Bars and pool bar staff were fantastic,very friendly service and joined in the experience of a fun time.

We tended to have a drink in the Veranda bar most evenings after dinner, and Christina was a joy.

but they are great quality and well worth the money (and less expensive than at a nearby bar and restaurant).

Very good location close to all the bars and restaurants on the strip.

Outside the hotel there are many bars and restaurants right on the doorstep.

The bar by the pool made a variety of amazing cocktails and we had lunch twice as well which was tasty.

A few nice restaurants locally, all within walking distance a couple of bars also, some with live music some that show sports.

Theres a few restaurants and bars just outside the hotel , no need for walking far or if you want to go to Gouves main town its €7 in a taxi or if you want more action Hersonnisis is a busy spot and €17 in a taxi.

The pools, bar and grounds were pretty, and with the beach 20m away over the road, it was a really nice setting.

Oh yeah and the entertainment in the hotel is boring best just going out to one of the cocktail bars the atmosphere is so much better.

Rooms are immaculately cleaned every day, Veranda and Stone Bar staff are very friendly and attentive and the food here is great.

Thankyou to all the staff who made our stay one to remember we loved it here the only disappointment for me was the Monday night rnb night being cancelled due to the dj being a no show and not being able to pay for drinks at the bar there and then

Numerous excellent bars and restaurants nearby many overlooking the beach. Lunches by the pool were very nice (one between two was more than enough!)

but would recommend going out of the hotel a few nights for a change of scene, and there are some very nice bars and restaurants within a short walk.

The men and women at the restaurant, at the bar and the great staff at the Spa Bathhouse: your smiles and genuine kindness brightened up our days.

The The Island Hotel is near these landmarks: Aquaworld Aquarium & Reptile Rescue Centre, Stalis Beach, Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Milatos Cave, Poseidon Diving Club, Ligaria Beach, Star Beach, Zervas Beach, Castello del Molo (Koules), Archaeological Museum of Archanes, Minoan Peak Sanctuary, Kretasurf - Water Sports Crete, Cave Of Zeus, Milatos Beach, Agia Pelagia Beach, Althaea, The Whisky Bar, Acqua Plus Water Park, Crete Safari, Winery Stilianou, The Natural History Museum of Crete, Panagia Beach, Psaromoura Beach, Petra Beach, Surf in Crete, Lychnostatis Open Air Museum, Amarillis Stable, Lyrarakis Winery, Mononaftis Beach, Gournes Beach, Labyrinth Theme Park, Slainte Irish Bar, Cathedral of St. Minas, Happy Train Sissi, Winery Sinadinakis, Ancient Apollonia, Panagias Keras Church, Rebekka store, Starbeach Bungy Jump, Themis Beach Bar, Cretan Thematic Park, Historical Museum of Crete, Sissi Mini Golf, ELA Quad Safari, Roman Archaeological Remains, Supermarket Dictamos, Koronekes, Sailingtrips Zuiderzee, Agios Titos Church, Peggy Gordon's Irish Bar, Quad Safari Peninsula, Irish House, Morosini Fountain (Lion's Fountain), Josef, Stay Wet Diving Center, Cycling Creta, Cretan Tennis Academy, Old Venetian Harbor of Heraklion, Idols Art, Blue Water Club RENT A BOAT, Fantasia Yachting, Evexia Spa, I Archana, Douloufakis Winery, Luxurious Furs, Horse Riding, Stefanos Bar, Domaine Paterianakis, Excursion Expert Agia Pelagia, Buggy Safari Motoxperience, Diver's Club Crete, HayTours, Loggia, Kera Bar, Seahorse Rent a Boat, Maria Sanoudaki Ceramic - Art Studio, Cretan Flavor, Kera Kardiotissa Monastery, Jewel Art, Katharo Plataeu, Whisper Music Cocktail Bar, Sunset Bar, Arion Stables, Passion, MYSTIC CRETAN ROAD TRIP, Crete Boats, Scalarea Estate (Boutari Winery Crete), Cretan Family, Hersonissos Cruises, Church and the Museum of St. Aikaterini, Ekklisia Analipsi, Heraklion Diving Center, Nemo Cafe Bar, Argo Rent Boats Yachts & Watersports, Solo  Brewery, Nail me up, The Crete Golf Club, Discovery Dive Centre, Vasiliki Agios Markos Municipal Art Gallery, HOTEL KASTRO, Aura Fashion Shop, Church of Agios Mathaios Sinaites, Paliokastro, Mystic Cretan Road Trip, Hatzis Leather, Palm Beach Club Restaurant, Vassiliki's Votanopoleio (Botanical Store), Scubakreta, AQUADIVE unique scuba experience, New York Beach Club Hersonissos, Star Beach, Diamantakis Winery, Y.O.L.O.

The pool bar is a good spot for lunch and after dinner drinks,

The bar men do an amazing job bringing you your drinks/food to you on your sunbed.

Yes the pools are nice and the beach and views over the sea were good. Downside is:
1.)

The hotel is unusual composition of scattered small buildings grouped around a pool, right in the beach, simplistic naturalistic design and incredibly comfortable and clean.

The beach is sandy (not pebbles) and is probably one of the best I've been to.

The breakfast was just right, enough selection of food and the view was stunning every morning looking out onto the beach.

Good access to the beach directly over the road with free loungers for hotel guests.

Lovely beach across the road with free sun beds .. on site shop good value for money .

The 3 large pools serving different needs are surrounded by Bali beds and umbrellas a plenty and with the beach as a back drop you can’t ask for anything more.

Wouldn’t recommend going to The Island Restaurant up the road on the beach front either staff was disgusting in there and the food was gross.

The dining area is right beside the beach, eating dinner while the sun sets was gorgeous.

The convenient door to the beach meant you could be on the beach in minutes

The views from the hotel restaurant to the beach are breathtaking!

Beautiful hotel, excellent beachfront location with free sun beds on own beach.

Hotel is very clean, 3 lovely pools, nice size gym and fantastic location right opposite a pleasant sandy beach.

The private beach just across the road from the hotel is a lovely bonus.

The hotel and rooms are spotlessly clean, the staff are incredibly friendly and helpful, and best of all it’s a few steps across a quiet road to a gorgeous beach.

Pros / +: Lots of food choice at the hotel, staff are excellent (especially Eni at the main pool), love the DJ beets around the pool on some days, great small private beach, great location €30 taxi to airport.

It’s been so relaxing, we loved the day beds, chilling by the pool and heading to the beach in 1 min to have a dip.

You have to wait to be taken to a table, which can cause a queue and you don’t get to choose where you are seated.

We arrived late on our first night and there was a sandwich waiting for us which was white bread with a slice of cheese and ham, disappointing as a first impression,

Was very busy always queues to get into restaurant most nights.

but this sometimes led to queues, and it could be irritating having to go in one line for toast and another for butter.

People were queuing up not knowing what they were going to see until the staff lifted EVERY lid along the way.

There is no social distancing at breakfast and long queues to get in.

Routinely, also, queuing was the norm for breakfast and dinner.

Also the amount of people waiting to get into the dinner area was a bit off putting.

The dining hall is chaotic with queues to be seated??

They also tried to book three couples in at once, wich unfortunately meant a lot of waiting around.

No shaver point, so now even your electric toothbrush is queuing  for the only power point.

The only problem is dinner/lunch is manic with no one managing to queue and running out of food. !

The serving area is quite cramped for the number of people using it, which meant small queues,

There was no such thing as an orderly queue so trying to get your food and back to your table without being knocked was a nightmare.

but there's always a looong queue to get an omelette, and a looong queue to get a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice.

Some of the food wasn't to our taste and we were waiting for our main plates to be cleared up for about half an hour.

We found over the 10 days we picked out better times to eat as it could be busy and as it’s help yourself people weren’t so polite and queuing seems to have gone out the window.

We also realised early on that you either dined early or had to queue.

There are more outside tables than inside tables at the restaurant and this caused queues on the one occasion that outside tables were not in favour because of the weather conditions.

The hotel chefs and their team were very efficient in keeping the food replenished and hot.

The food was delicious, the staff were super friendly, and I loved every minute of our time there.

apart from that side of it the hotel Is fab and the food  was excellent every day .

but the breakfasts and the lunches we had were a delight.

Stone Restaurant - 
Great for drinks and snacks during the day.

however, after the Island Hotel's buffet I am completely converted - the food was amazing and different every day; the breakfasts were rich and with a wide variety of choice.

The staff, the services and the food - superlative.

Gouves itself is nice, lots of little restaurants along the front.

Other than that, the buffet food was nice (not more than that) and the Wi-Fi was no good, disconnecting half of the time.

We ventured outside every evening to try all the different restaurants.

The location was pretty good - lots of small bars and restaurants from 1 to 20 mins walk away.

Great hotel for relaxing ,close to airport .Hotel & grounds are kept immaculate .. 
food was of a good standard with good service .

we payed the hotel extra to move up to half board and the food was beautiful with many options every evening.

There is a beautiful Greek Orthodox chapel,  a range of places to eat and relax and a mini market with prices comparable to the those on the adjoining strip.

We had asked about a voucher for the restaurant

The rooms were very clean and the cleaners exchanged towels and did a very good job of cleaning everyday.

Hotel is immaculate with beds changed everyday, rooms cleaned and all the hotel grounds being cleaned on a daily basis.

Staff were very friendly and our room was cleaned to a high standard as were all areas of the hotel.

Our room was spotlessly clean,  couldn’t fault anything.

The rooms are very clean and the size okay.

Spotlessly clean hotel with all the cleaners working very hard around the pool areas & grounds especially in our room 109 which was cleaned to a very high standard ,we found all the reception staff friendly and very helpful especially Maria who helped us the most Christina serving us drinks in the evening was also very nice and helpful.

Room cleaned each day to a great standard with fresh towels left each time.

Every time we stay the staff are unfailingly friendly and helpful, the rooms are clean and modern, the food utterly ruins our diets and the whole ambience of the place just totally relaxes us.

The pools are also beautiful and have plenty of sun beds.The rooms are clean and nicely furnished

The grounds, pools and rooms are immaculate.

The hotel is kept clean and the rooms are amazing!

The room was spotless, comfy & had more than enough storage

Room was impeccable and all amenities were first class.

The rooms were clean, tidy and had clean towels each day.

And during the night we generally sleep with open windows, and we have been very surprised that the noise from the street or from the Island Restaurant nearby is not too loud.

I have seen many comments about the open view into the bathrooms and the hotel is being marked down because of this, there is a blind that can be pulled down to make it private.

We closed the roller blind, so no problem.

There was a door on the loo and a pull down blind

The bathroom is minute with a roller blind between it and the room.

The opening could be covered by a flimsy roller blind on the bedroom side.

There are only eight sun loungers around the pool and the leafy palms and bricks behind the water curtain make it spa like and serene.

Only grump here is that there is no door to the bathroom, only a blind that pulls down behind the bathroom sink for modesty's sake.

I can see why some people may take issue with the bathrooms (you can lower a blind for more privacy),

although a pull down blind is provided for privacy,but I can imagine this being slightly embarrassing for young couples maybe on their first holiday together.

but no curtains or covers on the sides if you're looking for some shadow, but both the on-site shop and the supermarkets sell beach towels and sarongs/wraps, as well as pins that are perfect for hanging them - I suspect the topic has come up before.

Only one thing was we had a bath with hand held shower which was a bit difficult as no shower screen or curtain and no wall connection for shower which meant we had to hold it ourself and water sprayed all over floor!

but that was it noticed a blind you could pull down for a bit of privacy on the 2nd day , but anyway wasn't that much of a big deal after .

although our block of rooms suffered poor air conditioning with doors and windows being left open to try to increase air flow, not possible to do this at night as little biting insects have a nibble if you do!

This could  be solved or helped a little by putting a shower curtain up instead of half a glass screen which let out most of the water.

The sea view room was slightly larger and if booking one of these rooms, we would recommend the second floor as they have balconies and are not at eye level with the guests using the pool, which means curtains do not need to be drawn most of the day for privacy.

When you want to get back you go to the ticket window and ask for Gouves bus stop 15.

but if you aren't comfortable with this don't let it put you off as there is a blind that you can pull down to cover the bathroom while you are in there and there is also a frosted glass door to the toilet.

There isn't a door for the bathing area just a blind to give privacy so you need to be very comfortable with your room mate to avoid embarrassment.

The Island Hotel

window

queue

restaurant

beach

All staff very friendly and helpful, especially the lady behind the main pool bar during the day, always smiling!

Turns out there's even a buffet that opens late in the evening for when you've had a few at the seafront bar and need some substance!

Staff- Danielle behind the bar is one of the best members of staff I have ever had from any of my holidays abroad.

Loved the relax pool , managed by the lady at the bar who told anybody roudy to shush much to our amusement.

The woman Daniella at the main bar was amazing.

The ladie at the main bar during the day is AMAZING … Daniella … you should give her a tip for the hard work , she is worth it ….Animation team is super, the boys did a great job to entertain us … Katty did a wonderful job!!

I liked the stay and the village and the slides and the people and the food and the staff and the bar and the drinks and the weather and the beds and the football pitch and the gym and the guy with the hat.

The snack bar at the kids pool was great for our teenagers with toasties, chips, burgers etc available from 10am to 5.30pm each day. The whole resort (grounds, rooms, pool areas, dining rooms etc.)

but bar stays open for payment drinks until 1am.

There is a splash pool by the snack bar and a relaxing pool higher up the resort.

4 pools to keep everyone happy, from a kids pool with a snack bar for the little ones, the main pool, where all the entertainment is and the water park which was also a favourite and the relax pool, if you want to relax.

All the staff are amazing and can’t do enough to help ( restaurant staff, chefs, cleaners, animation team, pool staff, bar staff, reception staff and maintenance 😁).

Also snacks and ice creams by pool bar from 1500 - 1700.

The bartenders and the other workers are very kind and the bar has excellent local raki drinks.

All the staff work as a team and very professional including cleaners, bar staff and reception staff.

thankyou Vitali, Jorge, Flaviu 🧡
Bar staff Daniella and Drattan are lovely 
The food at the hotel is perfect, there is so much choice and in 11 days I havent been bored or disliked one meal.

The bar was also great with friendly bartenders and a wide range of drinks to choose from.

The snack bar by the kids paradise was a god send and the staff on it were first class.

Evening entertainment good something different each night and we enjoyed the girls in the dancing shows.

This hotel is great for families with children.

Jess (kids club) deserves a special mention for keeping the littles ones entertained all day.

Had a fantastic time all the hotel staff was helpful food was excellent and the entertainment team smashed all expectations the kids had a great time at kids club well done jess for putting up with them

and our children are already asking when can we go back!

We loved especially their shows, the Mini Kids Club (thx for the parents quality time ;-) ) and the Mini Disco.

Food was good, nice range of food every night and out kids loved the mini club.

With love from my son Jonathan and Tommy!

but do an amazing job entertaining the children.

Special mention to the kids club, our 2 have loved it….this is unique as previously our youngest hasn’t really been fussed in going to club, this holiday he nagged to go every day!!

Just been to watch the Michael Jackson show and the team done a fantastic job, would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to attend, you can tell the team work so hard and the kids & adults enjoyed it

Our nieces and nephews have loved every minute of it.

What really makes it is the entertainment team (katy is insane) best hotel
Ever fab for kids can’t recommend enough.

Hello,
About a month ago I was with my family at the hotel
I wanted to praise the excellent service we received, I have a celiac  daughter that has received personal attention and dedicated treatment,
Also, I wanted to praise Lampros the lifeguard for his  patience, his wonderful attitude he gave to my children and his kindness (hope you will tell him)
Thank you
No doubt we will return to the hotel next year!! Thanks
Yeoshua family:)

Kids where going down the slides in lilos and other inflatables sometimes 3-4 kids at a time.

The entertainment in the evening was amazing, my daughter loved joining in with mini disco.

Hmmm probably not due to my teenage boys being of an age where they don’t appreciate the entertainment team as younger kids did

Good food and excellent people working there.

Special attention to the chef cook off the restaurant who di d all the best the serve a variaetie off disches every day.

Very friendly staff in restaurant and animation team were great.

Food was excellent with something to eat for everyone we have never been hungry or short of choice.

Such as pasta with brussel sprouts, nothing else.

The restaurants we're all great (we tried 5 out of the 8 available).

Free alcohol stops at night, after it you need to pay for it.

The people at the restaurant was really nice tho!

Lovely little resort, food was great, plenty of space around the pools.

lifeguards was really nice and people from the restaurant also!

The food is good.The evening events are not really enjoyable, the employees of the hotel themselves.

Shows in the evening very good we really enjoyed the Jungle fusion.

The staf was so kind and the food was so good!

The food was good and the cocktails were good.

Nice resort good entertainment, the food was good friendly staff good location near the beach and busy centres!

The food it beautiful as well as the views from the balcony.

Restaurant is very clean and they have so many choises of foods and pastries.Everything is very fresh and delicious.

Beds are comfy and rooms are clean, and the cleaning staff very kind.

Rooms were clean and tidy and the air conditioning was very good.

The room was very clean en the view was amazing.

The rooms are clean and the maid service is good.

Beautiful hotel, lovely clean rooms, amazing food, friendly staff, everything you could wish for. I was travelling with my two children aged 7 and 10 and the waterpark was perfect for them (they are fairly brave when it comes to slides!)

Just got back from here we had a fantastic time ,really great place for families and kids waterpark was fab ,entertainment in the day was really good ,rooms were spotless ,cleaners worked hard and kept the rooms cleaned daily ,and the resort itself was cleaned constantly, beds were also comfortable, really safe environment for the kids ,staff very friendly, food was also good maybe a little repetitive

The rooms were clean and spacious, the pool and water park are great and the animation team are excellent.

Clean room, pools, great food,but on top was the stuff, such a nice people, in reception, restaurant, bar.

Great hotel for family fun, large and clean rooms, everything around is well-kept and clean, the paths to the rooms involve easy ascents.

The rooms are very clean the maid comes in daily to clean your room re make beds etc.

The rooms were clean and the staff always friendly.

Clean rooms, tasty and varied food, very helpful staff, quick check-in and check-out.

It was a wonderful stay, perfect place to stay with a family: tasty food, nice staff, neat rooms.

Pro’s: Clean hotel throughout & our room was clean.

Our room was very clean and beds were very comfortable.The food for 4 star hotel  is good and every day in caffeteria we would find someting new and delicious.

but due to Covid, the cleaners only came once every 3 days - surely they'd come more often due to the importance of hygiene at the moment but that isn't their fault and when they did come, the room was immaculate after, so thank you to them.

Room was clean and, whilst basic, didn't leave us short in anyway.

but not a 4 star  more like a 2 star sad holiday never will return  drinks  water down  pool OK  some staff OK but some rude staff  as well  I did read reviews before coming  I think most reviews  are fake  beware

but while I had to dodge other guests I am sure I got in the way of people too, would not say anyone was deliberately rude, quite the opposite.

but my God the French are so rude pushing people and being downright nasty.

Our flight was delayed so when we arrived we only had 1/2 hour to grab some food so we were taken to our room in a buggy up a steep hill and then went down for dinner at 9pm not a lot available and some rude people is restaurant told us to move tables as we were not meant to sit where we were.

Was no mention of being a predominate German orientated hotel whom were very rude and mannerless especially their children .

No courtesy at meal times and very rude leaning over my plate to get food instead of being patient.

I decided to talk to the receptionist face to face and i had a very unpleasent conversation with Mrs Stella that was extremely rude and was convincing me that they dont have enough towels to change every day

but again we found them to be quite rude at times.

Absolute disgrace, very rude and obnoxious and how he spoke to marios on the evening on my wedding well!

Some were quite rude when getting on the free bus to star beach.

Found it very difficult at times with different nationalities as they can be very rude and my son got bullied at the slide park

but the views out way that, star beach is just a 5 min bus ride (free) which has all slides and loads of stuff going on, it's just a shame about certain nationalities in the hotel and star beach being so rude and ignorant and there children being absolutely disgusting in behaviour.

but this was nothing to do with hotel it was just what these people were like but you're  on holiday don't let the rude people bother you as long as your polite and enjoying yourself who cares really.

One last thing some of your staff are so rude!!! !

I turned around and moaned to another couple that we had been speaking to and he was extremely rude to me.

the staff are miserable "
A little bit of respect goes a long way, if your going to be rude what do you expect.

The bar staff are very rude and arrogant, the old one with the biceps and grey hair will only serve you if you look a certain way.

The main hotel is clean and tidy..  the hotel staff are rude and ignorant, the all inclusive bar stops at 11 & there is no adult entertainment.

- There was one member of staff who was incredibly rude.

The main window was wooden and rotten and could not be secured.

As it was the middle of the night I just put all the soiled bedding outside the front door to deal with in the morning.

Food is disgusting  me and kids had to eat out every day  rooms OK

(Only downside is it is often an area were guests sit and smoke, meaning I couldn't always wait there due to asthma.

There was a strong smell of mold in the room.

but got ground floor and the toilets stank of eggs.Fully regretted not going to Star Beach this time, wouldn't recommend to anyone.

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