Istron Bay Hotel

I liked the location, close to beautiful bay and view. Generous balcony. Size of room was good. Wonderful swimming pool.

One can expect from 5 stars hotel much more and more than what actually was provided. The final touch of luxury is missing. Starting with old looking bathroom. Simple furniture. Towels that appear to look second hand. The dining room is not air-conditioned neither ventilated. The cooking in the dining room makes your clothes and hair smell. They don’t open the windows and when I opened it they closed it because the hanging light started to move slightly. Anyhow, people showing up withe dresses for dinner are expecting more. I am recommending to use the one time opportunity in a stay to dine in the beach restaurant.

The staff were excellent, friendly and genuinely helpful throughout our stay. The rooms are spacious, and ours had a balcony with a sea view. Breakfast was decent. The location works well if you have a car: Elounda and Agios Nikolaos are about 20–30 minutes away. In terms of value for money, it’s a good option.

It’s marketed as 5-star but feels more like a 3- or 4-star property. Everything is dated, from the air conditioning in the room to the pool. You pay a €10 deposit for a beach towel and get a worn-out towel with threads hanging off it for a hotel claiming 5 stars, having to go to reception to swap a towel for another equally bad one says a lot. The hotel has its own cove, but it’s so far down the hill that we never used it. The bigger issue was parking. The hotel’s own car park has been used by some car rental company, so guests park on the narrow path leading down from the main road. On our first day one hotel employee told us we couldn’t park there because it belonged to the agency; another then said we could, so we did. A few hours later, when we came back to the car, an employee of the rental agency shouted at us in front of everyone, behaved aggressively, and even made physical contact. We went to reception and said we would call the police if nothing was done about it. In short: a decent option for what you pay, but don’t expect 5-star quality.

La posizione vicinissima a Voulisma, la spiaggia più bella in zona La vista sul mare La colazione, molto varia e buona La stanza nuovissima e confortevole

La pulizia in genere nelle aree comuni non è eccezionale Struttura nelle aree comuni un po’ datata Purtroppo i bungalow non sono puliti come le stanze rinnovate e quindi la qualità del soggiorno può essere differente

Exceptional views from the room and beach. Plenty of sun-beds at the beach and the pool. Good system for beach towels. Very good breakfasts.

Very bland buffet dinners and not good value at 38 Euros. No tea or coffee making facilities in the room. No room service. No laundry facility. A long way from alternative places to eat. No official shuttle bus.