- Greece Holidays
- Lavris
- Iberostar Creta Marine
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Iberostar Creta Marine
Greece, Europe
Lavris
This sublime beach hotel enjoys an idyllic setting close to the typical fishing village of Panormo on the stunning island of Crete. Guests will be left breathless by the hotel's picture-perfect location atop a cliff boasting direct access to four solitary beaches. The hotel is located just 18 kms away from the famous harbour of Rethymno. The hotel offers the ideal setting for travellers who are seeking a relaxing break amidst natural surroundings, and sports enthusiasts who are looking for a more energetic holiday. The hotel enjoys a stunning architectural design, tempting guests with the promise of contemporary style and impeccable service. The guest rooms welcome guests into the lap of luxury, featuring lavish furnishings and attractive decor. The hotel provides a selection of exemplary facilities and services, catering to guests needs to the highest degree of excellence.
Facilities
- Tennis
- Spa treatments
- Sauna
- Entertainment programme for adults
- Children playground
- Sun loungers
- Children’s swimming area
- Outdoor freshwater pool
- Poolside snack bar
- Luggage room
- Please note some facilities may incur an additional fee
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
The Local Area
Tripadvisor Reviews
4.5 Excellent2,926 reviews
Excellent
56%
Very Good
30%
Average
9%
Poor
3%
Terrible
2%
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Fabulous until sickness hit
We stayed at Creta Marine Hotel in Crete and booked two double garden rooms in the main building, which overlooked the kids’ pool. The rooms themselves were lovely, clean and comfortable, although I’m not sure I’d describe the view as a “garden view”!
There is a Nespresso machine in the room, coffee pods are only included for all-inclusive guests. As we were half board, we were charged €3 per pod, which felt quite expensive and would have been useful to know in advance.
We were really impressed with the food, we ate in the buffet and à la carte Italian. There was plenty of choice and variety with the themed nights. This was definitely one of the highlights of our stay.
Unfortunately, our experience was somewhat affected by illness. Within 48 hours of arriving, my youngest son came down with a sickness bug, and over the following few days the rest of us followed suit. Hand sanitiser appeared around the hotel after a day or two, which made us wonder whether we were the only guests affected. The hotel seemed to regard it as something normal for that time of year, but unfortunately it had quite a significant impact on our holiday and was a real shame.
The gym was pretty basic and doesn’t open until 9am, which isn’t particularly convenient if, like us, you prefer to get a workout in before breakfast.
This is the 3rd Iberostar hotel I have been to and overall, there were definitely many positives, particularly the lovely rooms, delicious food, beautifully maintained grounds and amazing staff. The illness during our stay unfortunately took away from what could have been a much more enjoyable holiday.
Excellent massage by Eirini
I had a Cretan massage with Eirini. It was one of the best massages I've ever had. The spa is very clean and has a relaxing atmosphere. Eirini was an excellent therapist and provided an extremely relaxing a restorative massage. It was so good my husband booked me another one during our stay. I highly recommend the spa and Eirini in particular!
Review by stephaniecL2599TO London, United Kingdom
An Unforgettable Holiday in Beautiful Crete
We had a wonderful stay at Iberostar Selection Creta Marine.
The hotel is beautifully renovated, with lovely gardens, amazing sea views and a very relaxing atmosphere. Everything is well maintained and the entire resort feels elegant and welcoming.
What really made our stay special was the staff. Everyone we met was friendly, professional and always willing to help with a smile. The service throughout the hotel was excellent and made us feel genuinely welcome.
We also really enjoyed the food, with a great variety and plenty of choices every day. The pools and beachfront areas are beautiful, and there are many different places around the resort where you can simply relax and enjoy the view.
A wonderful hotel in a beautiful location in Crete. We had a fantastic holiday and would definitely love to return.
Highly recommended!
Review by Nikos K Rethymnon, Greece
Fantastic massage
My first deep tissue massage and Joanna did not disappoint. Highly recommend her!
Review by JeffM031961 Loveland, Ohio, USA
BEWARE STOMACH VIRUS
BEWARE STOMACH VIRUS at the resort for 1 month now. We arrived with 14 people, 12 of us spent our holiday vomiting, having diarrhea and had fever. After we got sick we had to take a taxi into town to the pharmacy for medication. At the pharmacy the worker informed us that many people have been coming from our specific resort sick for 1 month now. The hotel staff are sworn to secrecy and are not allowed to tell customers about the virus. Management has known about this for over 1 month and have added hand sanitizer and gloves for staff as a solution. They are not looking for the source and are hoping it will end on its own. If a staff member informs any guest of the virus as a warning, they will have consequences. Management is afraid to lose money and is keeping the virus a secret from guests. The medical station DOES NOT have medication for guests. You must leave the resort for medication or medical help. Guests, including children are getting sick and vomiting on the beach and by the pools.
Before the virus we were already unhappy with stay. After the virus we will never return.
Experience: rated as a 5 star resort, it’s a 3 star at best. We have traveled multiple times internationally and the facilities here are basic, minimal and nothing special.
Service: they do not employ enough staff to service everyone in a timely manner. The poor workers run around attempting to keep up, but struggle to bring things in a timely manner due to the volume of people. I called for an iron to be brought to the room, it took 50 mins. Rented 4 tennis rackets, 2 were broken. There are no staff walking around the beach to see if you need anything or to offer food or drinks. One towel station for the entire resort at the main pool, far from beaches with limited hours.
Food: there is only 1 buffet for 800 people to use. Always busy with lines and hard to get a table for a big group. The 3 other restaurants are reservation only, however you can only make 1 reservation per stay if staying less than 7 days. Availability is tight and often only times open are late at night 2000-2100, with children this is impossible.
Members: if you are an Iberostar member, it doesn’t matter here. There are no special service here. No separate check in service, no separate pools or lounge chairs. You are treated the same as another all inclusive guest. We waited 5 hrs for our room at arrival. I wasn’t offered a check in cocktail or any special accommodation.
Safety: the life guard at one of the pools sat in the corner for 3 hrs watching a video on his phone and headphones in with children playing in the water. Did not look up at the water at all. Parents WATCH your children because the lifeguards are NOT.
Greece is a beautiful place but this resort is not worth your money.
