Enorme Maya Beach

Having read all the reviews for this hotel we decided that the Maya beach was the place for us to stay on our trip to Crete. Check in is done online so on arrival we had to spend 10 minutes sitting in reception with an ipad checking ourselves in. So to our room, we had booked a double room with balcony or terrace, in our case it was a terrace, unfortunately we happened to have the worst view possible, a worn out patch of grass with 3 manhole covers, a staff access path and a 6 foot wooden fence panel behind which was a children's play area. The "terrace" was a very small wooden veranda on which we could sit but being North facing and enclosed we would get no sun and of course there were the staff constantly walking by to their stores. There were some bean bag type sun loungers but they were filthy dirty so no way was we going to sit on them. The room itself was okay, spacious with a large comfortable bed and all the usual facilities you would expect in such a hotel but it was quite dark, certainly not the nice bright room shown in the pictures. The bathroom was also quite spacious but lacked any storage space so we had to keep our washbags in the living area as there was just nowhere to put them. Again there was only one small light above the basin so the room was quite dark and dingy. (the cleaning lady got the maintenance man to change the bulbs which helped a bit) The space around the pool area was quite limited so all the sunbeds were lined up next to each other with no space whatsoever between them (unlike the photo which shows a few beds with plenty of space) On our first morning we were fortunate to get the last two beds but not so the following day and headed off to the beach, get down early if you want a bed!! Location wise the hotel is great, centrally located there are bars and restaurants just a short walk away in either direction, there is a decent small beach just 100m East or a bigger one 200m to the West, the shopping centre is about a 10-15 minute walk away. The hotels best quality is it's staff all of whom were brilliant, friendly, helpful and attentive, food was also good, plenty of choice and variety. To summarize I would NOT rate this hotel as 4 star, a 3 star rating would be more appropriate in my opinion based on the standard of the rooms and the lack of maintenance in the garden/grass areas but otherwise an enjoyable stay.

From the moment we walked in, the service was impeccable. We were offered complimentary prosecco as we checked in, which was simple and efficient. We were personally escorted to our rooms and the receptionist even carried our heavy suitcase for us. The rooms were modern with a lovely Boho decor theme. They had a safe, fridge (which was very handy for keeping water bought from the shop cold for us), and the sea view was spot on. The beds were comfy and spacious. The bathroom was a bit on the small side- the shower screen could do with being extended so my family didn't flood the bathroom on a daily basis! The pool area was great; plenty of sunbeds, and we didn't have a problem with bed blocking- it didn’t start to get busy until around 10am. Lilos and inflatable balls were provided for some fun in the water. The buzzers for service by your seat were an excellent factor and added to the feeling of relaxation and good service. The food was delicious, especially Greek night (the pork gyros station was amazing!). A great selection each day, and breakfast was varied and delicious. They also had Cretan specials each day. Our stay included one visit to the al a carte restaurant, which was super. We had a 4 course meal along with huge salads. Connected was a great lounge bar with music and comfy beanbags. A 5-10 minute walk to the right of the beachfront brings you to restaurants and bars. The Island restaurant has an amazing cocktail bar attached, with great entertainment, which included fire shows. 2 minutes walk from the hotel is a great souvenir shop where you can buy bottles of water very cheaply. We did this and used the water to drink around the pool. There are buses that regularly take you to and from Heraklion for around 2 euros. Make sure you use them to visit the Venetian port. We used a taxi to visit Knossos Palace as it was a bit out of the way. Major tip- visit Knossos in the 8-9am slot! It was quiet and easy to get around, as well as the coolest part of the day. Any later, and you will have massive queues, it will be very crowded and too hot to walk around. Download the free app, which provides a trail for you to follow around the Palace. All in all, a brilliant stay and I would recommend it to anyone. I hope to go back one day.