Hotel Phoenix — Hotel in Municipality of Agios Vasileios

Elena and Manolis, the owners of the building, were very welcoming, helpful and catered for our every need. The whole complex has a homely and cosy feeling to it, along with a lovely swimming pool that has a view of the mountains and peaceful olive groves.||||The apartment itself was clean, well-serviced and had everything we needed. Elena dropped in cake and other treats to us several times! Manolis gave very useful advice for sight-seeing in the area. Otherwise it is a quiet place with no disturbances, a nice balcony to have your breakfast on and otherwise just fresh air and friendly cats.||||The land around it is quite wild and scenic, with the nearest buildings several hundred meters away - so there is a real rustic, countryside vibe. Souda beach is only 15-20 minutes' walk away, or a few minutes' drive... it is one of the best beaches in the area, with a nice bar (Beach Bar Galini) that provides free sun loungers and parasol if you have a drink there, and an impressive backdrop of high peaks and rugged coastline. Lots of exploring and snorkelling opportunities. All of the service staff are very friendly and helpful. Plakias village is also nearby, which is a great spot to chill out and enjoy good food, casual drinks and some interesting craft shops and supermarkets.||||In short, I highly recommend staying at the Phoenix Apartments if you want the perfect blend of countryside living, unspoiled beaches and cosy village life. Rethymnon is only 30 mintues' drive away if you want to delve into more city life, though the gorge-driving is not for the faint of heart! (very...

This was our first trip to Crete, and this quiet spot among olive trees and birdsong couldn't have been more perfect. The warm welcome from Eleni and Manolis set the tone for our whole stay. The rooms are simple and clean (a little cool in mid-April on the ground floor but Eleni provided heating units when we asked) with some nice amenities like a little treat of home-baked cake on the table each day, and even a traditional Greek-dyed Easter egg. Our only regret is that it was too cold to use the pool, which looked lovely. Still, April is not a bad time to visit Crete - not too many tourists, not one mosquito, wildflowers everywhere, traditional Easter celebrations in the villages.||||For our trip the location was perfect as well: we were with our two teenagers who needed a busy tourist spot like Plakias for shops and Wifi (which is not available in the ground-floor rooms), but not too close for the nature-loving parents who needed walks away from the crowds among olive groves and pastures. The hotel is within a short drive of a few Cretan villages like Sellia, Myrthios and Mariou that have superb authentic restaurants, as well as magnificent beaches such as Souda and Shinaria. Our whole stay...

We checked in to the Phoenix Hotel at Plakias, Crete and were pleasantly surprised. The price of the hotel is not expensive, so i wasn't expecting much.||||The hotel is very basic, but clean and new. Upon arrival, the Receptionist/Manager was very friendly and showed us the room etc.||||The room was very clean and bright with high ceilings and balcony. The location is not near the village center and shops but it is very close to the beach.||||Breakfast at the hotel is ok. Not great. After 10 days we got a bit tired of the monotony, but overall it was fine.||||Pros:||- free wifi in hotel room||- clean and new||- close to beach||- friendly staff||- bright and clean rooms||||Cons:||- small bathroom (especially the shower stall)||- monotonous breakfast||- far from shops||- basic set up of room (wooden bed frame, funny curtain and basic sheets)||- walls are thin, so you can hear people talking in the corridor||||Would recommend to friends who are budget conscious.||||Do note that there is no restaurant at this hotel, so it is better to eat elsewhere for...