Sol Marina Beach Crete

Stayed here for 2 weeks in room 1111, 10th-24th october. Fantastic room, only issue being we feel requires a few sunbeds on the terrace, as it is so big, and really a lot of wasted space, but the sun is on it all day. Also the drain in the bathroom comes up when running water in the sink. Although these didn't cause any issues to us. The Animation team are all fantsactic, big thank you to Laura , John (unga bunga) George (katastrof), and Gina, who have all been amazing, our kids have loved every minute with these people, from kids club, mini disco, and just seeing them all about, they make such a fuss! (🩷 S&F xxx) The hotel staff are so friendly, big shout to Niki at the swim up pool bar, always smiling, and also Asta in the indoor bar, always so polite and kind. The food, was very plentiful, and we always found something to eat. The restaurant staff were amazing too, always showed us to a table especially at busy times. The restaurant got busy as the ju jitsu teams started to arrive, and it was annoying at times as food was being cooked fresh for them and customers were not allowed that food. Isla restaurant was very nice, we got 2 visits. Both times were exceptional however if you don't like seafood then this is probably not for you, as you have a set menu, mostly seafood. Very pleasant experience throughout, all staff are very helpful and I have not come across a rude or unhelpful member. Only one recommendation, the gate at the start of the building was always locked, meaning we had to walk round, not a big issue but when coming back with lots of bags of shopping it would have been nice to just walk straight in. The hotel itself caters for a lot of german guests, (who albeit are sometimes a tad rude.) The final week, we interacted with the French Animation team, they were also great. Sorry I cannot remember names but thank you for including our children in the Looky disco. The photographs are the only thing that let this down, they are so expensive! We had a free photo shoot, then when the prices came, we decided we would only take 2 at €13 each as the packages are ridiculously priced at €195 for the small package upto €489 for the largest package We went out of the hotel and hired a beach buggy for 2 days from Okay car rentals , this is a must. We went right up into the mountains, drove to heronissos and visited beaches there. We visited Cretaquarium, saw the sharks, turtles, lots of fish. We took a trip on the land train also, this was a nice little family activity and not expensive. We will return to this hotel in the future, we have all had the best 2 weeks! Thank you to all the staff.

We had such a wonderful time staying at Sol Marina Beach in August, I think it is probably the first hotel where we have not wanted to leave and would definitely go back. We arrived late at night (1am) due to an hour long delay on the tarmac at Gatwick, transfer time from Heraklion airport is about 25 minutes. Upon arrival we were checked in promptly and told there was buffet food waiting for us in the restaurant. The staff helped us with our bags to our room, we were in the bungalows and were given no. 1501 which is ground floor right next to the swim up bar no more than 10ft from the pool - great location. I agree with some of the comments that the room is a little small especially for a family of 4, but we tend to spend as little time in the room on holiday as possible. The rooms are clean and tidy with pleasant, light decor but we felt they missed a trick not having some additional storage in the desk. During our holiday we spent the majority of our time in the hotel, due to the fact we had two young children (3 & 7) and the hotel had everything they wanted to keep them entertained. Children's pool with slides was great, always space and sun loungers available. Quieter pool was great for chilling out a bit more and the larger pool really good for activities. We also used the spa which was cosy and pleasant, staff were very helpful and treatments reasonable value. Kids Club was amazing and can't speak highly enough of the entertainment team Andrea, Simmi, Mia, Savannah and John Unga-Bunga . It gave some welcome rest for us parents and their energy at the aquadiscos in the day and minidiscos in the evening was amazing - our children loved this. Also would like to mention how friendly, thoughtful and hardworking all the staff are from front desk, reception, bar staff, spa and cleaners. The hotel is kept extremely clean and presentable at all times, they really do work especially hard to make sure everyone enjoys their holiday. Food in the restaurant is a good quality, yes the same food is repeated in the second week due to the themed nights but we really didn't find this a problem. Only minor thing about the restaurant was the absence of a cooking station which seem to be prevalent in most hotels these days but since they are catering to a large number of guests here I suspect the queues would be a little unmanageable. Special thank you to Nikki on the swim up bar who is so attentive when serving drinks and great conversation. Isla by the Sea is great, you get one booking included in your stay and the food is Greek meze selection, I would recommend Monday's as this is live music night - also fantastic views of the sunset. Only thing I would mention about the bar menu is they don't have 'typical' cocktails, only variations of them so we missed our pina coladas and margaritas. Only minor thing I would say is that we didn't make the best use of the beach due to it not being nicest, the sea was a bit rough with two small children and sand not