Varkotopos strand

Wonderful welcome from wonderful staff. Nothing feels like too much trouble. The standard room was basic but was perfectly sufficient for our needs and cleaned every day. The hotel has a boutique style with 2 nice outdoor pools and one indoor, next to the small but sufficiently equipped gym. Unfortunately we did not have time to try out the spa treatments but the staff were also very nice in there. We were half-board and found the food to be excellent - lots of choice, very fresh and again, wonderful staff. I travelled with my teenage daughter and we were glad to see a variety of different people and age groups at the hotel, couples, groups and families. The location is also very good. It is in a quiet area within walking distance (20 mins) of the beach, some shops, tavernas and bars. There are bus stops close by to take you to busier areas such as Heraklion and Hersonissos, which we used frequently. The hotel also facilitates car rental (for the brave) as well as airport transfers, which we used on arrival and were very happy with. The one and only criticism is reserving sunbeds with towels. The hotel states that they do not allow it but it happened daily and no one acted upon it. It meant that we spent very little of our time in the hotel using their facilities. I think if you have a policy, you should stick to it. It was very frustrating to see reserved beds left for many hours unoccupied.