Euphoria Resort

Euphoria Resort exceeded expectations and was one of the best resort experiences we have had in Crete. The hotel has beautiful facilities and extensive grounds that never feel overcrowded. While it is an excellent choice for families, it is also surprisingly peaceful for couples looking for a relaxing holiday. The private beach is fantastic, with plenty of space. The food was a real highlight. The buffet offered excellent quality and great variety. The resort also has several restaurants, and reservations were easy to make. The staff were consistently friendly, welcoming, and attentive throughout the stay. Overall, Euphoria Resort is an outstanding option in the Chania area and a place we would happily return to.

Holiday Overview:

Stay dates: 19–28 May (10 nights) Travelling party: British family of 2 adults and 2 children aged 11 and 8 Room category booked: Family Suite with Sharing Pool and Side Sea View Allocated room: 713

Highlights:

• Modern, spacious and visually impressive family room
• Separate bedroom and two bathrooms ideal for families
• Large outdoor terrace with direct sharing pool access
• Daily housekeeping was very good throughout the stay
• Excellent WiFi coverage across the resort
• Great kids club with genuinely lovely staff
• Splash park and slides were a major highlight for children
• Main pool includes gradual “beach-style” sloped access ideal for younger children and families
• Good daytime waiter drinks service around parts of the main pool
• Evening waiter drinks service in lobby seating areas was appreciated
• Good drink selection including some premium branded spirits
• Very enjoyable flavoured mojitos, especially the passion fruit version
• Evening buffet generally offered the best food variety
• Resort overall felt clean, modern and visually appealing

Downsides:

• Service across restaurants and bars could feel inconsistent
• Some isolated staff members appeared dismissive towards children ordering drinks
• Lack of evening entertainment and limited atmosphere at night
• Food often not hot enough
• No late-night food options
• Significant noise transfer between rooms/floors
• Main bedroom bathroom lacked privacy and practicality
• Pools were extremely cold in May and clearly unheated
• Some impractical design choices throughout the resort
• A la carte restaurant experience was extremely disappointing
• Additional resort/tourism tax added a notable extra cost

Room Review – Family Suite with Sharing Pool & Side Sea View

We stayed in Room 713, which offered partial sea views. Whilst not a direct beachfront view, you could still clearly see the sea in the distance and the outlook felt open and pleasant with very few surrounding buildings.

Overall, the room itself was modern, spacious and visually impressive. For families, the layout works well thanks to the separate bedroom and second bathroom. It definitely felt more premium than many standard family rooms we’ve stayed in elsewhere, although a few practical improvements would elevate it significantly.

Main Bedroom Bathroom: The master bathroom is largely open-plan to the bedroom, which in practice felt far less convenient than it sounds aesthetically.

There is:

• No proper bathroom door
• Only a glass partition around the toilet
• No lock on the toilet door
• Shower enclosure also doesn’t fully close properly

This creates very little privacy and also means:

• Noise travels easily at night
• Bathroom lighting disturbs anyone sleeping
• Early morning bathroom use becomes disruptive

There is also a frosted bathroom window with no blind or covering, meaning natural light enters the room early in the morning. Light-sensitive sleepers may struggle with this.

On the positive side, the bathroom includes both:

• A rainfall shower with excellent water pressure
• A full-sized bath with secondary shower

This was a genuinely nice touch and something not often seen in resorts.

One frustrating omission, however, was the complete lack of towel hooks in the main bathroom , something several previous reviewers had also mentioned. Such a simple and inexpensive fix would make a huge difference practically.

Second Bathroom

The second bathroom in the living/children’s area was perfectly functional and actually more practical in some respects. It included towel hooks and a standard shower setup.

Both bathrooms feature:

• Ceiling rainfall showers
• Handheld shower attachments

Both excellent water pressure, in fact the handheld maybe too powerful for children

However, the handheld attachment is mounted unusually low, around chest height, ok for children maybe not older than mine, but not so much for on an adult, meaning unless you physically hold it whilst washing, it’s not especially useful.

Room Features & Facilities:

• Coffee pod machine
• Mini fridge
• Two large TVs
• Complimentary robes and slippers
• Full-size toiletries
• Two full-length mirrors
• Excellent wardrobe storage
• Independent air conditioning controls in each sleeping area

The minibar was reasonably stocked on arrival with:

• Water
• Lipton iced teas
• Fruit juice
• Protein shakes
• Soft drinks

However, we were informed it is only replenished once weekly, which felt poor for what is marketed as a more premium Signature-style swim-up room category. However during our stay it wasn’t ever replenished from what we saw.

The TVs were another disappointment for British families:

• Only UK news channels available
• No British entertainment or children’s channels

The TVs did appear to support HDMI and screen mirroring, although we couldn’t get this functioning properly with either iPhone or Samsung devices.

Another positive worth mentioning was housekeeping. Our room was attended daily throughout the stay, with beds made, bathrooms cleaned and fresh towels regularly replaced. Overall, the housekeeping standards for our room were very good and helped keep the accommodation feeling fresh and comfortable across the 10-night stay.

Noise Levels: One of the biggest negatives was noise insulation. Because the rooms are tiled throughout, noise from:

• Guests above
• Furniture movement
• Cupboards closing
• Adjacent rooms

travels very easily, especially early in the morning, however aware this is often case at these resorts so not in isolation here. Just noting for awareness light sleepers or noise sensitive may genuinely struggle here.

Even the sliding divider door between the bedroom and living area was noisy to operate at night.

Outdoor Sharing Pool Area: Our terrace area was excellent:

• Large decking space
• Two patio access points
• Two cushioned sofas
• Two sun loungers

Some neighbouring rooms appeared to have significantly smaller terraces, so this may vary by room category.

One strange omission again was:

• No drying rail
• No hooks
• No swimwear hanging area whatsoever

This became particularly annoying due to the windy conditions during our first evening, where swimwear literally blew into the pool overnight

Food & Restaurants:

Buffet Restaurant

The buffet was overall decent, but inconsistent.

Positives:

• Evening meals offered the best variety
• Food quality itself was generally good
• Some nice international options
• Better than average bacon for an all-inclusive abroad

Negatives: A recurring issue was temperature much of the hot food simply wasn’t hot enough.

Following a previous holiday where I experienced severe food poisoning elsewhere, this immediately concerned me.

Meal Ratings (for British tastes)

• Breakfast: 6/10
• Lunch: 6.5–7/10
• Evening meals: 8/10

Breakfasts were fairly continental-focused, which is expected abroad, but British guests should manage expectations regarding sausages and traditional breakfast options.

Lunch options felt noticeably more limited than dinner, particularly for children. The full main kids’ section only operated in the evenings, though yes lunch time always had chips, often dish fingers or similar and plain pasta,

Service Issues: Unfortunately, service throughout the buffet restaurant was inconsistent.

Repeatedly:

• No drinks service arrived or if it did way into us beginning our meal
• Staff were difficult to flag down
• Plates remained uncleared for long periods

Considering the hotel was nowhere near full occupancy during the first half of our stay, this was disappointing.

A La Carte – The Grill: Unfortunately this was the worst dining experience of the holiday.

Service was exceptionally slow:

• Nearly 20 minutes before anyone took drinks orders
• Main courses took an extremely long time
• Meals only arrived after chasing staff

After 90 minutes we had only received starter and main. My daughter’s meal was also incorrect due to amendments not being followed.

• Children were frustrated and bored
• A screaming toddler behind us added to the atmosphere
• We decided to leave before desserts

Notably, the restaurant was not even half full at the time.

The family behind us apologised for their childs extreme crying and explained they too had been stuck there for nearly two hours with young children and still hadn’t received dessert, so this clearly was not an isolated experience.

Other Food Outlets:

Italian Snack Bar: Acceptable for casual lunches:

• Pizza
• Pasta
• Small salad bar
• Ice cream and desserts

Rating: 6/10

Splash Park Food Area

Limited but enjoyable:

• Gyros
• Waffles
• Ice cream
• Soft drinks

The waffles were genuinely very good.

Rating: 7/10

Vitamin Bar: Interesting concept but disappointing in reality for my personal preferences.

The juices were extremely pulpy/frothy and not to our taste. After trying it once, neither we nor the children returned, partner didn’t mind it though so depends on individual preferences.

Drinks:

The drinks selection overall was better than many all-inclusive resorts we’ve experienced previously, particularly regarding branded spirits. It was refreshing to see some recognisable premium options included rather than entirely local substitutes, including brands such as Smirnoff vodka, Bacardi and Baileys, however don’t expect them as a guarantee, as some they will revert to a more generic brand.

Cocktail variety for my personal tastes was perhaps slightly more limited than some other resorts we’ve visited, but still pretty good overall.

One particularly enjoyable touch was the flavoured mojito options, which were genuinely nice and far better than expected for an all-inclusive offering. My personal favourite was the passion fruit mojito, although strawberry mojitos were also available, along with several other fruit variations we didn’t get around to trying.

Overall, I’d rate the drinks offering around 6.5–7/10 — not the best we’ve experienced, but certainly above average in several areas.

Pools & Facilities:

Main Pool The main pool is visually impressive, very spacious and one of the stronger features of the resort overall.

A particularly positive feature is that one end of the pool has a gradual sloped “beach-style” entry rather than only ladders or steps. I know this is an important consideration for many families with younger children or less confident swimmers, as it offers a gentler and safer way to enter and exit the pool.

The nearby children’s section is also useful, although it is simply a shallow pool area rather than a splash feature zone.

The main pool itself is approximately 1.40m deep throughout much of the central area, meaning many younger children , including my 11-year-old were unable to comfortably touch the bottom. Parents of younger or less confident swimmers should therefore be mindful of this.

One thing to note is that during our stay in May the pools were extremely cold and clearly not heated.

Another strange design flaw: At the far pool section near the gym and restaurants, there are no ladders or steps to enter/exit the pool.

This could be a genuine accessibility issue for older guests or anyone with mobility concerns.

Another positive worth mentioning is that waiter drinks service around the main pool was generally good during the daytime. Staff would regularly circulate taking drinks orders, which was a nice touch and added to the more relaxed holiday atmosphere.

That said, the consistency of this did seem to vary depending on where around the pool you were seated. Certain sections appeared to receive far more waiter footfall and attention than others, whilst guests in quieter corners could wait significantly longer to be approached.

Once drinks were ordered, delivery times could sometimes still be a little slow, but overall the poolside service was appreciated and better than having to constantly return to the bar yourself.

Splash Park & Slides: This was unquestionably the highlight for children.

It strikes a good balance:

• Enough slides and splash features to stay entertaining
• Not overwhelmingly large

But things to note

• Closed on Tuesdays
• Lifeguard attentiveness appeared questionable
• Grass seating areas were heavily affected by ants

The ants became a significant annoyance around drinks and loungers.

Kids Club: The kids club staff were excellent. Warm, welcoming and engaging throughout. Our 8-year-old loved it so much he wanted to return daily after his first visit.

Positives:

• Good activity timetable
• Flexible play options
• PS5s available - Parents can request gaming limits
• Bright and spacious environment

The only slight criticism was temperature the room could have benefited from stronger air conditioning.

The bubble party on Sunday was also a lovely addition and genuinely good fun for children and adults alike.

Entertainment & Atmosphere:

This is probably the weakest area of the resort overall. If you enjoy: ● Animation teams ● Pool games ● large production Night shows ● Lively atmosphere

this resort may disappoint you.

Compared to many all-inclusive resorts (particularly Turkish resorts), entertainment here felt minimal.Evenings mainly consisted of

• Live musicians
• Occasional DJ sets
• Background entertainment in the lobby area
• Childs magician entertainer

There is no proper dedicated entertainment venue, and seating capacity already felt insufficient before peak season.

Activities advertised on the app also did not always happen as scheduled.

One aspect we did appreciate in the evenings, however, was the waiter drinks service within the lobby seating areas, both indoors and outside. This was a nice touch and meant guests didn’t always need to queue at the bar themselves.

Treatment of Children: One aspect of the holiday that did disappoint us at times was interactions with a small number of staff members who, on several occasions, appeared somewhat dismissive towards children when ordering drinks, particularly at the bars.

My children (aged 8 and 11), who are both polite and well-mannered, would sometimes queue appropriately for soft drinks or slushies, only to be overlooked whilst adults who arrived later were served first.

There were also a couple of occasions where takeaway drinks for the children were questioned or refused, despite adults routinely being offered takeaway options from the same bar areas.

Importantly, I do not wish to suggest this reflected all staff, as many employees across the resort were friendly and pleasant throughout our stay. However, after around the fourth or fifth separate incident across different days, I did feel concerned enough to raise it directly with guest relations regarding one particular bar employee.

To her credit, the guest relations representative was very polite, apologetic and professional when I discussed the matter with her. How and if anything was formally addressed afterwards, I cannot say.

Ultimately, it simply meant I often accompanied the children to order drinks myself to avoid them being overlooked, which felt a little disappointing within what is otherwise marketed as a family-friendly resort.

Additional Costs / Resort Tax: One thing worth noting, and something that did surprise us, was the resort/tourist tax payable directly to the hotel on arrival/check-in.

I had seen brief mentions of this beforehand, but was still quite surprised by the actual amount, which worked out at approximately €15 per night for our stay.

Thankfully this was charged per room/booking rather than per person, otherwise the cost would have been extremely significant for a family stay. However, across our 10-night holiday it still totalled roughly £117.90 extra on top of the holiday cost itself.

Whilst I appreciate this may partly be a Greece-wide tourism tax rather than purely hotel-specific, I do think it is something travellers should properly factor into their budgeting beforehand particularly when already paying premium prices for the holiday package itself.

For us personally, having already spent over £6,000 on the holiday overall, it did leave a slightly sour afterthought and would probably make me think more carefully in future about booking resorts or destinations with particularly high mandatory local charges.

Overall Verdict:

Overall, we did enjoy our holiday and there are many positives to this resort:

• Modern accommodation
• Great family room setup
• Excellent kids club
• Strong WiFi
• Good pool facilities
• Splash park for children
• Pleasant overall aesthetics and atmosphere

However, service inconsistencies, lack of entertainment, a few impractical room design choices and occasional issues around staff attentiveness and lack of food accessible on AI after the main dinner service prevent this from fully feeling like a true premium all-inclusive experience.

With some operational improvements particularly around:

• Entertainment
• Practical room usability
• Family experience consistency

this resort could be excellent, qt present, for us personally, it fell a little short of expectations for the price paid.

Room: well maintained and modern. The wardrobes would benefit on having shelfes so that you dont need to store your clothes in your suitcase - to be able to keep better order. Problematic smell from shower drain. Nice pool in swim-up room.

Check in: time consuming form to fill i and frustrating when travelling a full day. The travel agency have all of the information so this should be arranged by them before arrival.

Main pool and service: excellent, the only thing missing was to be able to get a frozen strawberry daiquiri (you were only allowed to choose from a menu and that was not an option). Great that you were able to get chips and nuts.

Bar in main building: The service was poor. If you ordered over desk they appeared annoyed and only served you in paper cups. If you were willing to wait you were able to order from your table and then the service was better.

Food: this is the main reason I only gave the resort a three star grade. The food did not match my expectations. Tasteless and few selections and not really the quality you would expect from a five star resort. Here they need to improve. The Asian a’la carte was ok but you were only allowed to eat there once. It would be good if they would cater with food options that are more “mainstream” and caters to all categories..Like more modern pasta dishes, stone baked pizza, smashburgers, baked potaoes with fillings, sushi on the lunch buffet, tacos, clean protein, some traditional Greek meals etc. And maybe less stews, rice, grilled liver etc. A’la carte should be standard all nights.

The only exception was the VIP breakfast which was really excellent.

Service: in general really good.