Iberostar Creta Marine

I again want to recommend this beautiful hotel to everyone visiting Crete! I’m writing this review on the last evening of our wonderful stay and both my daughter and me are sad to be leaving. This was our second stay at Creta Marine Iberostar and again it did not dissappoint. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful from the reception to the gardeners. I want to mention especially Snizhana who welcomed us at the restaurant every day and made everyone feel special and Konstantinos the maitre D and Alexandros Petros who waited on us at our table at the buffet restaurant Dios. The food was very good and everything very clean. The rooms are beautiful with view of the sea. The animation is very good and their shows are even better. A special mention for Jacques who took my daughter under his wings, Rafa for the friendly chats and for making us feel at home, and last but not least to Tony, Stacey, Nadya and the rest of their crew who made us laugh until we were crying! Thank you again guys for the perfect holiday from Peter and Britt❤️❤️❤️

I stayed at Iberostar Creta Marina for 10 days with my two kids, so I feel I have a fairly in-depth review.

Firstly, we arrived at around 1pm with two exhausted children. Check-in wasn’t until 3pm, so I had requested an early check-in if possible. Instead, I was asked to pay for an extra night to access a room early. This really threw me off. I’ve stayed at other hotels on business trips where they’ve always tried to check me in as soon as a room became available, without an additional charge. It felt unnecessary and really started our holiday on a sour note.

Michael at reception was polite about it and explained that it was his manager’s decision. In the end, we chose not to pay the extra fee and waited until our room was ready.

Next, the room. It was modern but not well ventilated. It was cleaned every day, but not to the standard I would expect from a 5-star hotel. Housekeeping spent around 10 minutes cleaning the room each day, which felt inadequate for a hotel of this standard.

The food was good but did become repetitive after a few days. Some of the servers were polite, while others looked like they didn’t want to be there.

The main hotel bar was excellent, and we spent quite a bit of time there. Georgia was amazing and one of my favourite members of staff.

The animation team really carried the hotel and made it what it was. They were by far the most polite and helpful employees. Without them, the interaction with guests would have been a huge disappointment. They were friendly, informative, and my kids absolutely loved them.

I also can’t fault the kids’ club. This was the highlight of the holiday for my children, thanks to the lovely staff who ran it. They were always kind, warm, and welcoming.

The hotel grounds are beautiful, although some areas could be better maintained.

I also had a massage after being approached by sales representatives on three separate occasions, which I felt was excessive. When I eventually decided to book, I did so on my own. However, I was greeted by the first sales representative who had approached me, and she was clearly unhappy that I hadn’t booked through her. From that point onwards, she treated me quite poorly. The spa facilities were okay, although the jacuzzi was broken, which was a real shame.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay. However, I do wish I had been given a better room. I found the beds uncomfortable, and I think they need updating. Better cleaning and improved ventilation would also make a significant difference.