What People are saying

Dungeons to sea view

jo eon 17/08/2017 06:37

When we first arrived our overall impressions were good. Then we were shown to our room. We had booked a double room with land views, what we got was a dungeon with a single bed and a camp bed which looked a though it belonged in a war museum and was wedged at the bottom of the single bed. My husband is 6ft 3 and could not lie flat on it.
Naturally he complained, in no uncertain terms, that this was quite unacceptable. Eventually a mortified receptionist, the lovely Maria, promised that she would have a new room for us first thing in the morning. It was by now nearly midnight and we were exhausted so we had little option but to retire to our overwhelmingly stiifflingly hot room.
Next morning, true to her word, we were given a lovely room with a series view. In talking to other guests we learnt that many had suffered the same fate. It appeared that the dungeon rooms were used as some kind of holding pen.
The rest of our stay was pleasant enough and I cannot praise the friendliness of the staff highly enough, they were lovely.
The cleanliness of the hostel and its pretty grounds were super. The food was a little limited in its choices, but with plenty of good local, reasonably priced gardeners this was not a problem.
It is literally a 10 minute stroll to the beach, but not being spring chickens we found the walk back up the hill a little strenuous, although there is a mini bus if the times suit.
Would I recommend this hotel.....overall yes. It is a budget hotel and it, apart from our initial first night, gave us a very a very pleasant holiday.
The 1 star rating should have been a 3 but I think there is a fault on this site.

Fantastic family holiday

Jamie123_15on 13/08/2017 23:17

I stayed here for one week during the first week of August 2017 with my family and had a great time. The staff are a credit to the hotel and the people of Crete, they are very friendly and welcoming.

The rooms were a decent size and were comfortable enough, they may not have a flat screen Tv or be the most modern, but if you've come to the beautiful island of Crete to watch Tv and sit in your room, you're doing it all wrong! You have to pay extra for air conditioning but it is definitely worth it.

The pool area is nice and great for children and adults of all ages. There could be a few more sun beds but other than that it's all good. There isn't evening entrainment for small children, but given the youngest in our family is 15 we didn't mind that at all. Having said that, there were lots of kids there who all seemed to be having fun.

The food, in our opinion, was fantastic! Some people moan about lack of choice, and while there may be only 2/3 options during each meal time, those options are all amazing. You can tell the food is homemade and we never had a bad meal, also in the 7 nights we were there, we never had a 'repeated selection' from another night. So while there are only 2/3 dishes available per meal time, it's different every day, so in this respect there is a lot of choice. There was a different homemade soup available every evening, which was delicious. During your stay you are allocated your own table in the restaurant which is really nice because you always get a seat unlike some other all-inclusive hotels which can be a free for all at meal times. The waiter, Nikos, is really friendly and will remember you at your table and even gets to know your drink order. The chef Micheal is also very friendly and an amazing cook. The drinks on the all-inclusive list are local beer, wines, and spirits. It's not exactly Peroni and Chateauneuf de Pape but it's nice enough.

The location of the hotel is good, it's close the the airport and capital Heraklion. There is a bus stop near by which allowed us to go on day trips to Heraklion and Agios Nikolaos which are both worth a visit. The hotel offer a free shuttle bus to the beach which we used too. Be sure to walk down the coast towards Heraklion for 5 minutes from where the shuttle bus drops you, this beach is nicer and bigger than the one you first see when you get dropped off. Gouves is only a short walk away, just be careful and patient when crossing the road. Please note the busy road is well away from the front if the hotel, it's not as bad as some people have made out in other reviews.

The gardens surrounding the hotel are very pretty and well looked after. There was a gardener working hard on them everyday and he certainly was doing a fantastic job.

Overall a great holiday and we wouldn't hesitate to come back. Thanks to all staff and Maria on reception too for being so helpful and telling us how to catch the local bus and suggesting places we should visit.

Efharisto!

Despo - has such potential

Melanie Con 09/08/2017 22:39

August 2017

Just arrived back from a 12 night stay. 2 adults 3 kids (age 15,13,5)

Good points -

Staff were all very lovely & helpful.

Hotel,pool and gardens kept clean & tidy.

Rooms quite spacious although very dated and no plug sockets except for one litterally as you walk in the door shoulder level so not usuable. No tv or hairdryer as stated either.

Bad points

Location! VERY busy road with very fast traffic that is constant throughout the day and night...extremely hard to cross. Cars passing at at least 60mph so you feel like you are running for your life across! There is nothing on the same side as the hotel, except a small stall someway up the road, so crossing this road is a must if you leave the hotel.

Gouves itself.

This is a VERY quite area, there are only a handful of bars/restaurants and one supermarket near by. There definitely wasn't enough for us to/dolook and wander through.

Hotel food

There just wasn't enough choice.
The main meal typical only 2 choices (like pork in sauce or moussaka) plus salad. Pudding was ALWAYS melon and one other thing like jelly :-/
So we felt we would rather eat out to have some variety. Talking to other guests over our stay, the food was the main gripe.

Air conditioning

We were given a room with no aircon...which was such a disappointment as we booked it because it said it did. We were also given 2 basement rooms. They were damp smelling and just felt dungeon like. They moved us as soon as they could, which we were thankful for!

Entertainment

Cricket....cricket....cricket. if your looking to read your book at night...perfect. The bar is open by the pool, but there is nothing to do but play cards which is what most families did every night. A little music/disco or live music would have been lovely even if it were every other day!!!

The play area

The area wasn't shaded so impossible to play on until sundown with the heat. Nothing else for little ones, no soft play or colouring corner etc. The pool is the only thing they can do day time. Table tennis was on a slope so not great. The pool table however was flat and in shade.

Small fixes, could make this hotel so much better.

Excellent

Khossaon 04/08/2017 22:28

We had a wonderful time at this hotel. We were told it was 2 star and weren't expecting much but it exceeded any expectations. The reception area was modern and clean and the lady on reception couldn't do enough to help us and make our stay enjoyable. She helped us change rooms and book some excursions. Nothing was too much trouble. It was the kind of service I would expect at a 4* plus hotel.
The rooms were clean and tidy. We were in the superior rooms and they were great for the price.
The food was fantastic. A variety of fresh salads at lunch and dinner with different choices of hot food; meat, potatoes and veg cooked in different ways with different sauces. All freshly cooked by the wonderful chef Michael. We were very sad to say goodbye to this man who was polite, kind and friendly and always smiling. I can't thank him enough for making our meal times so nice especially when we had 4 kids to feed.
Nik was also a fantastic barman who served our drinks as soon as we sat down every day. And also the older man who took us to our table every night. Proper gentlemen. We have never had service like it.
The pool was great especially for the kids with inflatables and drinks all day and ice cream in the afternoon.
I would recommend this hotel to a family with children but would suggest the superior rooms for the extra space.
Thank you despot hotel.

Staff are a credit to the hotel!

Alexandra Oon 11/07/2017 12:33

This was my first all inclusive holiday with my partner and our friends.

We arrived late on a Monday evening, unsure what to expect- this was no problem! Although inclusive drinks had finished, we were able to enjoy a drink together before heading to our rooms (which we accepted very very greatfully!!)

The rooms themselves could do with modernising, however it served its purpose and was better than I initially believed it would be.

Our room was downstairs behind the children's playground. We had our own patio area which was next to our friends whom we were holidaying with. This was a fantastic addition to the holiday, as we could spend some time as a group - even if we didn't fancy the bar! We were able to hang out our wet clothes and get them dry the same day.
These areas provide an extension to the rooms, making them better than any of us initially anticipated.

The staff within this hotel are amazing! Everyone, from cleaners, to chefs, to reception - want to ensure you have the best stay you possibly could.
I wasn't expecting to try much food this holiday - I am admittedly a fussy eater... But that didn't hold me back.
Greeted by Nikos, he assigns you a table, which he will cater to and remember everyone's drinks order. Nothing is too much of an ask! Often our drinks would be ready waiting for us when we arrived at the table.
Michael -the chef. Wow! Having already mentioned I'm a fussy eater, I vowed to at least try... Michael made a pea and ham soup the first night I was there. And it was awesome! When I went back for more, he asked for a suggestion the next day.... He complied and made another fabulous soup the next night, and continued to do so the rest of the week. Because of this. I never feared going hungry with my fussy eating, as I knew Michael would make me something.
Both Nikos and Michael spoke a variety of languages, ensuring communication was smooth and light between themselves and guests. I can NOT praise them enough!
We were sad to say good bye.

The pool was perfect, never too busy and always just right. It was clean and well kept. The bar was great, and their choice of ice cream suited me just right.

Throughout our stay, we enjoyed many excursions which the hotel supported us with deciding and organising what we chose. Although only stayed for 7days we managed to; hire a car and visit the palace of knossos, went to aqua plus, enjoyed live music and the rainbow lounge just opposite, took a jeep safari to the south coast, enjoyed strolls along the beach, and hired a moped for the day to explore the area. There is such a variety to choose from, all ages can be catered for. ( for more information on these please see relevant reviews).

I will very definitely be returning to despo hotel. And look forward to the next round of memories we will make there!!!

Thank you to all of you at Hotel Despo!