Malia Bay Beach Hotel & Bungalows

Hotel was quite dated, our room had a noisy AC which i couldnt sleep through and had reported this to reception which never got looked at. The rooms situated around the level above reception are extremely noisy as reception plays music till early hours and it echos straight to the rooms (can see in picture theyve posted on this site with the windows to rooms above reception desk). The ‘4’ pools includes a kids paddle pool and the slim one belonging the to private rooms (which are pointless to pay for btw as they're in the shade all day), all quite shallow. Entertainment was abysmal, one night included a guy just playing songs off of a version of youtube projected from a hung up bed sheet. Drinks are the local cheap versions, even the beer was flat. Have to pay for nicer ones. Beds on the beach you have to pay for, even if staying at hotel and the beach itself to get in is quite rocky. The nicest and friendliest staff members were the chefs and the food is what i can assume only makes this hotel a 4* as they had a lot of good range for all 3 meals. The walk to Malia is about 25 mins which isnt too bad but for the price we paid, we could have got a better location. Partner and I paid over 2k for this holiday and it was definitely not worth it. Maybe its the cost of living thats pushed everything up but defo shop around - i booked this holiday based off of reviews i read and they certainly did not reflect my experience. Maybe as we went end of season, the experience was shabby to say the least.

I am having a great stay, as i write this, :) Accomodation is spotless, staff friendly, swimming pools, sea, just excelent. Have to try it to believe. ;)

Initially, there was an issue with getting into our room - due to oversights with flight times. After that initial upset, our time at Malia Bay Beach Hotel was lovely. The dining hall staff are amazing- very friendly and welcoming, especially beautiful Maria (one of the dining hostesses) and lovely Yiorgos on the grill section. They always had a smile for us and were very welcoming- They made all the difference to our stay! The food was authentic Greek, delicious and varied. The rooms were clean, air conditioned and cleaned every day and the hotel areas seem to be well-maintained. The pool area would very quickly get busy - so we didn't spend too much time around the pool. The sea next to the hotel is lovely- but very rocky. The soft drinks at the hotel are not great but there is a shop directly opposite the hotel for a proper, branded soft drink. Overall, we enjoyed our stay. Crete is beautiful and the hotel is in a good location to access Malia town. Also, good access Chersonissos and Heraklion with regular bus services.

Really great food. We are gluten-free and here there is no issue when choosing food for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Chef Yannis prepared some gluten-free sweets every single day especially for us and the other chef has prepared the best gluten-free pizza I've ever had. Different food every day and very nice and friendly staff.

Enjoyed our morning coffee or afternoon cocktail by the beach or pool.The sand is great and thin without rocks and realtively calm location. We were able to rest and have a good time. Room was clean , staff was polite and food was great!

Appaled with how clean the bedsheets were. The matress was so comfortable. We booked one of the rooms with pool access and enjoyed all day in the pool. Despite the crowded season we still relaxed and even met new friends. Staff at pool snack bar were very friendly and the food both breakfast ,snacks and dinner were beyond our expectations.