Amy Adejokun
Section editor
The Creta Star is a secluded seaside hotel offering all the services of a large all-inclusive club, with food served throughout the day, many sports activities, a children's club, a large pool, etc. Its location also means you can enjoy the peace and quiet of the surroundings before choosing the activity of your choice.
The Creta Star is located in the small village of Scaleta, only a few miles east of the city of Rethymnon. The capital city's airport is 50 mi away from the hotel, as is the city of Chania. Allow between one hour and one hour 20 minutes for transfers.
The 324 rooms are divided into four categories: single, double, family rooms and suites. The balconies are furnished with garden furniture. The standard rooms consist of an unpartitioned space measuring approximately 215 sq ft. All the rooms are brightly lit, and thanks to the recent renovation work they are pleasant and spotless, like the small bathrooms. The blue bedspreads and rugs laid out on the tiled floor provide a pretty contrast with the white walls and curtains and light wood furniture. 99 of the rooms have a sea view. The furnishings include a very firm bed, a television, a safe (charged), central air conditioning, a fridge and a telephone. The bathrooms have a bathtub, hair dryer and hospitality products made by the 'Aegean' brand.
This large hotel complex a short distance from the road linking Rethymnon and Heraklion contains two hotels in different categories: the Creta Star and the Creta Royal. The 6-storey building was constructed in 1998 and renovated in 2007, and looks onto a large geometric pool (8,700 sq ft) surrounded by a large terrace with a pretty lawn around the edge. There are plenty of deckchairs and parasols. Guests also have use of a small 860 sq ft pool, a tub and an indoor pool, which is very brightly lit by its numerous bay windows. The children's club, in a pretty colourful cottage at one end of the complex, is open from 10:00am to 12:00pm and from 4:00pm to 6:00pm during the summer season. The miniature golf course is pleasing on the eye with its neatly-trimmed lawns and recent coat of paint. The gym is at the Creta Royal hotel. The rather dingy space is not the most attractive of set-ups, with the whirlpool bath oddly positioned next to a patch of artificial grass on which the 9 machines stand.
The three restaurants provide a wide choice of food, and there is also a pool bar where snacks (ice creams, sandwiches, cakes, etc.) are served from 11:00am to 12:00pm and from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. The main restaurant is a vast space, and pride of place goes to the nicely presented and well varied buffets, which are well laid out to avoid queues building up. Other than the interior hall, tables are set out on a veranda and a terrace under a pergola. A small buffet section is set up especially for children, with tables at the right height for them. The buffets, which consist of international dishes and Greek specialities, are served from 7:00am to 10:30am and 7:00pm to 9:30pm. Unfortunately, the food is not really up to scratch, for example the meat and fish are swimming in oil. Three theme nights are organised each week. A small Italian restaurant with seating for just 16 guests at a given time takes dinner reservations at no extra charge. For lunch, there is an impressive snack bar with lots of tables and chairs in front of the pool. Here too the choice is great, but the quality is nothing to write home about.
The hotel is separated from the 2,000 ft-long beach by a hedge running the length of the hotel's property. The somewhat narrow sandy beach is reached easily down a flight of steps. Two rows of iron deckchairs have been set out, but hiring a pair of chairs and a sunshade will set you back £6! There are small pebbles the length of the foreshore and a few rocks can be seen in the clear water. The water sports facilities here only amount to free use of canoes and pedaloes, but guests can also use the wider range of facilities at the Iberostar Creta Panorama, 3 mi away.
The hotel is open from the end of April to the end of October. Only the activities are shared by the two hotels here, with guests of the Creta Royal able to use the Creta Star's amenities, but not vice versa. There is free WiFi at reception.
massage, sauna, stretching
tennis, gym, aqua gym, aerobics, beach volley, basketball, paddle boats, canoe, archery, fitness, sports
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