Overall Ratings & Reviews Phāea Cretan Malia, a Member of Design Hotels

The hotel had a calm, relaxing atmosphere, good choice of restaurants and was perfectly located on the coast.

We stayed here in June. The large family suite with bunk beds was very comfortable and the staff was very diligent about replacing towels which was really appreciated. The room was supposed to be seafront but in reality we were looking at trees blocking the view. The beach is great IF not windy. We had a few days where the wind meant no swimming at the beach was allowed. No big deal but something to be aware of. Mezze and Mouries restaurant had great food. The breakfast options are also great. The Italian restaurant was our least favorite, with some of the food lacking flavor, but the view overlooking the beach is special. It was a bit frustrating that the Beach Shack was closed for food on Sunday but the food was good when open. There were always chairs on the beach. We were there for over a week and the kids requested to try kids club and enjoyed it. It was very well staffed (6 staff for 3 kids) so they clearly enjoyed the attention. Cons: wish it was possible to order drinks poolside. We were coming from the States and in hindsight, Malia is a bit far to visit some of the best beaches on Crete. We chose it because it was close to Palace of Knossos and the archeology museum but we ended up spending a night in Chania to go to Elofonisi bc it’s too far for a day trip. The hotel app was not particularly useful. Everytime I tried to make a reservation for dinner I got an error. On the plus side, I called the hotel to make the reservations and always got what we wanted.

Well kept and lovely decor. Nice beach setup. Very big and more suited to families. Don’t think we have ever seen more babies, didn’t bother us but be prepared for a lot of baby strollers. Only disappointment was food. Breakfast buffet is excellent but dinner is at best mediocre. Problem is the restaurants cater to all inclusive guests and a la carte, which in this case meant ok service and disappointing food. Also Malia, the nearby town, is strictly bars and nightclubs, zero charm. Agios Nikalos 30 minutes away much nicer.

Everything was exceptional – the room, food, service, staff, facilities, and location. We would definitely recommend the hotel and would stay there again without hesitation.

Only downside for us was the huge number of families there with babies.

We had a lovely holiday here. The kids club was brilliant, the restaurants were excellent quality food in all the restaurants. Other guests we met on holiday who were half board and eating in the dinner buffet each night loved it. Kids were welcome in the buffet with a kids section that is a bit like school dinners to choose from. The breakfast buffet was brilliant and the hotel’s programme of events and activities are great for families. My two negatives was that the restaurants outside of the buffet, were inflexible for children, which overall made me feel that the hotel would rather you were eating in the buffet restaurant if you are there with kids.. which isn’t for us. We booked bed and breakfast because we enjoy the freedom for our other meals to be in or out of the hotel and restaurant experiences as a family are something we enjoy on holiday. We had some great meals in nearby restaurants that were very welcoming for kids too so if you’re the same, and don’t enjoy hotel buffet dinners, then there’s places to go outside of the resort. And then my only other disappointment was the towels were threadbare and our room wasn’t as clean as I would’ve expected. Overall a 4 star experience. Not the touches you would expect for 5 star. Crete was amazing as ever.

Lovely hotel, main pool quite busy but the private beach was amazing with great beach bar and chilled music. We avoided the buffet and had incredible food at both the Cretan restaurant for breakfast and dinner and the Italian for dinner. Charming staff, just needs a minor rethink in bathroom as shower was narrow due to placement of soap holder. Overall a fantastic experience and would highly recommend and return

Beautiful hotel, great family atmosphere with the most down to earth staff. Would highly recommend, what a unique and wonderful experience!

Beautiful property and lovely staff throughout. Would stay again.

The resort is stunning, absolutely beautiful and the staff was very nice and friendly. Very good resort for families so would recommend if you want to have a relaxing week with your little ones, would suggest for up to 3 years old as they have more activities for the little ones. In terms of food I was expecting a bit more for the price and with the half board only one restaurant is included (excluding drinks) so it’s best to get the all inclusive, feel booking through Expedia wasn’t very clear and there was a confusion on what was included and what not. Drinks were amazing especially cocktails and the wine was very nice. Beach was a bit disappointed as i was expecting more as it was rocky and small. Informations were a bit unclear sometimes but overall was a nice relaxing holiday with our little baby.

When we arrived the service was great. Hotel was amazing the room was exactly the one I booked. Food was great in the restaurants but the prices are ridiculous.. I mean is this a Michelin star chicken wrap or what!? Either way it was great. The only thing that’s really annoying is that the hotel clearly says you cannot leave your swim towels on the beds to “claim” them. However people did this every morning. By 9am the poolside beds are taken … even though you can’t see anyone there, they all have towels on them. I guess people wake up and leave their towels and bags to claim the spot and then they go for breakfast. Hotel staff does nothing about this. In addition the riverside pool, ALL the beds by that pool are reserved for people that are staying in the bigger properties. Now this is really unfair. This means we cannot lay on those beds as someone can come at anytime and claim it.. so really how can I use any pool?? If this is the case the main pool should be reserved for people staying on that side of the hotel. But no, people have the riverside pool beds reserved but they also come to the main pool and take the beds… honestly it’s really annoying. We paid just as much but it seems that families have priority here. Upon leaving the service was very disappointing. There was staff I did not recognise but she seemed mad that I needed a transfer to the airport and no one said bye or the usual things hotel staff says during checkout. Her attitude was off.

For part of days, AC was not functioning properly. Issue with check-in.

We had reserved 3 ocean view rooms. There was a mix up in our reservation. They put one of us in different room than what we paid for ocean view room although for one day only. They gave us dining voucher if we ate at the property but would not refund. Our room had AC issues. They did come to room to fix issues at 2 different times but still AC was not functioning.

Beautiful property and fantastic service.

Rocky Beach with broken umbrellas and dirty loungers, tiny gym with broken equipment (you have to book timeslots to secure a space) only limited timeslots available for restaurant reservation. Claustrophobic layout (with beautiful design elements. Food was good and staff friendly but we had to leave early because we found it impossible to relax and the place to crowded. Not your typical design hotel.

Me and my boyfriend loved this hotel. We got a really lovely welcome with a refreshing drink by really helpful staff. The hotel has everything you need and the restaurants are all wonderful. There are enough sunbeds at the beach and the hotel is really serene.

The hotel is lovely. The staff are very friendly but also unhelpful. Concierge recommendations was not very good and very inconsiderate, considering travelling with a nine month old baby. The rooms with a garden has severe bold patches full of mud. Was asked to move room 3 times. We did extend our stay but made to move rooms each time. Beds are like sponge too soft causing back ache. The Signator rooms are much better. Charges £50 for couple hours late check out. Massive positive is the pool is heated.

Lovely resort, incredibly family friendly. Kids club is great if child is over 3 years old. Very relaxing stay, only downside is beach is quite rocky compared to others visited in Crete, but you can always use the pool.

We were stunned at how beautiful the property was. It had many restaurants to choose from, some of the best resort/hotel food we've had. Even an ice cream/crepe bar! Staff was welcoming, warm and friendly. The spa was great. I didn't want to leave b/c they had everything there on the property. Would def come back again and recommend to friends.

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