Petousis Hotel and Suites

This hotel is a ‘mixed bag’. There are some good points and some bad points. It is in an urban location (within 5 minutes of the beach) and this makes some things easier to access and also creates some compromises. The site is quite compact, for example (we stayed at the Grecotel Eva Palace last year which was much larger) and well located for surrounding restaurants and a short taxi ride into Heraklion.

I think the hotel is not transparent in its information regarding the location of the room. There were also some safety (open electric box on the whirlpool tub) and security (gate directly from the road onto our patio) issues (see photos).

I should say that we booked (with Jet2 Holidays) only a couple of weeks before we travelled so there wasn’t a great deal of room choice. It was the location of the room that had the biggest adverse impact.

Rooms

Our room was described as a Superior with Whirlpool Bath. There is passing mention of the fact that the room is in an annex, facing the hotel. What is not mentioned (and is avoided in the photographs) is that the annex is on the other side of a road which, although not a main route, is nonetheless a primary route down to the beach and our room was close to the side of the hotel where deliveries are made. Therefore, the view was not nice and, although there was some sound insulation, the noise from the road woke us up, particularly with morning activity (around 06:30).

In the Annex, the rooms are numbered 801-813. The odd numbered rooms (ours was one of these) look towards the hotel and have whirlpool tubs on the patio. The even numbered rooms are on the opposite side of the annex and face a (fairly dusty) public car park. The patios for the even numbered rooms seemed smaller and I’m not sure if they had a whirlpool tub. I have included a couple of photos showing the view from our patio, the road outside and also the car park that the even numbered rooms back on to.

The screening between the patio and the road was inadequate. Although there was no pavement on our side of the road, anyone walking past our room on the road could see into the patio. I realise that the current screening follows an architectural feature which is present in the rest of the hotel but it is not sufficient to provide an appropriate level of privacy for guests when they are relaxing either on the patio or in the whirlpool tub.

The whirlpool tub was pretty pointless - it wasn’t very comfortable and the jets were very weak. Ours was also a safety hazard (see picture) as the main electric box had been left open under the end hatch.

The security on the patio was also inadequate. Our patio had a gate in the wall which could be accessed directly from the road and had no lock in place, only a bolt which could be opened by someone putting their hand through the gaps in the fencing.

The housekeeping staff did a great job of cleaning and tidying the room.

We had good hot water pressure but the controls are not thermostatic. Hot water seems to be solar‑heated; morning showers were distinctly cooler and later showers were a lot hotter so don’t step straight into an evening shower with the tap set for the morning (check particularly for children).

Air conditioning was good (although the electrics tripped one night and the room got quite warm and uncomfortable).

Although we didn’t stay in the Junior Suites, we found the shared pool arrangement slightly strange. Perhaps due to the compact nature of the site, the private pool area (albeit shared with another room) wasn’t particularly private, being just the other side of a hedge and clearly visible from the main pool.

Food

We upgraded the B&B basis to half board but after a few days we found the evening buffet repetitive and if you arrive late in the session (which is 18:30 - 21:30) the food that is in open trays under the lamps is dried out and not very warm. Also, unlike some hotels, there is no option to convert the evening buffet to credit for the à la carte restaurant.

The hotel’s à la carte restaurant is good (“best pizza ever”), reasonably priced, and offers wider variety than the buffet. There are also several good restaurants close by. Given the restricted choice and the availability of reasonably priced alternatives, bed & breakfast is better value than half board here.

The staff at the pool bar were excellent. If you don’t need pool side service, ordering directly at the hotel’s à la carte restaurant gives (for example) bigger, cheaper pizzas and more choice.

One evening we arrived late back from an evening trip. As my daughter and I were hungry we went to see if food was still on offer in the dining room. We arrived 9:40 pm and the posted hours said the restaurant closed at 9:30 pm, yet food was still out on the buffet so we grabbed a plate intending to take it back to the room. One of the staff members walked in (I think having been asked to come in by another staff member because his English was more fluent) and told us, rather curtly, that the restaurant was closed. I explained that we had arrived back late and surely we could take a plate of food (it was obvious that we were hotel guests as we were wearing blue wrist bands). I recognise he was likely supporting a colleague who had come to ask for help from someone who could speak better English but a more hospitable approach would have been to enquire about our need (“Can I help you?”) rather than simply quoting the rules.

Other Hotel Points

My teenage daughter was looking forward to a possible spa treatment but the hotel said that we would have to ask as they have to make more preparation for children (risks). The spa seems much more directed at adults.

The hotel clearly runs with tight cost control. At meals, some fruit (white‑flesh melons) seemed under‑ripe; when Parma ham and melon was served, the ham disappeared quickly and wasn’t replenished. In the evening, the coffee machines which were on for breakfast were turned off, which felt frugal. The buffet is smaller and more limited than at big resorts, with pre‑prepared dishes and no live cooking stations. Choice felt restricted compared with our recent stay at Grecotel Eva Palace (Corfu), which had more scale and investment in its food facilities.

Hotel Comparison

Last year we stayed at the Grecotel Eva Palace. It was slightly more expensive. The plus points for the Petousis are that it’s located close to bars and restaurants and the historic city of Heraklion. The plus points for the Eva Palace are that the rooms were (or at least seemed) bigger and the food was much better with more choice and live cooking stations (freshly cooked food), perhaps because the hotel is much bigger and they can guarantee that more guests are eating in due to the limited options close to the hotel. The view from the rooms at the Eva Palace was also much better and relaxing on the balcony was wonderful. From Manchester, the flying time to Corfu is around 40 minutes shorter (on published flying times) and the airport was much less stressful (at a similar time of year). For our needs, the Grecotel offered better value for money.

Other Points

A local note on shopping - ice lollies are generally expensive (around €3-4 wherever you go). For drinks, the supermarket opposite (called “Your Supermarket”) is generally expensive. We walked a little further down to Super market MARKATATOS which was (while still expensive for soft drinks by UK standards) more reasonably priced. We also found this supermarket more friendly and helpful.

If you want to go into Heraklion, bus stops are close by and tickets can be bought from the supermarkets. Alternatively, the Uber app was showing a fare of €15 - 20 from the hotel to Knossos Palace.

We took a sunset sailing trip with ALTERSAIL from Heraklion’s Old Venetian Port (hotel pick‑up was included as an option for around €10 per person return). It was wonderful and highly recommended.

We found Corfu airport to be much better than Crete. Crete was slightly chaotic with limited luggage belt capacity and multiple flights arriving at the same time (there seems to be a time when a lot of flights arrive) and multiple flights (3 or 4) having their luggage delivered to the same belt. The Jet2 desk at Crete was staffed by very competent and patient people but was completely overloaded. There was only one person dealing with private transfers and, as a result, there was a queue in the blazing hot sun to wait to be served.

Summary

In short, the Petousis is a convenient, well‑located base with friendly staff and a good à la carte restaurant, but our stay was compromised by an annex room facing a noisy road and privacy and safety concerns on the patio. For most guests, bed & breakfast plus nearby dining (and a walk to Markatatos) will deliver better value than half board. If you prioritise spacious rooms, live‑cooked food, and relaxing views, a larger resort like Grecotel Eva Palace may suit better. Don’t miss a sunset sail with ALTERSAIL from Heraklion’s old port—it’s a highlight.

Absolutely beautiful hotel , The staff are very friendly and happy to help. We stayed in a suite and it was spacious and had a nice size balcony for 4 of us . Plenty of sunbeds around both pools and the staff at the pool bar are very attentive. Lots of restaurants and shops within walking distance. The restaurant attached to the hotel is excellent and we loved the restaurant called Tavern Lotos.

Had a lovely week here. Hotel is very nice and modern. The room was pleasant, we had paid to upgrade to a junior suite which we were told would have a pool view. It didn’t have a pool view unfortunately but didn’t let it bother us. The bathroom doesn’t have a door, just a shower door and separate toilet, the sink is in the open which we found odd. The toilet room is very small and warm. Shower was perfect. Our washing line on the balcony was broken which was super annoying as we had to dry towels on the chairs. The taverna can be quite noisy late at night, but not too bad. We had a big step in our room down from the wardrobe area to the sofa area, just be aware incase you have kids or mobility issues.

The maid made the bed everyday but never changed the sheets. She gave us clean towels everyday too but we had used glasses in the room all week which we thought would have been replaced. There was a bowl of fruit upon arrival, most of which we didn’t eat and it went completely mouldy in the bowl, don’t know how she didn’t notice it and remove it.

The pool is amazing, especially the modern one. Loads of sunbeds everyday and you can get fresh towels everyday. Umbrellas were great for a bit of shade. Also lots of tables and chairs to sit at in the sun or shade. The pool bar was great, loads to choose from and food was always nice.

We had breakfast everyday and it was nice, just the usual hotel buffet. Ate in the taverna once and it was nice but not our favourite. Heaven beach bar is a must.

The hotel is only a short walk to the beach. Loads of supermarkets around which are really close. Only thing I will say is that you have to cross a busy main road to get to them. There is a zebra crossing but it does seem a bit of a free for all, not great if you have kids. We actually did see a car crash into another one one evening.

Overall a great stay and would fully recommend.