Sol Marina Beach Crete

Hotel clean and beautifully kept, with a fantastic entertainments programme both day and night the entertainment team work extremely hard. The rooms are spacious and have plenty of storage and are cleaned well daily. There is 4 pools in total, one which is child orientated, one indoor, the main pool where there is a great atmosphere with music and the swim up bar pool which is quieter (I.e. no music). Located directly opposite the beach and approximately 10-15 mins for hersonissos (which will cost €50 round trip). If you wish to explore would highly recommend a car. One thing which could be improved is the food available to those with intolerances, the catch all warning for the desserts isn’t good enough they could be labelled like the rest of the food, and gluten free options should be more available at all meal times and at the snack bar as a lot of the food contain this allergen even food you wouldn’t expect. Gluten free pasta and pizza would be nice even if it’s only for a few nights available on request. One of our group lived off rice, salad and fish the whole holiday. Breakfast alternatives for those with a gluten intolerance should also be considered I.e. gluten free bread and dedicated toaster. You also have to pay if you want branded alcohol and slush puppies. Would definitely recommend this hotel to others!

We returned a week ago from our trip to Marina Beach and we are still sad we arent there. What an amazing hotel, we really have no complaints and are even considering booking again for next year. We booked a bungalow that was situated near the swim up bar pool, this is where we spent most of our time (between here and the splash park). The splash park has slides to keep all ages busy and the kids had great fun. We did go to the main pool for some of the animation activities like the aqua mini disco and the magic carpet which we all found so fun. Pools weren't freezing, they were just a nice temperature for a good dip and cool down. The beach is literally a matter of steps away, there are plenty of sunbeds and its kept nice and tidy. Other activities include mini golf, ping pong, etc and the evening entertainment in the amphitheatre were brilliant especially the acrobatic Africans and the fire show.

The rooms were cleaned daily and a large bottle of water was left every day. We are a family of 4 with 2 children and none of us have any issue sleeping. The beds were comfy and the air con did its job.

The biggest compliment goes out to all the staff and animation team who are a credit to the hotel. We didn't come across any rude staff like we have encountered at other hotels. The animation team were busy all day, the kids loved the mini disco and the T Shirts with there names on you can buy were a big hit! A special shout of to Johnny Boy, he really is a stand out entertainer. The kids loved him, we loved him and there loved him! He goes that extra mile to make you feel welcome and will sit down for a chat. A top guy!

The drinks were local brands, beer and wine on self serves and then cocktails and other things are served by the friendly bar staff. Plenty of choice. Our faves were the swim up bar during the day and then the lobby bar at night where the outdoor seating has a wonderful view of the sunset and the drinks get served in glass in the evening. Atmosphere at all were great, everybody getting on and having a good time.

There is a photographer at the hotel, which we booked to have some family photos and they were absolutley amazing we are so happy with them and the girls that work there are so friendly. You arent pressured to spend more than you want and we picked out our 5 faves at a very reasonable price. Our girls really loved Sarene and she was a real highlight of our holiday! Such a fun and kind person.

We ate breakfast and dinner in the buffet restaurant mainly, be prepared for this as it is absolute chaos. Nothing on the hotel or staff, its mainly just rude guests who have no manners! The food here was so varied and we had no complaints, some really delicious dishes and something for everyone with themed days and then your staple dishes! The kids did mainly eat pasta, pizza, chips etc.. but they did try some different things each day and enjoyed them! The snack bar was where we went mainly for lunch and again the food was delicious, hot with fresh salads, pasta, gyros (the chicken ones seem go early which was a shame as they was our fave!!), pizza, fries, burgers and hot dogs etc some days. Ice cream was a big hit with the kids and they loved going scooping it themselves.

As we was staying 10 nights, we got one meal at Isla by the sea where we was served the most amazing cretian Mezze. The food just kept coming and coming and it was absolutley amazing with seating right by the waves which was beautiful in the evening. We also got a booking at the on site BBQ restaurant which is included for 10 night stays and again this was phenomonal, the lamb from here blew us away and you are offered a bottle of wine as you are seated for an evening meal.

All in all it was a perfect holiday, we hope to see you all again soon!

We had a fantastic stay at Sol Marina Beach Hotel. It's a lovely, spacious hotel with beautiful pools, and the children's pool was a huge hit with my kids! All of the staff were friendly, welcoming, and spoke excellent English. Jonny Bravo from the entertainment team was great with the children and really encouraged them to join in with the activities .Fanny from the guest relations team was also incredibly friendly and helpful, as was the hotel manager, who was always professional and approachable. The only negative experience we had was with one member of the restaurant staff, who laughed at my mum because she had a flower in her hair . I did not think what was really funny about that ? and then appeared to tell other staff about her. We reported it immediately, and I have to say the hotel manager dealt with the situation very seriously and resolved it straight away. We really appreciated how quickly and professionally it was handled.also the pool bar staff putting his hands with gloves in mayonnaise into the refill box . That was not very professional and should have used a spoon .
One thing we did notice was that there weren't many English families staying at the hotel. Most guests seemed to be German or French. At times we felt a little uncomfortable as some German guests kept looking over at us, but we did meet some lovely English families during our stay, which made the holiday even more enjoyable. Overall, we had a wonderful holiday and couldn't really fault the hotel. The facilities were excellent, the staff were fantastic, and most importantly, my kids absolutely loved it. We would definitely recommend Sol Marina Beach Hotel and would happily return.