Hotel Creta Maris

The Creta Maris is a seafront hotel designed in the Aegean style a quarter of a mile from the lively town of Hersonissos and 15 mi east of Kazanzakis airport in Heraklion on the island's north coast. The surrounding hotels mean the setting is not very attractive, but a few miles' drive will take you to the heart of Crete's more authentic side.

Customers come from all over the world. Open from May to early November, this hotel offers bed & breakfast, half-board and full-board accommodation. The hotel also has its own spa, which can be used for an extra charge. The Creta Maris is connected with the Terras Maris, the two sharing a convention centre and a partnership with the golf club. So many business people stay at this hotel out of the summer season that the comings and goings between the business centre and the hotel are frequent and sometimes noisy.

The Creta Maris consists of a main four-floor building and bungalows spread over an immense, colourful and perfectly kept garden. Nothing here has been left to chance. The interior decoration is a little austere albeit meticulously designed. The large lobby is adorned with luxurious chandeliers, and wrought iron gates offset the general feel of the place with a rustic touch. The hotel has four large pools including one indoor one, and two paddling pools for children. Deckchairs with cushions are provided around each as well as changing booths. The entertainment team consists of just three staff members, who focus on sporting activities rather than games. One of them mainly looks after the children's club.

The hotel has 534 rooms with a variety of categories: standard rooms, suites, bungalows, family rooms and connecting rooms. 291 of them are in the main building, with the others spread among the bungalows. Each has a balcony or terrace with a view of the sea, mountain, pool or garden. They are equipped with air-conditioning, a television, safe, direct international telephone line, refrigerator (minibar on request), tea and coffee-making facilities, and have a bathtub and a hair dryer in the bathroom.

The vaulted ceiling and stone walls of the main restaurant give it real character. It is very spacious and very quiet, and you can also enjoy your meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) next to the garden outside, facing the sea. The cuisine is excellent, with a strong representation of Greek specialities, the inevitable large international buffets and a weekly buffet of 100% Cretan dishes. The hotel also has three 'à la carte' restaurants, one of which is a tavern with a menu made up exclusively of Cretan cuisine. The others serve a wider range of Mediterranean cuisine. A snack bar near the beach serves fast food from 8:00am to 6:00pm.

The very nearby beach is one of the region's prettiest. It is quite long and forms a little bay along the coast, divided into little creeks to the east and sand and smooth flat rocks to the west. The sand isn't particularly fine and it is quite busy. There is a water sports centre nearby.