Abaton Island Resort & Spa — Hotel in Municipality of Chersonissos

As a discerning traveller, I approached Abaton Island with high expectations, and I must say, in many ways, it delivered. The overall design and atmosphere of the hotel are undeniably impressive – modern, tasteful, and clearly aimed at providing a tranquil, luxurious environment. However, there were a few areas where service and attention to detail didn’t quite live up to the surroundings.||The Setting & Design|The layout of the resort is excellent – bars and restaurants are thoughtfully distanced from the guest rooms, allowing for peaceful evenings. The three-tone décor throughout the hotel is fresh and elegant, and there’s no shortage of comfortable loungers around the pool areas. The pastry chef deserves a special mention – their creations were consistently delightful.||Reception & Hospitality|Special credit goes to the day reception staff – they were fantastic. Warm, friendly, and nothing was ever too much trouble. When we asked to view other room types, they happily obliged, showing us several options without any fuss or pressure. The Dream Villas are simply stunning, and the seafront rooms with private pools are, in my opinion, the best choice for future stays. Elegant, private, and beautifully positioned – well worth considering if you want that extra touch of luxury.||Dining Experience|The dining experience was mixed. The hot buffet options were acceptable, though they lacked variety – after a few days, it all began to feel somewhat repetitive and uninspired. While breakfast and dinner buffets were well presented, the salad station, meat counter, bread selection and dessert offerings remained virtually identical at both meals and across multiple days, leaving little to look forward to.||The à la carte offering in the main restaurant failed to stand out, and sadly didn’t provide the upgrade in quality or experience one might expect. The quality of meat cuts served was below what one would expect at this price point, and the menu itself felt limited.||Pricing at the specialty restaurants is based on weight, with some cuts available only in large minimum portions – for instance, T-bone at 650g or Picanha at 300g. I had hoped to treat my wife to a fillet steak at the “WOW” restaurant, only to find it was unavailable on the night we visited – a frustrating oversight in planning. While the food we did have was cooked perfectly, our meal – one T-bone, fries, grilled vegetables, a bottle of water, and no wine – came to €170. The pricing structure, combined with the limited portioning options, made it difficult to dine flexibly or affordably, especially for couples with different preferences in doneness. The service unfortunately came across as pretentious, giving the impression that unless you were happy to spend €120 per head, you perhaps didn’t belong there.||Our second evening was spent at Elemes, which serves more traditional fare. I’d specifically wanted to try the slow-roasted lamb I’d seen cooking during the day, but once again, the minimum order was 1kg and it was served without any side dishes – the only available accompaniment being a simple salad. Finding something more substantial to go with it proved difficult. When I enquired about the other lamb dish, supposedly cooked in the wood-fired oven, I was told it had been prepared that day. However, having attended a cooking course and observed the ovens daily (with a genuine interest in wood-fired cooking), I knew this was not the case. The host’s response felt dismissive and again, somewhat overbearing.||Accommodation|We were kindly upgraded to a loft room, which offered a stunning view and a charming, shaded balcony that became our favourite retreat. However, the room design lacked practicality – limited wardrobe space, and the second floor (intended for children) had a sharply sloped ceiling that led to more than one bumped head.||The bathroom layout, with a centrally placed freestanding bath that took an age to fill, felt more architectural than practical. That said, the large TV and ability to connect to YouTube were very welcome. A simple addition such as Netflix or Amazon Prime access would greatly enhance evenings in.||Housekeeping|Housekeeping was inconsistent. Some days it was good, but on others it was poor at best. Looking out from our balcony, we noticed dirty glasses and towels left on the unused balconies below for several days without being cleared. General attention to detail in the room was basic – we had to ask every day for our towels to be refreshed, and for some reason the tea and coffee weren’t ever restocked, which seems crazy for a five-star hotel. We received turndown service only once during our stay. It may be helpful if the hotel provided a simple note or option indicating what time turndown takes place, as I was met more than once by a knock at the door just as I stepped out of the shower while getting ready for dinner.||Resort Atmosphere|I’d read reviews complaining about loud music, but found those concerns unfounded. There are plenty of areas away from the main pool where peace and quiet can be found. On the other hand, if you enjoy the Buddha Bar vibe, the poolside is a great spot to soak up the beats and sun.||That said, in today’s modern and largely smoke-free environment, cigar smoking should really be banned on the beach and balconies. On more than one occasion, the smell threatened to ruin our otherwise peaceful balcony time, forcing us to head indoors rather than create a scene. Reception kindly offered to move us, which was appreciated, but our room was fabulous and relocating mid-holiday would have been a disruption. It’s a small policy tweak that could make a big difference to guest comfort.||Customer Experience|Unfortunately, our arrival just before midnight came with a frustrating string of charges – tourist taxes, a room service hold on the card, and a meal we had to pay for up front (though it was refunded). A gesture of hospitality, such as some pastries, fruit, and water in the room, would have gone a long way.||Another small gripe: charging €5 for a bottle of water with every meal feels unnecessary in a five-star environment. Offering a complimentary jug of chilled water would strike a better balance.||Connectivity|WiFi was superb – one login for the week and flawless coverage across the entire resort, even the beach. However, there were no USB or USB-C charging ports in the room, which is quite an oversight in today’s tech-dependent age.||Positives|- Thoughtful resort layout with peaceful room locations|- Stylish, modern décor throughout|- Plenty of poolside loungers and daybeds|- Outstanding pastry chef and breakfast pastries|- Fantastic WiFi coverage throughout the resort|- Beautiful views and peaceful balconies|- Excellent and accommodating day reception staff|- Dream Villas and seafront rooms with private pools are truly stunning||Areas for Improvement|- Repetitive buffet options – would benefit from themed nights and more variety|- À la carte meat quality and pricing model could be improved|- Service in some restaurants came across as pretentious and overbearing|- Room design could use more practical storage and modern charging points|- Cold plates served with premium steaks – hot plating would be expected at this price point|- Water should be offered free of charge with meals – €5 per bottle is excessive|- A better welcome experience for late-night arrivals would leave a stronger first impression|- Housekeeping consistency and attention to detail need addressing|- Cigar smoking should be restricted on balconies and beaches to preserve shared guest spaces||Final Thoughts|Abaton Island is beautifully conceived and has the potential to be exceptional. With improvements to service culture, menu variety, housekeeping and a few thoughtful touches in the rooms, this could easily be a five-star stay. The reception team were a highlight, and I’ll definitely be booking one of the premium rooms with a private...

This really is a lovely hotel. The setting is beautiful with sandy and rocky beeches as well as various pools. ||The rooms are modern and comfortable however with (ours at least) a sitting area in a mezzanine area up some stairs (which we didn't use) storage for clothes was minimal.||Staff our very pleasant. Housekeeping could have been better (on close inspection the ceiling fan was caked in dust and some areas of the floor were not swept well with the same bits still in place day after day).||My main issue was about the food. We chose this resort (and selected Half Board) because of it's online reputation for vegetarians and vegans and the claims vegans are "thrilled" with the "vegan menus in all five restaurants". ||This is not actually true. Every restaurant has excellent vegetarian menus. But almost all these dishes include dairy (some bizarrely also include fish...). Waiting staff didn't always understand. Their stock response is to offer the vegetarian menu but remove the offending item - this often means removing the essence of the dish (so for instance, one night I had a large bowl of chick peas in sauce - it was nice but was chick pea overkill). A vegan menu means a selection of dishes that are designed for someone that is fully plant based - it's not about offering a Greek salad without the feta or some creamy dish without the sauce.||I did talk to the Guest Relations Manager (who was very understanding) and she advised us to let the staff know on booking that we were vegan and then to ask to talk to the chef. When we did this we often had a very nice experience (one chef cooked us some lovely dishes off menu - he had experience of cooking previously in a monastery with mainly vegan food).||But by the end of the week we were just fed up with having to go through the saga at every mealtime. At breakfast we would need ask ask for vegan cheese or vegan sausages (there were no vegan cakes, pastries or dairy alternatives beyond milk so about 80% of the buffet was not available to us). The vegan porridge was very nice.||We'd recommend the following to the hotel to make it a real delight for vegans:|- Take note when guests arrive of dietary preferences and intolerances - have this info follow through to restaurant bookings - this really isn't asking a lot for a 5 star establishment. It would benefit people with dairy and gluten intolerances too|- Add some specialist vegan dishes to each restaurant menu (not just removing things from the vegetarian options)|- Sort the WOW vegetarian menu out so that it is clear what are main dishes and what are sides (currently it is all listed on the app as Mains which was very confusing)|- Include some additional vegan options for breakfast like tofu scramble, soya yoghurt, vegan cheese and meat substitutes, pastries and cakes|- Add a vegan option to the breakfast A La Carte menu - tofu scramble, avocado on toast, bruschetta...|- Check your labelling. I found lots of items that were labelled as vegetarian or vegan that included fish, dairy or honey. Not everything was labelled (the focaccia apparently includes dairy but the rest of the bread doesn't - none of this was labelled)|- Train your staff - one waiter argued with me about how there were vegan items on the menu in Elemes (there isn't - there is a vegetarian menu but almost every item included dairy) and another was adamant that a salmon dish was vegan. Once we had found Niki (captain in the main restaurant) she was super helpful and showed us what was available that we could eat (including some vegan sausages that were labled as 'Creten' but looked like meat). She was also great at communicating these things with other staff. She was also able to advocate for us with the chef.||Until that happens I recommend vegans prepare to ask for changes / speak to the chef at pretty much every meal (and yes, that's pretty tedious). 6% of the UK population is vegetarian and 3% vegan. 46% of adults say they intend to cut their intake of animal products. These numbers are growing. The cost to you is minimal. And you'll have vegans like us choosing your hotel over one that doesn't offer such a choice. Vegan food is cheaper and has less of a carbon footprint - all good things for a hotel.||I know the above review seems like we are making a massive fuss ("you'll know someone is a vegan because they will tell you") but honestly, I'd rather give the feedback and see you finding more vegans coming to the resort - Crete is a challenge for vegans. We chose Abaton because of it's online reputation and because we thought a 5 star resort would be accommodating. To a degree it was but every meal felt like a bit...

When we first arrived at Abaton, it was breathtaking. The front desk staff was very accommodating. We arrived early prior to the check in time and the hotel staff was able to get us in our room with a small (~1 hour) wait. When we arrived to our room, it was beautiful as well and very spacious. Everything was just like the pictures we saw online. We opted for the Abaton Collection Suite with sharing pool. As a welcome gift, we were delivered a bottle of wine, water, a bowl of fruit, and some delicious desserts. We were celebrating my birthday. The hotel went above and beyond to make me a delicious cake. These were the highlights to our stay.

Now, let’s pull back the curtains…. The customer service is lacking severely. As stated, the front desk staff were very accommodating and provided great customer service. Unfortunately, this did not spill down to other areas in the hotel. Our first day, we ate the late breakfast at the Elemes Cretan Cuisine restaurant. Our waitress, Chrissa, was extremely disrespectful. She did not take our drink order. We had to ask another waiter for drinks. When we received the drinks, she never once refilled our drinks. We repeatedly saw her refill drinks of everyone else in the restaurant (it was small). When we asked for anything, she had an attitude, and I saw her roll her eyes several times. She did not want to serve us and made it plain and clear.

Later that day we made it to the main pool. We didn’t know how to open the chair umbrellas or if we were allowed to open them ourselves. So, we asked one of the bar servers for help. He ignored us. We asked again, again ignored. Finally, he says, “what is it that you want!?”. Ignoring his tone, we asked for help with the beach umbrella. He proceeds to say that is not his job and went back to what he was doing. He never once went and got us any help.

This is only a few instances of what we experienced.

I can say we always had great customer service at the main, buffet, restaurant. I think the hostess name was Maria. She was exceptionally nice.

The hotel has no entertainment. Around 9pm the hotel is a ghost town. I think most guests leave and travel to the city center area. We learned this a little too late into our trip. The food and drinks were overly priced. Drinks were around 18 – 22 euros a piece. Food started around 32 euros. It was ridiculous. Once we found the city center area, the same foods and drinks that were served at the hotel were significantly reduced (~9 euros). I would suggest skip every restaurant at the hotel and travel 5 minutes down the road and get your money worth. A few suggestions, King Scorpio & Delly’s lounge/restaurant. That entire area has loads of restaurants and night life.

The day of checkout, be prepared for housekeeping to walk right into your room before the 12pm checkout time.

I can say, I will never stay at Abaton again. I almost allowed the terrible treatment we received to mess up our entire vacation. I’m happy we encountered some great people outside of the resort that showed us the hospitality...