Alai, Crete, a Tribute Portfolio Resort

Stayed May 2025, Excellent service the whole week we were there. When we arrived we were made to feel welcome, offered a water or juice, bags taken to our room and was upgraded to a superior room with an in-land view, the room was very modern and clean with the best shower I have ever had in a hotel! Unfortunately the view wasn’t the greatest, we overlooked the strip and staff block. I will stay again but will make sure I book a sea view room. The balcony’s were also very small compared to other rooms. All in all this did not spoil our holiday and I cannot thank all of the staff and the manager enough for their hard work, they were very professional at all times and always welcoming, the maid who serviced our room was excellent she always spoke to us and made sure we had what we needed, during our stay we had three calls from reception to check if everything was ok with our room which was a nice touch! Breakfast was always lovely, they serve you your tea/coffee and eggs, the rest is help yourself, it was quiet when we first arrived but got busier when we left, we always found a sun-bed and the staff will get your drinks for you if you don’t want to leave your sun-beds. We will definitely be back as we loved Crete, we are hoping to come back the end of this year - Thank you everyone for a lovely stay, you made our week!

Lovely hotel in great central location. Went in May so not too busy and we got an upgrade to sea view. Breakfast very nice. Couple more freshly cooked options would be lovely but every thing was fresh and tasty. Sunbeds were always available both around the pool and on the beach. No need to reserve which we loved. Might be different in high season ? We had a couple of teeny practical issues in our room which were dealt with super quickly and efficiently. Nothing too big. Just a sticky lock and lightbulb. Lots of restaurants nearby in walking distance and supermarkets and cafes too. We requested a courtesy room on our last day which they provided. The hotel has been recently refurbished and was a lovely style and very relaxing. All in all a great stay and would recommend.

I visited Alai Hotel with my boyfriend September 2024. We booked with Jet2 and had a super easy flight and transfer here. Weather was lovely with only 1 afternoon of rain so don’t be put off from going away in September:) The hotel was amazing fantastic facilities and even lovelier staff. We had a standard room which had plenty of storage, lots of clothes hangers, great bathroom and a super comfy bed. The rooms were cleaned daily by a super friendly house keeping team, who also provided fresh water bottles daily. On arrival to the hotel we were greeted by a friendly receptionist who gave us a tour and took us to our room. My boyfriend had emailed the hotel to tell them it was our anniversary so we were upgraded to a sea view room and the room was beautifully decorated which was such a lovely surprise for me!! We only had bed and breakfast so I didn’t try any of the evening meals from the hotel. However the breakfast was delicious, best breakfast buffet I’ve ever had! The pool was lovely always clean as was the areas around the pool. You are given towels from the hotel for use by the pool and the beach which are really nice and fluffy. The hotel includes free use of the Sun loungers by the beach with drink/snack service to the sun loungers. There is a bus service near the hotel that is €2pp. I’d recommend going into Hersonissos (5 min bus trip) which has lots of restaurants and bars. I’d especially recommend the Cretan Blue Restaurant. (The last photos I uploaded) To conclude, me and my boyfriend had the best holiday here we couldn’t have asked for nicer staff and we will remember this special holiday forever. Thank you Alai team :) xx

The hotel is clean and well-maintained, both in the rooms and throughout the common areas. The staff, especially at the pool bar and in housekeeping, were very friendly and helpful. The nearby beach was beautiful and easily accessible, and the pool itself was nice, offering a pleasant place to relax – if you managed to get a pool bed! Unfortunately, towels were left on pool chairs for hours every day (sometimes up to three hours) to reserve spots, making it difficult for others to find a place. People would claim chairs early in the morning and then disappear to get ready, eat breakfast, and have a relaxing morning knowing their favorite pool spot was waiting for them. This went against hotel policy, but management did nothing, even after we raised the issue. This made mornings stressful for us, as we didn’t want to reserve chairs unfairly but still wanted to secure a place by the pool. The hotel seems to be expanding, adding more rooms, which might worsen the already overcrowded pool situation in the future. Happy hunting! :) Further, the hotel itself feels poorly designed and built, with some areas seeming unbalanced or awkwardly arranged. Our room lacked attention to detail; many things were crooked or improperly installed. The phone and TV didn’t work properly however they did fix the TV quickly after we mentioned it. There was also an issue of outside noise due to the lack of a door between the hallway and bedroom and at one point, the power was cut off without any notice, leaving us without electricity and water. It turned out to be planned maintenance and not an emergency, so advance notice would have been appreciated. Another major concern was the lack of understanding regarding dietary needs. There was confusion over vegan and vegetarian dishes – one menu labeled dishes as vegan, while another labeled them as vegetarian. When we asked the staff, they treated the two as the same thing. "Vegan, vegetarian? It's the same!" This is unacceptable, especially for guests with allergies, like those to dairy. Proper training for the staff is urgently needed to ensure the safety and comfort of all guests. The surrounding area is heavily touristy and lacks the authenticity one might expect from a more traditional Greek experience. It felt more like a typical charter destination than anything unique or local. In summary, while the hotel has some good qualities, such as its cleanliness, friendly staff, and proximity to a nice beach, several issues need to be addressed – particularly the staff’s understanding of dietary needs and the issue with reserving pool beds, as well as the lack of enough beds for all guests, especially with the upcoming expansion of the hotel. Sadly, we will not be returning.

Great hotel and location. Staff very friendly and welcoming. The rooms were excellent and very clean Pool snacks and drinks very expensive as is the resort. We stayed bed and breakfast. Breakfast there was plenty of choice. Beach front hotel with great views from our rooms We stayed in the same hotel last year and the renovations are amazing and clean This hotel will take some beating in my opinion

Lovely clean and friendly family run hotel in the middle of Stalis Crete. Staff were friendly and helpful and the room and pool area was clean fresh and comfortable. Breakfasts were great and I’d recommend to anyone interested in holidaying in Stalis. The one caveat I’d put on it is that we went at the end of the season when the hotel was not full and had one whole block of about say 20 rooms unoccupied and the main block was not full which gave us an upgrade to a sea view room. This meant breakfasts and sun loungers etc were not busy and the whole experience was very relaxing and pleasant. When full I would imagine a different outlook and some of the non seaview rooms overlook other hotels and the main road which would be busy and noisy in peak periods. Also the hotel was only opened following refurbishment in July 2024 so you’d expect it to be clean and spotless. If you put a critical eye over it from a builders perspective (which I did) some of the finishing is suspect and will age and look untidy quite quickly but for us at that time it was perfect.