Isla Brown Chania Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton

Food: Breakfast was widely rated as very good, diverse, and served until late morning, accommodating various schedules. Guests also enjoyed the dinner buffet, although some noted limited variety over longer stays.

This hotel seems to be officially part of the Hilton chain (Curio collection), but you do not really notice that. Our Hilton Gold status was not honored in any way. The hotel has a lot of potential, but still it is lacking a lot of what makes a five star experience. The rooms and the grounds are very nice. The design and décor are modern and very stylish. It is located by the sea, although it is not possible to access the sea via the rocks. There is a platform but it was unfortunately closed. As was the beach bar and the a la carte restaurant. It’s not understandable why those facilities are all closed in the middle of the high season. This left us having dinner at the main restaurant, which is buffet only. The service there is horrific. You are not shown to your table and it was almost impossible to order something until the end of the dinner. We asked multiple times what we could order as “all inclusive guests”, responses were inconsistent or not given, then they brought the restaurant manager and we finally (towards the end of our dinner) got a bottle of very cheap wine. It was placed on our table without comment, and without opening and pouring it! I like animals, I like cats, but I do not like cats in a 5* restaurant if they climb on the tables and eat from the freshly brought food. No joke, cats eating the foods from the guest, one was licking the soup that we just brought. Waiters and waitresses either don’t see this or are indifferent. As stated, the room was modern and nice, good coffee machine – but the capsules were not refilled. This makes the machine unusable after three coffees or so… The pool bar is a mixed bag, one waiter (Mateo) was really professional and friendly, others were just sitting around in groups talking to each other, smoking, ignoring the guests. The pool bar was supposed to be open until 6pm, but they actually close at 5:30. They did not want to bring a drink that we ordered before 5:30, when we reminded them at about 6:45… Last but not least, even though we had “all inclusive” (which actually includes only a subset of the drinks) we were charged approx. 60€ for drinks we did not have after checkout (e.g. a beer, nobody every drank beer). Tried to settle that via Hilton chat app and e-mail, but they are not responsive. Very bad customer service. All in all, nice hotel grounds, nice rooms, lots of potential, but staff needs urgent training. And they have to open the a la carte restaurant (which is advertised on their website)!

We had the most amazing stay at Isla Brown Chania resort. I never considered Crete for a holiday before, and I couldn’t have been more wrong - it’s a stunning island with incredibly warm and welcoming people. The hotel itself is perfectly located - just 15 minutes from the airport and about 30 minutes from Chania. While you’ll need to hire a car or taxi to reach the local tavernas, the hotel generously offers a shuttle service to both Zorba Beach (which is absolutely breathtaking) and Chania town. Isla Brown Chania is modern, full of character, and most importantly, some truly lovely people work there . We were lucky enough to stay in the Honeymoon Suite with a friend — an absolutely beautiful room featuring a private pool, a large terrace, and unforgettable sunsets. The spacious bathroom, comfortable bed, and soft linens made it feel like true luxury. The hotel features some breathtaking views and even has a little chapel. Breakfast was good - a generous and delicious spread that varied slightly each day, keeping things fresh and exciting. But the best part of our stay? The people. Amanda, Marie, Georgys, Argyra, Alexandros — thank you all for your kindness and hospitality. You made us feel genuinely welcome, and we enjoyed every moment because of you. Efxaristo poli! We can’t wait to return.