Me and my boyfriend had been looking to plan a holiday and came across this hotel which in our brochure was a 3*.

When we got there we was so disappointed first impressions count right? There was nothing to make us think this hotel is great we saw the pool it looked OK but when we were shown to our room we were disgusted it looked awful we looked out on to the balcony and there was an ashtray still with fags in it.

We never tasted the food there as all we wanted to do in the room was sleep and keep out of it as much as we could.

As for the staff the bar staff was lovely but for the people who owned the hotel we were quite upset by them we got there and the women who was on reception seemed so desperate for us to get a safe and I'm not keen on the idea of getting a safe anyway but she even tried to say I will give it you for half price which made me weary of her.

As for the entertainment all there was, was a weekly BBQ which neither me or my boyfriend tried.

Stelios Stalis Apartments

The first thing to be aware of is that there are a number of complexes under the

I really enjoyed going to Crete in September last year. I was the only child on the complex because all the rest off the people was middle aged and above but no-one made me feel left out.

All the people would talk to me and include me in the games they had around the pool. The staff were really friendly and made you feel welcome.

Crete was the best holiday I have been on and I can't wait to go back this year again!

When we first arrived at the hotel we were pleasantly surprised, the pool was of a reasonable size, the area around it was very spacious with plenty of sunbeds. This was important to us as there were 13 of us going to be wanting a bed every day.

The rooms however wern't that great. Out of the 4 rooms we had 2 were satisfactory, the other 2 were smaller than usual and had a number of problems with the bathrooms. My room was a decent size but on arrival we realised that the fridge wasn't working and it took 5 days for the owner to get it checked out and then 3 more days for her to buy a new one. Because of the heat out there a fridge is a neccesity.

Whenever any of us showered the bathroom floor would become flooded which would then go into the kitchen area. There was only the very basic of cooking facilities, 2 electric rings. My friend took a travel kettle incase there wasn't one and this was extremely useful.

The cleaner came at around half 10 once a week, this wasn't enough. We weren't messy people but if any food was dropped on the floor there would be swarms of ants in no time. Watch out for the green flying things and the flying cockroaches too!!

We stayed at Stelios Stalis Apartments in Stalis. We had booked the holiday quite late in the season and especially wanted a first floor apartment, which we got. We were pleasantly surprised with the apartment which had a balcony with a beautiful view over the sea to Stalis Town. Our apartment was at the back of the complex and not at all noisy. We found most of the staff very friendly, especially Andreas, the entertainments manager who speaks excellent English and provides entertainment including bingo, karaoke, magic show for the children and lots of games for them too. Anyone who doesn't like bingo or karaoke doesn't need to go so I would say to those who complained, you were only self catering anyway so if you didn't like the entertainment then you should have gone out, and found your own!

The bar and restaurant were basic but the food was nice and the breakfast was the best value in town. Only criticism I would have would be that some of the bar staff were a bit over-the-top and, like a lot of greek waiters, flirty with the young girls (some of whom enjoyed it, some who found it embarrassing). Still, for the cost of the holiday, you shouldn't expect perfection. A holiday is what you make of it and we would certainly return to Stelios Stalis Apartments.

There is a main pool where the families of young children tended to congregate and where Andreas organised pool games. There is also a small pool at the back of the hotel which was great for those of us wanting to relax, sunbathe and pop into the water when we got too hot. Never particularly busy whilst we were there in August.

We hired a car locally and the evening when it was delivered to the apartments, it had its back window smashed. However, the staff were helpful in contacting the hire company who replaced the car by lunchtime the next day.

The apartments were quite a steep walk to the town I would suggest that anyone with mobility problems would either need to taxi around or be driven by hirecar.

Good clean spacious rooms, decent sized bathroom and wash area.

Good location for all ages, walking distance to centre of stalis, 10 min taxi journey to malia and walking distance to beach.

Could not get nicer staff, friendly and extremely approachable.

Always something going on, would recommend karaoke and cretan night!

Will definitely be returning to this hotel in the near future.