We stayed at the Fodele Beach Hotel just one night (arranged through our insurance company) while we waited for a flight home. My daughter fell ill during her visit to Crete and I flew out to be with her.

I wanted to write this review to say that after only having sampled the hotel for one day and night I would never have classed it as a 5* hotel, only perhaps a 3* at a push.

The hotel was very isolated as it had its own beach and there was only two simple tavernas to eat at if you didn't like the food at the hotel. In fact we ate at one taverna which was filled with British guests of the hotel because they said the catering was directed towards the Germans and the food wasn't to their liking at all.

The room was very simple with two wooden beds and a set of bunkbeds although it was clean.

The pool area was very crowded and the water in the pool was like ice. So cold that it was impossible to swim in it and therefore it was empty for most of the time even though it was very hot outside.

The staff were very friendly and helpful.

The hotel looks very nice from a distance but I definitely would not rank it above a 3*.

My stay at the Fodele Beach was not a happy one. We were told that it was a 5* Ultra All Inclusive and I would not even rate this hotel as a 3*.

We booked through our travel agent and were told we would get a 2 bedroomed apartment with living space. We actually got 1 room with 3 old wooden beds in it and a fold away bed for our son. The curtain was hanging off the rail and the tiles in the bathroom were mouldy and so was the shower head.

The sunbeds were old and ragged and the free towels were no better. You could not get a sun bed as all the Italians had hogged them with towels.

The free drinks were disgusting as they were all made with tap water and all you could taste was chlorine.

The food was quite nice but a bit monotonous.

We were supposed to get a fully stocked fridge and a fruit basket. The fridge was empty and rusty and the fruit looked like it had seen better days.

The hotel pool area was dirty and there was always broken glass by the pool and the snack bar.

We were told that we would have to pay 1500 euros to upgrade which meant that our holiday which was little more than a 2* cost us nearly

Hotel is situated along side the main east west road on Crete. Noise from the road could only be heard though, in the hotel rooms. We were greeted by very friendly staff that after booking us in carried our heavy cases up the fairly steep steps to our first floor room. All rooms, no more than 2 floors up, had been built into the side of the hill. Walking up the steps we passed small gardens with lemon and orange trees. the fruit was there for us to pick if we wanted. The lemons were very sweet! Our room was comfortable with private bathroom. There was a TV and fridge. Our balcony overlooked the small bay and sandy beech. The rooms were cleaned every day and bedding was changed everyday also. The cleaning staff were very friendly. Our all inclusive covered all meals, drinks, and sports facilities.

The meals were buffet style. Due to the excellent weather we ate all our meals on the terrace overlooking the pools and beach. Breakfast was what ever you wanted, be it cooked English, continental, cold German style i.e. cheese and cold meat or Greek i.e. fresh fruits and wonderful honey. The selection was very good.

Lunch again was buffet with many cold salads or fish or meats. Numerous vegetables again cold or hot as well as vegetarian dishes. Evening meals similar to the lunch but more so.

The menu was changed daily and we found we hardly repeated a choice of meal apart from the wonderful Greek salad with the feta cheeses and olives that tasted so sweet. All in all the food was, in our opinion, outstanding and very well presented.

Evening entertainment was mainly for children but the staff managed to put on a show in the mini theatre that had all clapping at the end.

There were daily excursions book able at the reception for those wishing to partake or one could hire a car.

Well we booked this holiday and then flew out the same week.

When we got to the hotel, the staff were very helpful and took our bags upto the room for us while we checked in.

We didnt get there till 2.30am and when we got to our room there was water and sandwhiches in the fridge. The room was very very clean and had air conditioning.

In the morning we saw the view from our balcony over the bay with the mountains in the background it was fantastic.

The resturant was spotless, and we had our meals all the time out on the terrace over looking the bay.
The choice you had for breakfast, dinner, lunch in the hotel was suberb, the food was so tastey and so tempting. The Ala Carte Resturant was busy and you had to book in advance but was well worth it.

The snack bar had burgers, hotdogs, chips, pizza etc... and lots of fresh salads and fruits.

The pool areas and around the hotel in general were all clean and tidy. There was a gym and sauna and a doctor, hairdressers and car hire all on site.

The beach bar was very handy, and had toilets at the back of it, although they could have done with a clean at regular times. There was a life guard present on the beach and watersports were available, some free others a reasonable price. The beach itself was sandy but as you entered into the sea it became very stoney with large rocks so some sea shoes would have been useful.

The hotel was situated on a steep hill, anyone with walking difficuties might find it a problem. There isnt really anywhere to walk to, as its quite remote, if your looking for a holiday that centres around a good hotel this is a good place.

We walked one day to Fodele village and it took us a good 45mins to get there only to find everything closed. But it was a lovely walk as you go past all the orange and lemon orchids. The village itself is very small and seems to be more resturants than houses.

The entertainment was there if you wanted it and was to a good standard. We stayed around the bar area next to the main resturant and watched the bar staff making cocktails all night.

The hotel has a good range of facilities and takes you a few days to discover them all. There is a cinema, and internet access.

On our last day our flight was quite late, there is a changing area with shawors and hairdryers etc... including towels in the baggage room.

This is priced and reviewed as a 5* hotel, and I would definately say it was. Out of 10 I rate this hotel as a 8 and would definately go there again. Absolutely fantastic. The food was amazing!

This hotel is 5* if you are put in a superior room which we where for the last 3 days after complaining about the hillside rooms not being 5* which we had paid for.

The food entertainment, pool, and beach where fine. Would go again but only in the best rooms which are down near the beach and people don't know they are there until they really have a good look around which is usually after a few days.