Our stay at the Petra Mare in Crete was fabulous.

There was always a wide choice of food available.

Both the hotel staff and the First Choice reps were extremely friendly and hospitable.

The entertainment was family orientated, but this is a family plus hotel, and although our 15yr old got a bit bored in the evenings it was his choice not join in.

This is a well run, clean, friendly and lovely located hotel and we would definitely return.

We stayed here all inclusive.

Food: Breakfast was really good, fresh bread, cereals, full English, donuts- lovely. But after that it all went down hill the food in the evenings was so boring, I understand they cater for Germans as well, you think they would have at least a seven day rota for the food, more like every other day same food, just kept having salad all the time. Deserts were nice though and the fresh bread was superb, the snack bar always have pasta, chips and pizza then either hot dog sausages or lamb kebabs either day, which after two weeks was really same. The ice cream was only free during 1 hour in morning and one in afternoon.

Once again only complaint was variety, but still there are loads on bars and cafes along the resort front, say hello to the Greek basil fawlty if you see him in his taverna near the old fort. Or have a nice fillet steak down at Zorbas lovely.

Location: very good location, ok it takes 1hr 50 mins to get there from airport, but situated at end of bay with the local resort stretching all the way round the bay, a lovely stroll along the prom.

Hotel staff: Very good indeed, hotel shop catered for nearly everything, and he could of charged what he like but was very cheap, if you brought an inflatable they even had an electric pump to pump it up for you.

In the main bar 18.00 till late I only every saw one bloke working, he never took a day off, always remembered what we were drinking top man.

Waiters/waitresses were very good always asking before taking plates away and cleaning up tables.

Entertainment: To be honest for two weeks we mainly sat round the corner from the entertainment bar, just outside the main bar overlooking the sea, but what we did see seemed quite good, there was the usual kids disco 20.00 till 21.00 then bingo which we only played once but our friends won 162 euros that night, which was well worth doing for 2 euros a ticket. Then they had different entertainment every night organized in-house. They did get Greek dancers in one night.

Would I visit again? Yes due to the wonderful location of hotel and all the pools and slides and the kids club was a godsend.

There always seemed to be a member of staff cleaning somewhere in the hotel at any time of day or night. The rooms were nice, and more importantly were cleaned every day by the maids.

Not sure that we'd do all inclusive again, the food wasn't up to much really, and there was not much choice for the children. Everything seemed to be cooked with too much salt, not to everyones taste.

The hotel staff were really friendly and polite, and always did what they could to help.

The entertainment was excellent. The First Choice reps worked really really hard, both for the adults and the children. A big thank you to both Sarah's who run the Kids Club. They are always about to help and look after the children brilliantly.

We would definitely come back to this hotel, but not on an all inclusive deal.

Just back from 2 weeks holiday at the Petra Mare, couldnt fault it in any way, its the only place we have been where the kids have asked to go back the next year.

The hotel is always being cleaned along with the outside space and pool area, no mean task with the amount of people around all day, your room is cleaned every day along with fresh towels.

Considering the amount of guests this hotel caters for, all tastes were covered, there was never a day where there wasnt something you could not eat, you never had to queue for a table and what a premium to eat your meals overlooking the med, the snack bar was available all day and nothing was too much trouble for the staff.

The location is idyllic, we spent 2 weeks on the beach much preferring that to the pool area and there were parasols everywhere so you could get out of the sun when it was too hot. Its a lovely walk into the local town which is still very unspoilt from major tourism.

We cannot fault any of the staff at this hotel, they all had a smile and were friendly and helpfull, Alex in the main bar is a star cant work out if he ever goes home but he always remembers you and does a mean cocktail.

We marked the entertainment as excellent just for the amount of effort the reps put into it, the kids loved them and we laughed (not sure with them or at them) John was a star slightly outnumbered by the better sex but he is playing a blinder, had a great time trying to understand Christina but it made it all the funnier, great singing voice though.

Massive thank you to Jenni from wavelength who along with Amy kept the kids occupied and of course Helen, it wont be the same without you.

We would definately return to this hotel next summer.

Me, my wife and 2 kids have just returned from the Petra Mare yesterday morning. For anyone concerned about going because of any bad reports you have read, don't be.

The hotel is absolutely fine so you will have no problems.
The rooms are clean and kept clean daily.

The food is pretty good, there should always be something there for you to choose from. There is always around 4 or 5 main meals to pick plus lots of side dishes. There is a good salad bar and plenty of deserts to choose from as well. Soup is also offered every evening. I travel abroad on business regularly and have eaten at some very good places and no the food doesn't compare to michelin star eateries or anything like that but it is quite OK.

The terrace overlooking the sea is very nice place to eat your meals.

The drinks are OK, the local Ouzo and Rum went down very well as did the beer. I didn't think too much of the wine but it was drinkable.

The rep was on hand most days but we did not need to use her so I can't tell you if she was OK or not. She seemed efficient enough on the transer back to the airport.

The Entertainment team of 4 (plus support from the swim instructor and a couple of German rep's)work very hard every day, they have something on the go from around 10:30 through to 11pm.

The Evening entertainment is a bit Butlinish but OK. It's, kids disco from 8-9pm then Bingo then the rep's singing, dancing or arranging party games.

You can drink in 3 places (4 if you include the restaurant).

The bar: Has a very good barman and a terrace right overlooking the beach wich is very nice. The outside entertainment area and snack bar: good for watching the show, many people socialise here.

Lastly the El Paso bar: I liked this bar, again overlooking the sea right at the far end of the hotel complex past the waterpark. Strange that more people didn't use this bar. We always popped in for a drink or two and it was never over full, sometimes only 5 or 6 people. Don't know why because the drinks are the same brands and the main bar and the music is good.

The water park is open for an hour in the morning and 1 1/2 hours in the afternoon but that seemed to be enough.

The hotel seemed nearly full but there wasn't endless ques to get on the slides. Talking of full, there was just enough sun beds to go around, just ! Most people claimed there spot by going down and putting towels on the beds before breakfast. I popped down around 9am and got 4 beds everyday except for 1 day. Even then there was beds available on the beach (which are still free as they are part of the hotel). You might struggle after 9am - 9.15am becasue most had already been taken up. I'm guessing but it seemed that many people put towels down around 8.30 ish.

You can rent cheap cars at a company about 50 metres outside the hotel entrance (left as you walk out). Another 150 metres further along you can rent scooters and motor bikes (much cheaper than in town, around 8 euro's per day for a 50cc, chepaer by the week).

It's a nice 15 minute stroll along the sea front into town to the restaurants, bars and shops.

All in all a very good hotel and a good holiday.
Any questions feel free to ask.

We travelled between the 22/07/05 - 06/08/05.
We have 2 children aged 6 and 12.

We were met at the airport in Heraklion by First Choice Rep Alistair, who was friendly, polite and informative. We were taken to our coach which ws airconditioned and clean. We departed from the airport and were taken direct to our Hotel, without stopping at any other resorts. - Alistair has assured us that all First Choice resorts have direct coaches, and don't stop at all resorts anymore. The journey only took 1-1/2 hours. Some people opted for a taxi from the airport, at a cost of 50 Euro's and they only got to the hotel +- 20 minutes before we did.

Our arrival and checkin was flawless and quick, considering we had +- 20 families on the same coach.

The hotel is constantly being cleaned by someone at all times. The room was excellently clean and was airconditioned with a fridge to keep the water and drinks cool!

There was always a wide variety of food avalable to choose from, both Greek and English. But if you are a family that only lives on Kebabs, Fish and Chips, or McDonalds, you won't be eating much. There were so many people complaining about the food during our stay, but think about it, in a fortnight at home, how many times do you eat the same thing twice anyways.
We enjoyed the food every day and found it great. If you want 5* food, book a 5* hotel.

The slides and pools provided excellent entertainment for both the kids and adults alike. Be carefull of the slippery tiles around the pools. You will slip if you run!

The entertainment is run all day by the reps, and activities were varied for all ages. The kids club is brilliant in both the age groups we had ours in. The evening entertainment is fun and a good laugh, but if you want to see a West End show, go to London! There is a lot of audience participation, and the more you participate, the more you'll enjoy it!

Remember that this countries temp is +- 40C - so if you fancy a stroll, there are banks, pubs, pharmacies and shops +- 2 miles away from the resort.

If you don't remember beach towels, and you need to buy them, the shop in the resort sells them for 6 Euro, but if you walk out the resort and visit the 2nd shop on the left, they have everything at half the price of the shop in the resort. An example of the resort shop rip-off prices were the suntan cream. Resort shop 14.50 Euro - outside 9.50 Euro. The resort shop is a massive rip off, except for the water. 50 cents for a litre bottle.

All in all, we had a Fantastic holiday, and will visit this hotel and resort again.

We arrived at the Petra Mare hotel (pronounced Petra Mar-ay)on the 26th July after a 1hr 20 minute transfer from Heraklion. As we were the only family travelling there, First Choice had arranged a taxi for us which was ready and waiting as soon as our cases were collected, they were extremely efficient.

First impressions of the hotel were pleasing and the reps greeted us as soon as we arrived handing out forms for the children to fill out for the kid's club. As this hotel is Half board as well as All Inclusive the adults in the party have to wear a wrist band for the duration of their stay.

Our room was smaller than we had expected as the room shown in the brochure is the room that accommodates up to 6 people and the balcony is very small but the balcony for the family rooms are huge in comparison.

We were a little disappointed with the cleanliness of our room on arrival, the toilet seat was dirty and also the toilet bowl which I ended up cleaning myself as a toilet brush is provided. The floor was also very dusty and around the light shades and lamp. It almost gave the impression that the room had been missed but saying that the maids did come into the room everyday to clean and make the beds and provide fresh towels and we had no complaints there whatsoever, they always did a good job so I think it was a one off on the day we arrived. There was plenty of storage space in the rooms however we did get a dodgy shelf that collapsed a couple of times taking the clothes with it and just silly gripes like the lamps having no light bulbs but nothing major that couldn't be put right.

The staff work really hard keeping the hotel clean, constantly cleaning area's and tidying things away. One main area that did seem to have a major problem were the toilets situated next to the snack bar. We felt they needed monitoring more often and the smell as you walked down the stairs to them was quite offensive at times. Of an evening the floor of the toilets would become very wet and did actually flood whilst we were there and part of the problem was due to the fact that the bins provided for the toilet tissue were often overflowing and my guess is the paper got put down the toilet causing blockages. It was also a little upsetting to see graffiti all over the toilet doors regrettably all in English! The toilets situated at the far side of the pools next to the children's play area also smelled offensive at times but always seemed clean inside. The best toilets for the hotel are just down the staircase opposite the lifts in reception, most guests tended to use these of an evening.

The food in the hotel was a big let down for us and we are not fussy eaters. There was always plenty of it but just not to our liking at all. We did struggle at times to put a meal together. We found a lot of the dishes to be cooked in vinegar or very salty. They did serve vegetables every evening but again either very salty or with a strong vinegar taste. The food at times wasn't as hot as we would have liked and it did get quite repetitive. The salad bar however was very good with plenty to choose from and fresh bread was also provided daily and soup was always on offer with the evening meal which proved popular. The snack bar was pretty much the same food day in day out and again the hot food wasn't particularly hot. One thing that did put us off slightly was the fact that the serving utensils were kept underneath the covers on the hot food so the handles were resting on the food after being handled by all the guests. We did find also both in the snack bar and the restaurant that the handles to the servers did at times get quite hot so just be wary if you have children. I would just like to say that although we didn't enjoy the food there were people at the hotel who did. Food is quite a personal thing as what suits one doesn't always suit another so it would be a shame to go to this hotel dreading it without judging it for yourself.

The staff in the restaurant and snack bar seem to work none stop and were always pleasant. It was lovely to sit out on the patio area to eat your meals and the tables were cleared very quickly so you rarely had a problem getting a table. We did find the soft drinks in the snack bar to be of poor quality, very weak and unpleasant tasting however there are machines situated at the top end of the pool by the children's play area which seemed to be better quality and a few people had commented on this but unfortunately they were closed of an evening so we ended up buying mixers from the shop to go with the spirits. The shop is open long hours and we found it to be good value and very convenient.

The hotel is ideally situated and steps onto the beach. The sea bed is very rocky and the beach is very gritty which can be unpleasant under foot. The watersports proved to be very popular but are governed by the varying conditions of the water. They were cancelled for 5 days during our stay due to rough seas. It can get very windy in Ierapetra but when temperatures are reaching 45degs it is quite welcoming. If you take your lilo's and inflatables to the pools it's a good idea to tie them up as they can easily get blown away. The plastic drinking cups were also a nuisance in the wind especially of an evening as they would quite often blow off the table. Sunbeds are provided both around the pool sides and the beach but these got snapped up very quickly, some guests put their towels out before going to bed. We always managed to get some before going to breakfast around 8am though you do get quite a few people setting their alarms and going down at 6am!

It's a pleasant 15 minute stroll into town along the promenade but beware when you hit the shops, the shop keepers lie in wait and can be quite a nuisance if all you want to do is browse, even if you're window shopping they will pounce.

The entertainment was ok, especially enjoyable for the kid's and you could not fault the rep's, they were a brilliant team who really did go out of their way to keep you entertained, they were always friendly and on hand when you needed them.

Personally we wouldn't visit this hotel again but that's not to say that we didn't have an enjoyable holiday and we met some lovely people.

Anyone booked to go here we hope you have a wonderful time.

I was dreading coming here because I had read on here the report about don't go as it was awful. That was about 4 weeks before we were due to arrive and I refused to look on the site anymore in case there were more of the same. So you can imagine my delight when I got here that I was worried for nothing all I can say is EXCELLENT place to stay.

OK the food was repetitive but we were expecting this, when we went to Ibiza it was the same.

Hotel location was great it meant no lary teenagers or club 18-30 invading the beaches.

Hotel was cleaned through out the day it also said rooms will be cleaned twice a week they were cleaned every day.

Staff were very friendly.

The German entertainment staff mingled in with the English staff.

My son went to the kids club wave length as he is ten he was in with the older children and he had a great time.

The staff on the club are excellent especially as there were some loud kids there. Jenny is great my son loved her.

The hotel is in a lovely location next to the sea but thats all thats good about it, we went for a week all inclusive.

The food is a joke, fresh, not a chance all from tins and rewarmed leftovers. There is no excuse for this as the local market sells loads of fresh friut we ended up buying loads from here because the hotel food is the worst I have ever tasted.

The ice cream for kids is only for 2 hours a day which is rubbish for all inclusive there is a poor choice of drinks in the bar we ended up buying our own but at 5 euros for malibu and coke it aint cheap.

Don't waste your time going there isn't enough for the kids to they all end up kicking a ball around near the pool on a night to releave boredom and then get told off by the miserable staff.

In the restaurant put something down on the table at your own peril, the staff hover around picking up glasses etc as soon as you lift your fork bang plate gone even reaching across my wifes dinner to get my plate away from me absolutly disgusting.

Reported this to the rep might as well have talked to the wall, all in all a complete waste of money and time and even if its free never again will I ever return to this so called luxery hotel.

Hotel was nice, located directly on the beach, although it was volcanic sand and not golden sand. Swimming pools were really good and my 10 year old loved them. Although we were disappointed the slides were only open for 2 and half hours each day.

There was one cleaner that seemed to be there 24hrs a day cleaning, but the maids were a bit slap dash. One day we had to get them back 3 times.

The food was edible, we wouldn't go hungry, but it wasn't very nice, ok if you like octopus or veal. They do provide highchairs but not one of them had a strap. You pay for the children all inclusive but they actually only get a seperate "kids menu" at tea, for breakfast and dinner they have to have whatever there is for the adults.

I couldn't fault the staff (except one) who were all friendly and helpful. The entertainment was a bit of a let down. We specifically booked for the kids club, but for my daughters the 9-15 wavelength club didn't have the staff to accomodate. The had 1 activity for 2 hours - 4 days a week so in a whole week she had 8 hours of activity. The younger age group had 3 x 2 hour sessions 7 days a week. This is actually if you can get your name down in the first place. At one stage they had space for 30 children on one activity but had 138 children to cater for, bit ridiculous.

The snack bar was good but everyday for 2 weeks we had pizza & chips or spaghetti. The icecream was served from 11-12 and then 4-5, I do feel that as all inclusive this should be provided all the time.

Be careful if booking any trips, as you may be misled just so the reps get their commission. We booked 1 trip which we were told would be a 1 -1.45 hr coach journey to Heraklion, a trip to their market, then shopping in Heraklion centre (which is supposed to be really nice), then onto an olive oil factory. The night before at 20:30 hrs we were informed by a rep that there had been a slight ammendment, but the only change was we would now be going wine tasting instead of the olive oil factory. We thought "result". Well, we were picked up at 8am sharp, and after 14 pickups & 3 hours on the coach (with an 11 month old terror) we arrived at Heraklion and were told we had 1 hour to go round the "gypsy" market then had to get back on the coach to actually then go to the wine place then pottery place and some other rubbish place. No time to stop and shop at Heraklion. We did no more than get off the coach and terminate the trip and get a taxi back to the hotel from there costing us