CHC Marilena Hotel

Pros: Breakfast and other meals – quite good, though not a gastronomic festival like in other All Inclusive resorts. There are just a few options, probably to discourage food waste… or maybe to train us to grab whatever’s left before it disappears from the trays. When a tray is empty, by the time the new one arrives, you’re already halfway through your plate with whatever was still available. Room cleanliness – relatively fine. Sandy beach – we caught it with waves, but I heard there are periods without them. Either way, we enjoyed it like this; the breeze made it much more comfortable to stay on the beach, and the wavy sea is more fun. The people – absolutely wonderful, both inside and outside the hotel. Friendly staff, kind locals – it felt like we were in a different chapter compared to the hotel’s infrastructure. Daily cleaning, plus washing the street and the access road (a rare but appreciated detail). Poolside activities around 11 a.m. Pool bar – cocktails included in the All Inclusive, plus daily snacks (gyros, souvlaki, etc.). Desserts – few, but good. Not like in Turkey (as many people here like to compare), where you get 30 types with the same taste. Here you get 4–6, and each actually has its own flavor. Food – very tasty, though if the protein + carbs balance was better, it would be perfect. I don’t understand why the hotel gets low ratings. Sure, it’s not 5 stars, but it’s not “1-star” either just because of a rusty faucet. Pool music starts only at 11, so you can sleep in without waking up to “boom boom” in your ears. Cons: At first, we were given a “superior double room” – as small as a generous walk-in closet, with a bathroom the size of a phone booth. Distance from the door to the bed: two steps. From the door to the balcony: four steps. Nightstands? Too much luxury for us – we only had one socket near the bed and a little mood light. The bathroom – even smaller, with a vintage look and an air of “should have been renovated yesterday.” As decoration, instead of a painting, we had an electrical panel (modern art, I suppose). Small, old TV; the fridge… more like a cool cupboard. Fortunately, the reception staff were very kind and changed our room the next day to a proper double: spacious, bigger bathroom, nightstands, closets, bigger TV – the way it should have been from the start. Recommendation: when someone books and pays for a specific room type, maybe they should actually receive the room they booked, not a “low price” version in hopes they won’t notice. This would probably also solve a good part of the lower ratings, as many guests’ frustration seems to start here. Suggestion: put at least one bottle of water in the minibar and a few vending machines with soft drinks around the hotel. It would save the queue at the bar for those who just want a glass of water. One lunch we experienced: if you didn’t eat fish – too bad. Chicken/pork disappeared in 5 minutes and came back after 20. The rest was just carbs that didn’t go toget

We booked three rooms at this hotel as we were attending a family wedding nearby, but unfortunately our experience was very disappointing. My youngest daughter arrived on the Wednesday and was shown to her room, which she was happy with at first. However, the next day when she went back to get changed, she was shouted at by housekeeping and told she wasn’t allowed in there. After going to reception, she was informed she had been put in the wrong room in the first place – not a great start! My other daughter arrived on Thursday, and her room was even worse. It was basically in the attic, with a tiny window, no balcony, and no outdoor space at all. Our own room wasn’t much better – instead of a view, we just had a brick wall right in front of us. Although we booked all-inclusive, we quickly realised that many things were not actually included. You had to pay extra for proper coffee, orange juice, iced lattes, ice creams, bottled water, and even the nicer cocktails. The included cocktail menu was very poor, so again, if you wanted something decent, you had to pay. The food itself was also very disappointing, to the point where we ended up eating out a lot. For a family trip, this really wasn’t what we were hoping for. Overall, this hotel was such a let-down. We came out excited for a special family occasion, but felt like we were given the worst of the worst. Definitely not the standard we expected.

Crete a beautiful island for vacation The hotel was very good nice environment, very kind staff, Very fun fitness program in the pool...

I spent eight days in this hotel and I really have nothing bad to say... Our room was quite good, a small bathroom was no problem. The food was good, it could be better. The pool is perfect... what wins you over and definitely makes you want to come back is the kindness of all the staff... Especially at the snack bar. The people there work hard and non-stop, always with kindness and a smile. Atalanti, Antoni, Elini, you make the difference and we thank you for that. You are the most perfect team I have ever met.

We will come back! The food was tasty and you could pick whatever you like from a large buffet starting from appetizers to desserts ! The room was nice with a balcony. The reception was really helpful guiding us to the sea. We miss you already .... Best wishes!