M City Hotel — Hotel in Municipality of Chania

I really didn’t want to have to leave a bad review as the women on reception was so nice and helpful but we were disappointed with our stay.| |I had booked a family suite which on the pictures showed two light filled rooms and a balcony, when I booked I specifically asked to be on the highest floor available. When we arrived we were told we have been ‘upgraded’ to a different room which was a dark apartment on the basement & ground floor with a mezzanine level. It was honestly the exact opposite of what I wanted and what I had booked and paid for. We asked if we could change rooms but all they could offer us was a small double room on the upper level but we had our son with us and he would have to sleep in the same small room (hence why we booked family suite). The apartment we were given had three bedrooms (far too much space for us) but all on different levels so not ideal when staying with a child, the basement and mezzanine level bedrooms had little to no natural light as they didn’t have any external windows, two small windows on the stairwells near each room gave the only natural light and the ground floor bedroom was also very dark. Whilst I fully appreciate the hotel tried to be helpful and ‘upgrade’ us, for us it wasn’t an upgrade and we paid for something we weren’t happy with.| |After inspecting the apartment I found two windows unlocked, one on the basement which did have bars but another on the ground floor bedroom which did not have bars and opened to an alleyway behind the hotel. This lack of security staying with a child was extremely concerning.| |There were two bathrooms with walk-in showers but neither of them had a hook to have the shower head above your head, you had to shower with a handheld shower which was annoying. The ground floor shower head was broken and shot water in two different directions.| |Luckily we only stayed one night so we stayed out of the apartment as long as possible but if we had been staying longer I would have cancelled the rest of my stay and gone elsewhere if they would not move me to the room I booked and paid for.| |As a positive the hotel is in a great location with lots of shops, restaurants and cafes close by. It’s also a very short walk into the Old Town. They have an agreement with the parking garage opposite to leave your car there (for a charge). As I said the women on reception was so friendly and helpful, apologies I forgot her name but she had short dark hair, but given our experience we would not book...

Above all - above rooms, location, food - comes service. So let's start with Katarina and Harah the two delightful women who run the M City Hotel in Chania (BTW, it's pronounced HanYAH). Katarina is a sanctified delight. She stayed late after my flight was delayed. She made breakfast early when I needed to go to Iraklion at 8;30. She showed me strange new tea herb (I think she picked them herself!), called "Mal-AH-tirah" that cured my indigestion (party on). Nothing was beyond her dedication to making me and every guest in her care, utterly pleased and dying to return!

Hara takes over in the evenings and odd hours, also speaks great English but will practice some Greek with you if you wish. An expert in the "inside" story of Chania - like the best beach on Sunday or how to get into museums for free.

Now the hotel: Ultra modern, keyless entry, great A/C, luscious bedding, lots of power jacks, large flat TV, lights in the hanging bar of the closet (!), LED spots, snack bag with room coffee, even a complimentary carafe of raki in the fridge!

Most rooms have balconies, 3rd floor has mountain views, short walk to city beaches, taxi and rent-a-car access via concierge. Fair room rates on and off-season. The location lacks the 5-star pre-requisite of an ocean view, but the morning sun breaks over the distant mountains just to the left of a mystical Orthodox church dome on a nearby hill, reminiscent of the opening descriptions of a Kazantzakis novel. Just fine by me.

And the breakfast that Katarina serves! Fresh oranges and juice machine (be sure to turn it on before pressing down on the orange), Nespresso-style coffee maker, ever conceivable Greek pastry, hot eggs, goat yogurt, dozens of fruits both fresh and jellied, breakfast pizza (!?), spanakopita - on and on. Pig out. You won't need to eat again until dinner.

Book The M. You will not be disappointed...and say hi to...

Enjoyed our 4 day stay very much. Excellent location few minutes walk from shops, restaurants and accessible walk into Chania centre/ port. Plenty of shops and cute lanes, and places to eat / drink. ||Bus garage next door takes you to various places and airport cheaply. |Eg we went on lovely day trip to Rethymonos ||Room is medium sized , clean and comfy. |Bed little soft for our liking. ||Staff helpful and friendly especially interacted with Maria, Ivangelos and Nondas. Service with a smile. ||Breakfast fresh and adequate selection for us. Helpful friendly lady on duty. ||Have tea coffee in room. |Small balcony with seating and drier rack for clothes. |Fridge in room, but no drinks/ snacks in it. After 1st day of x2 complimentary water bottles you have to buy your own. ||Possible Improvements - provide shower cap to use for use when have rain shower in bathroom. |Provide X2 free bottles a day of water |Thank you. Would recommend this gem...