Loved our stay here at Hara Ilios, we went for one of the rooms with private pool which was lovely. The main pool area was great, not too busy during our stay and the pool itself was perfect. Definitely the staff at the bar and the amazing food & drinks were our highlight, they were super friendly & attentive. The place was very clean and our room was cleaned thoroughly every day, it was immaculate. The cleaning staff did leave our terrace door open every day and our room was right on the main path through the hotel so I wouldn’t recommend leaving anything important in the room during the day, or use the safe. The bed and linen are super comfortable and the room had everything we needed. Breakfast was amazing, so many choices & all delicious. We only had dinner at the hotel once, buffet style and we went quite late so there wasn’t very much available & I didn’t really enjoy it. There are loads of great restaurants around so would recommend checking them out rather than eating at the hotel in the evening. There’s a few small beaches a short walk away. Location was perfect for us, and we really enjoyed exploring the area.

The air-con in our room stopped cooling the room after a few days, the heat was unbearable at night and we couldn’t leave our patio door open as the cats came onto the terrace at night. I asked the reception to check out the air con and they sent round maintenance straight away however he said there was nothing he could do. So we had a few uncomfortable hot nights with no sleep. Our terrace with private pool was in the shade apart from 1 hour of the day so the pool was way too cold to use unfortunately, but I suspect later in the year it would be better.

Reception service is fine. The stuff used gloves for handling the food and you can find dishes every time during the dinner/breakfast. The cleanliness is maintained in the whole location. We participated on a traditional cretan night.

Food is acceptable, the quality is mediocre, nothing special. There are pancakes available for breakfast, unfortunately they contain black scrubs, they are prepared on the same grill as the eggs. The pillows are extremely soft, I did feel I had a pillow, far away from being a quality one. In the end, I really don't like that during the Cretan night, someone from the hotel took photos with us and next day after breakfast, they tried to sell us - 1 photo costs 10 euros, 2 photos cost 15 euros. I did no like this approach, like a forced one.

The staff/owners went above and beyond in their attention as well as should there be any problems they with dealt with ASAP. As our taxi airport transfer wasn’t due until 1400 hrs they allowed us to check out late obviously this is dealt with a case by case as the hotel occupancy at any one time may effect the possibility.

1) The area outside the village [ It was in effect an oasis] was a bit dilapidated with rough undeveloped land not befitting such a lovely complex as Hara Ilios Village. 2) Not Hara Iilos’s fault but Booking.com description of some of the the items that were supplied did not mention they were chargeable items. 3) Although it indicated that Amex credit cards were accepted on the sign board outside reception, they do not. 4) Not the hotel’s fault but it would have been nice if a pharmacy were near by.

- Girls and boys at the reception were always friendly and willing to help with any problems. - Breakfast was standard and testy. Every day was something new! - Dinner was very good: at least 2-3 choses for meat and 3-4 different salads, fruits and 2-3 deserts. The hotel has its own vegetable and fruit garden! Very tasty vegetables! All courses were very testy at the dinner! Thank you very much to chief-cooker! The local house wine was also testy! One minus: there was only one kind of seafood and there was nothing on the grill at the dinner. - The room was comfortable and clean. Air conditioning worked well and without additional costs. - The cleaning of the room was good (on request during the Covid!) - The territory of the hotel is quite, clean and beautiful, a lot of flowers and exotic trees. There were huge palms directly on swimming pool!

-The location is not the best one. The nearest beaches were about 0.5 km away and it is very close to the traffic road. Sun beds cost 6-10 EUR. There is a better sand beach but around 1-1.5 km away. Close to the hotel there is a bus stop, but the busses in Crete are always late and full, better rent a car! When you leave the hotel, the surroundings around the hotel is a bit sad and poor. Nothing spectacular! -The coffee at the breakfast was very poor (far from real Greek coffee!). Quality of juices was poor as well and there was no water. -Drinks were not included in the dinner.

Exceptionally friendly and helpful staff. Superb location next to the beaches. Very good breakfast and dinner options.

Really nothing.

The staff were exceptional and so friendly and helpful. All members of staff we interacted with went above and beyond to help us and make our stay excellent. The property was gorgeous and perfectly clean. Our room had a beautiful view and the whole complex was very well maintained. The food, drink and the pool area were excellent.

Whilst the location was a good base to explore other parts of Crete, there wasn’t a massive amount of restaurants or activities within walking distance. It is worth noting that the hotel offered a range of car hire options to ameliorate the slightly quieter location.

This hotel is a wonderful choice. It’s clean, looks beautiful, personell is very friendly, the rooms are spacious, nice pool, enough choices during breakfast. It’s the best spot to really slow down and relax

Everything was great! Would just prefer to have some tea/coffee in the rooms

A beautiful resort 15 min from the airport, 20 min from the city center. Super convenient for families with kids. Gouves is a cute little village- yes there are stores, restaurants but the beach is an average one. We explored the local area (Malia) and found fabulous beaches around. AgiosNikolaus is an hour drive. Rental car is a must. Overall a fabulous experience.

Restaurants is not good this is only negative point

Breakfast was exceptional.

The buffet could have been hotter. Plenty of choices but salads were excellent