Alai Crete

We traveled as a couple having booked this holiday through Jet2. This was our first stay in Stalis, which is 5mins from Malia and chose this hotel as it was identical to the Tribute Portfolio we stayed at in Ibiza in recent years.

The Hotel has 2 seperate blocks, the main block has the reception with the secondary block about 15metres adjacent to the main area. Upon our evening arrival at the hotel, we were warmly greeted by. the reception staff and asked to pay the City Tax prior to going to our room. Additionally, there was an option to pay €200 deposit for anything you may wish to order from the pool that would be charged. to your room. This was optional, as you could pay by card at the time of purchasing food/drinks if you did not wish to pay a deposit up front.

Our bags were carried to our room in the secondary block, where all room numbers begin with a 7. The room is consistent in look and feel of our Ibiza stay, so that was a positive and there was a handwritten welcome message. and sweets left on the pillow. Nice touch! we had a small balcony that looked out towards the pool and Sea.

The room had very Good Air Conditioning and a Ceiling fan.
An annoying issue is with the power card switch in the room, the issue being you were unable to turn off the green light and it would shine right through the night. There is a fridge filled with complimentary. water, but no Mini. Bar. This was good for us as it mean't you could stock more drinks in the fridge of. your own choice, that you purchased from the supermarket.

The bathroom was ideal size with complimentary toiletries,Shower gel,Shampoo, Conditioner, Moisturiser. all other appliances such. as Iron, Hair dryer, Desk, pen paper, Bible, book of Mormon and combination Safe. Housekeeping is executed everyday, and as you should not flush. toilet paper waste , the toilet bin is cleared twice a day. The only downside of the room was lack of drawer space and that to reach the Combination Safe you had to bend down to floor level to access it. However this is not really an issue. There is a decent gym, which we used a few times, with towels, Fruit and Water.

Breakfast is served in a large indoor and outdoor area. where. you are again warmly greeted by some great staff. There is a self service European buffet, where you can also grab pastries, fruit, yoghurt. etc. The staff. will cook your eggs, omelette fresh in any way you like to order, in addition to serving you teas, coffee, fruit juices. Nadia one of the Hostess' will help you with choosing the places to visit around the local area. There are 2 pools on the complex, each area has a bar and restaurant where you can order food/drinks. There are a number of Bali beds, Sunbeds by each pool, but it did look like people made a great effort to get those beds early before then going tto breakfast. We stayed mostly by the beach which is steps away from the pool. The sea is calm and the sand is a delight, as shingle beach is quite annoying. The only concerns I have about the beach are the Smokers, There should either be a Smokers section at the beach or No Smoking at all. Its frustrating to have persistent smokers by the beds in addition to a lot of cigarette butts all over the sand. Constantly smelling cigarettes and vapes is not a pleasant experience, especially where there are children and if you dont smoke, like us. The beach Sunbeds are good, they are free and accessible, although you will notice some mattresses are thicker than others which adds to the comfort. These should be consistently all the same as the thin sunbeds felt like laying on a slice of bread.

Those with disabilities or wheelchair users will find the complex accessible with lifts and ramps servicing all the area's.........with exception of the beach itself, there is no ramp to the beach.

As our return flight was in the evening , we got access to a room to clean and freshen up before getting our transfer. Upon checking out, the hotel gave us a small box of Raki and a charm. A very nice touch.

I would definitely visit again, I recommend visiting the Malia Old Town for the restaurants, then go further afield to Aghios Niklaos which is accessible by bus and about 45mins away.

What a fabulous hotel, location was perfect , staff were super friendly especially Irene on the breakfast , bar staff are amazing and the restaurant staff were superb. Food is 5 star , the maids were so friendly and helpful and kept our room perfect , we had a seaview room 430 , beautiful view , excellent beach front with loads of sunbeds and 2 great pools , very accessible and right on the strip where you can find everything you didn't realise you needed special mention to Nadia who greeted every guest with a smile and warmth only the Cretans know too well.we will definitely be back soon and highly recommend this amazing beautiful hotel that has a great relaxing atmosphere and was great value for the money

This hotel came highly recommended and it didn’t disappoint.Its in a great spot almost on the beach and in the centre of town. It’s very clean and the staff are very attentive . We had a lovely roomy ground floor room minutes from the restaurant , beach and pool . The breakfast was very good and orders were taken for freshly cooked eggs of your choice with various à la carte options too . I’d return in an instant