Phaedra Beach

I traveled with my cousins, and we were a group of five. Initially, we wanted a self catering hotel because they were cheaper, but as it was our first girls holiday, we were a little apprehensive about self catering as there was a potential risk of running out of money, leading to starvation. We had seen pictures of the hotel before we left england of when it was still 'phaedra beach' but when we got there it looked absolutely amazing! The food was really good, different theme every night, from Mexican, Turkish, Sushi etc. We only had breakfast twice as we could never wake up on time due to the fact that we went out every night and we were completely hungover the morning after. The lunch and dinner times were very convenient. The rooms had so much space, and the air conditioning was superb. The mattresses were a little thin and it didn't help that the bed bases were made of wood. But I'm not complaining. Last but not least, Nikos, the bartender, was absolutely amazing. So friendly. On our first night he made us feel very welcome. We made such good friends with him. A few of us even balled our eyes out at the fact that we will never meet him again as he was such a sweet guy! Honestly, I would recommend this hotel simply because you all need to meet Nikos. There were obviously some bad things about the hotel. So, perhaps, I will start with the bathrooms, whenever we used the shower, the whole bathroom would flood and we did not understand why. So to avoid the flooding, we had to use the water from the bathtub tap, which was very inconvenient when it came to washing our hair. Also, the cleaner did not come everyday. Which was annoying, because it was three of us in a room, and obviously, we are girls so when we get ready for the night out we are bound to mess everything up because we try on lots of different outfits and hairstyles etc. When the cleaner did come, we got new towels which smelt so so delightful. Secondly, the wifi was an absolute joke! It worked one night when we were at the bar, after that it did not work at all and it was so hard to contact our families to let them know how we were doing, if we had arrived safely. Thirdly, the pool was soooo deep we had to buy our own floater rings which was a bit upsetting if im honest. Also, the STARES we received on our arrival as we got out of our transfer were shocking. There were people sat outside smoking, talking etc, little whispers from the staff and visitors were very irritating as they made it no secret that they were gossiping about us. We heard the hotel was German dominated, and that they stared a lot, but the staring was a little more than just staring. A man shouted 'barbecue' to us, which made us think it was due to our skin colour, which was highly ignorant and uneducated. A few of the staff were so rude at times, they did not know how to speak to people politely. Overall, decent hotel, good accommodation, good location. I would recommend it, and I would also go again. Don't let the reviews of myself and those of others put you off, be open minded.

After reading the mixed reviews for the Phaedra Beach we decided last October to take a chance and booked a 14 night holiday for May 2014, after all some people appeared to have had an enjoyable stay and the location looked pretty good. When we arrived after a delayed flight our coach transfer pulled up at 1.30am to a closed Phaedra Beach/Carolina Mare Hotel that resembled a building site rather than a hotel! Needless to say we were not overjoyed at having to find our own accommodation for the remainder of the evening - but that is another story!! The only advice I can give to anyone who has booked or who is thinking of booking this hotel, please double check with your travel operator that the hotel is actually open for business

Phaedra Beach Hotel is the perfect place for people who want to have some quiet moments, ‘away from the madding crowd’, on an absolutely exquisite sandy beach. My husband and I spent 1 week in the Phaedra last September and we got home so relaxed that we have decided to repeat the experience this autumn too. Located outside Malia – about 35 km east from the Heraklion airport, on an absolutely wonderful beach strip, at the end of the chain of beaches that stretch over from Malia eastwards, the Phaedra Beach comprises several buildings of eclectic style which show that the complex has developed in time from the original main building – a traditional hotel, plus some small cottages facing the sea, to several new 2-storey side buildings. On the hotel compound there are 3 pools – of which 2 no deeper than 1 m (excellent for children over 10). There are plenty of sun-beds + umbrellas in front of the hotel so no need to rush out first thing in the morning to grab one. Another plus is the free entertainment organised every evening between the hotel and the beach – so those who do not care for a ride to Malia can have varied open-air programme every night (from Greek-folk to disco) – unlike other Greek island hotels where the number of free programmers is quite limited if not inexistent. Near the hotel there are about 3 supermarkets and tavernas (Yannis’, left-hand from the hotel, is a friendly, family-run, taverna which provides take-aways) plus a couple of car rentals and a marina where one-day cruises are organised. Bus stop to Malia is in front of the hotel, but check the timetable, especially the return one, as you may find the hours quite awkward. Food. I won’t complain about quality, taste or variety – all value-for-money. But I can’t help mentioning a big minus for the half-board tourists who were forced to eat in a shabby cabin outside the hotel – more like a military barrack, where any drink (even water) must be purchased (a glass of water cost over Euro2, more than a 1.5 l bottle at the super market!!!).That comes in striking contrast to the quite pleasant all-inclusive venue inside the hotel main building. We simply can’t understand the offending location discrimination between AI and HB. But we heard rumours that the following year (i.e. 2014) things were going to change to the better. We do hope to see how when we get back this September. Now then, what is there to do outside the hotel beach? First go to Malia, then on to Stalis (or Stalida) and up to Hersonissons. Malia is a small town 4 km away from the Phaedra, linked to the resort of Stalias (or Stalida) – both very lively, with shops and restaurants all over the place. You can get to Malia either by bus (but the return timetable is inconvenient as the last bus leaves Malia sometime around 1700) so much better by rented car. Management. competent hotel staff – from receptionists to cleaners. Phaedra Beach Hotel is a nice place where you can really relax and we have already booked tickets for an en-core this year.