of the only two dry days we had, the sunbed cushions were still saturated because they hadn’t been brought inside during the bad weather. The staff at the snack bar were lovely. They regularly came around taking drinks orders and were happy to bring drinks to you whether you were sitting at the bar or around the pool. The snack selection could definitely be improved, though. During the storm, the snack bar also suffered from flooding and some leaks, although obviously the weather was particularly bad during our stay. The evening entertainment was good, with a nice mixture of entertainment throughout the week. Just be warned — the cocktails are very strong! You may well have a sore head the following morning! Location The hotel is situated at the end of the village of Georgioupoli, which we absolutely loved. There are plenty of restaurants and bars to choose from, along with traditional tavernas, cafés and bakeries. The village has a lovely atmosphere and is definitely worth exploring. If you stay at the Mare Garden, I’d strongly recommend spending some time wandering into the village rather than just staying around the hotel. Beach & Sunbeds The hotel’s section of the beach isn’t the nicest and the sunbeds have definitely seen better days. They cost €20 for four sunbeds for the day, which I thought was reasonable. There is also a snack van on the beach which is included as part of the all-inclusive package, which was a nice bonus. Overall Despite the fact that we experienced rain on 5 out of our 7 days, we still had a good holiday and enjoyed our time at Mare Garden. There are certainly areas that could be improved, particularly the number and quality of sunbeds, food temperature, drinks selection and some of the facilities around the pool. That said, the hotel was clean, the staff were generally friendly and helpful, the fresh food was good, and the location was excellent. Our highlights were Rethymno and Georgioupoli village, both of which we really enjoyed. Overall, we’d say Mare Garden is a decent hotel with plenty of potential, but there are a few things that could be improved to make it a really great place to stay."

"When we first arrived at the hotel, we were told that there was no available room for us. Instead, we were moved to another hotel called Summer Beach, where we had to stay for two days. We were told this was an upgraded hotel/room, but the room was extremely outdated and did not provide the facilities we had paid for. As compensation, we were offered two complimentary sunbeds at the beach and a sandwich. As we had booked an all-inclusive holiday, we found this more insulting than helpful. After what felt like a battle, we were eventually moved to Mare Gardens. Unfortunately, we were placed in a disability-accessible room. After our first shower, the room flooded because the drain was blocked and there was a very strong, foul smell that remained throughout our stay in that room. Our clothes and shoes were soaked, and we spent the evening using towels to dry the room and our belongings. Maintenance came and unblocked the drain, but the smell remained. Then, to make matters worse, water started leaking from the ceiling into our room. This was not caused by rain. We were told that the rooms above us were not properly sealed and that shower water was leaking through the building and into our ground-floor room. I immediately went to reception and calmly explained the situation. I was told that it could not be fixed until the following day because maintenance needed to come from the city. This deadline was not met, and our room flooded with water again. I went back to reception and was told that there was nothing they could do. At this point, I became extremely frustrated because, since day one, the hotel had failed to provide us with accommodation to an acceptable standard. The hotel manager refused to speak to me and went into his office. A large man was then standing next to the reception desk, which I felt was intimidating. Despite this, I was told that we could not change rooms for a third time and that we would have to come back the following day. At this point, water was literally pouring into our room from the ceiling, yet this was the level of assistance we received. I continued to push the matter because the situation was completely unacceptable, and we were eventually given another room. This was on day six of our holiday. The new room is extremely small, but at least it is not currently leaking water. However, it still has the same foul smell. For now, we feel we have to consider this a win. I also need to make you aware that I have ADHD and my partner has autism. The constant problems, uncertainty and stress surrounding our accommodation have had a significant impact on both of us and have ultimately ruined our holiday. We are now on day seven and have barely had any opportunity to relax and enjoy our holiday. We should not have to worry about whether our room will be flooded when we return to it. The hotel itself also appears to be very cheaply constructed. The walls are extremely thin, and we can hear almost everything from the surrounding rooms."

"Just back from mare gardens was a great holiday the village itself is small but plenty places ti eat and drink was 1 minute from the beach we arrived late at nite but still got offered a drink at the bar hotel is spotless and room were great how ever a mirror in the room would be great you have to walk one minute round the corner to the all-inclusive restaurant which isn’t an issue. The food has got some mixed reviews but we had not complain. I got something different every time we went always hot plenty of variety never too busy staff couldn’t do enough to help you pull bar however could’ve done with a bit of snacks just fruit pots and some little rolls. Be nice to have some chips and pizza maybe in there and a team on Tuesday and Thursdays which is okay for us. The staff at the pool can’t do enough for you definitely return back to Mare Gardens."