Blue Sea Beach Affiliated by Melia — Hotel in Municipality of Chersonissos

4.5 stars ||Just back from a week at Blue Sea Beach. We came as a family of 6 with 2 young adult children and two children aged 8 and (almost) 13. ||We were a bit worried before we came after reading some negative reviews but our expectations were far exceeded, we all had such a brilliant holiday. The hotel is beautiful, the views from the bar in particular are stunning. We really enjoyed the food, we came for classic Greek food and were not disappointed, there was a huge variety every day, and enough standard options for fussier children plus some non Greek options as well. I have no idea why some people say the food is awful and the meat processed as that was the opposite of our experience. There were also loads of salad and cooked veggie options each day. My partner has a gluten intolerance but always found plenty of GF options. The main issue for him was desserts but it did seem like most desserts had a biscuit crumb that made it not GF, would be good if they could just provide adaptations like this, in the end he just left the biscuit bit so he didn't get to miss out on all the delicious desserts. ||The pools were great and unlike some reviews really not too small for us. We liked the way the biggest pool was divided/flowed over a few sections so it felt like each pool was separate but in fact you could move across each section if you wanted. There's a fantastic 0.8 metre depth pool, perfect for our 8 year old who finally learnt to swim on her front on this holiday. A lot of resorts have a childrens pool that is not deep enough to swim and then main pools where they can't touch the ground. There was also a smaller toddler pool so really something to suit everyone.||The staff here were just the loveliest bunch, so friendly and all seemed to take pride in their work. I actually felt sad that I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to some of our favorites who weren't around on our last day, especially Maria who always checked in with us during meal times. ||We did pay for late check out, which was fine and like other places we've stayed at couldn't be confirmed until the day. We were a bit disappointed that the AI ended at 6 when our pick up wasn't until 830pm (and we'd arrived well after midnight on our first day) but we made the most of it by having the fantastic Eva serve us Gyros from the snack bar for dinner before spending our last few hours with our final cocktail at the main bar. The staff at the bar were great, so attentive and we really loved the cocktails there. ||We were AI which was ideal for us as a big family group as it's hard to please children with different needs /ages. The snack bar was a godsend for the older children who didn't always get up for breakfast. We liked that there was an a la carte option and did enjoy the food at the a la carte although one of them main dishes was a bit bland. The other dishes there were lovely though. We were a bit confused by the drink options at the a la carte and were given the impression we couldn't order any AI alcohol, which seemed a bit odd as after paying for bottled beers we then to the pool bar and got AI drinks to take back up to the restaurant- the staff at the pool bar couldn't understand why we'd not been able to order AI drinks during the meal. We understand that not all things are AI but seemed a bit odd, perhaps we'd misunderstood the waitress who was otherwise really accommodating and very engaging with our children. The view from the a la carte was just perfect in the evening. ||We didn't have an issue with finding sun beds, but did have a room with a terrace near the pool so managed to get beds outside our room each day. There were always beds around though and I liked the fact that they weren't packed in like sardines. We usually go in the pool with our kids anyway so there was no need for us to have a bed next to the kids pool as we don't need to watch them from the sunbeds. ||Our 8 year old loved mini disco and the evening entertainment, and overall this was a really child friendly resort even though there were lots of couples without children at the resort too.||We found Stalis a really friendly resort, with good access to other places, Mochos in the mountains was lovely, the people there we just so welcoming and we are now addicted to the Olive paste we bought in the shop there! Heraklion just so steeped in history, the Archaeological Museum was awe inspiring. Our hearts have definitely been won over by Crete and Blue Sea Beach had a big part to play in that. Hope to be back...

We stayed at this hotel from May 6th to May 16th. We had a pleasant time, but this is certainly not a 5-star hotel. Positives: Location: The location of this hotel is perfect for someone who wants to relax and also be able to walk to a nearby city. Just outside of the hotel is Stalis with many restaurants, cafes, pubs, etc. It's a great option for someone who wants to stay at a resort but doesn't want to take a taxi everytime he wants to go out. Service: The service of the team in the main restaurant is fabulous. They are all very nice and looking to help. The supervisors who are always checking to see that everything is functioning well are extremely nice. The chef is also very nice. The Rooms: We received a nice ground floor room overlooking the pool. The room is well designed and spacious enough for everything you need. The shower and bathroom are also modern and well functioning.

Negatives: Attention to detail: We came here to celebrate our anniversary. When we mentioned this during our booking process, I emailed the front office manager (Mrs. Konsolaki) and she even asked to know when our anniversary is, and I replied with the date. We didn't come with expectations, but even a letter with a blessing or anything would have been nice. We received NOTHING on our anniversary day. I don't need anything, but this is supposed to be a 5-star hotel. How do you not put a letter or a balloon or something just to show that you are aware that it is our anniversary day? Luckily, during our evening dinner, one of the managers spoke to us and we told him its our anniversary today and he was shocked that we didn't receive anything, so he quickly made the chef bring us a small cake during dinner. This was nice of him to do. The rooms have ants that come from outside the door. We realized this only in our 3rd day, and didn't want to start dealing with moving rooms or chemicals in our room, so we just lived with it. The buffet: The food is fresh and generally tasty, but the variety is quite limited. I've been to many hotels in my lifetime, and most 5x the variety of food that Blue Sea Beach has. Also, many of the dishes are not labeled, so you have no idea what you are taking. One dish was labeled 'Noodles with vegetables' and had chicken inside. Entertainment: The entertainment was very limited. Every evening there was a show at 9pm, but most of them were lousy. The only good show was that of 'RDR Extreme live Trio' on Mondays. Kids club: We came with our 2-year old daughter and expected a nice kids club. The indoor kids club looks like nobody invested in it, there are a few tables and chairs and some pencils. The outside has a children playground, which is nice. There was one lady from Hungary there who works for the hotel who disturbed us more than helped. She kept taking the toys away from the children so that she can clean. The pools: We were excited to swim in the 'heated indoor pool'. Unfortunately, the room of the indoor pool looks abandoned and untaken care of. It smells bad, is small, and is COLD. When we complained about the cold pool, we were told that it's the right temperature. I have no idea who thinks this is the right temperature for a heated pool. We checked again later and it still was cold.

Before our last day, we told reception that we would be leaving early, and they told us we can sign up for an early breakfast. Unfortunately, we found a few pieces of bread and cheese, and coffee. That's it. When we told reception he said he is sorry and that there were people before us who had early breakfast and that they probably ate everything. I couldn't believe that was the answer he gave me.

We had a pleasant time because of the location and the service of the restaurant staff. We came to this hotel after we received a recommendation from an association I am part of in Germany. Unfortunately, I can not recommend this hotel further and will not return here in the future. With some improvements this hotel can become great, but they need to work on strengthening their...

Myself, my mum and daughter have just returned from spending 10 fabulous nights here. We have had the best time and that is down to how beautiful the hotel and grounds are, the staff, the food and location! Firstly the hotel itself is set in the most gorgeous gardens surrounding all the rooms and facilities. It’s immaculate and the variety of plants and trees is stunning. Our room had a garden view and was central to the pool and restaurant/bar areas. We were in a block of rooms all ground floor with seating area outside with loungers. There are other blocks of rooms that are 2 storey too. There’s a mix of rooms, some are next to the pool, or on the front facing the sea, and some have their own pool. The room was cleaned every day to a high standard. Even though our seating area was taken up by a bed for my daughter, we still had room to get ready in comfort. Only slight negatives on the room is the air conditioning could be better within the main area and the tv has only a couple of English channels which are just news ones. It would of been good to have the option of seeing other channels for those times when relaxing in the room. Restaurants- The main buffet restaurant is a great size with both inside and outside seating. The staff are fabulous and friendly and are at your table within a couple of minutes to take your drinks order. The food variety is good but I would of liked to see more beef, chicken and fish being offered at the chefs grill. We only had roast chicken one day and I didn’t see and chicken being cooked on the grill. Fresh fish would of been good too- I would of loved some fish and salad. There tended to be a lot of pork on offer which unfortunately I don’t like too much. There was a couple of occasions that I just fancied a tuna salad and as it wasn’t on that day, I spoke to one of the kitchen staff and they kindly brought me out tuna which was fantastic. All the staff at the resort can not do enough for you and are always super happy to help. The a la cart restaurant was really lovely too. We had one visit included within our all inclusive and booked it with the lady at the entrance to the main restaurant. The food was fantastic there and the lady who is the chef there was so friendly and informative on the food on offer. It’s only small so book early! We loved the decor in there too and it looks out to sea which is just gorgeous. There is also the pool bar that serve fresh food to order, great burgers, wraps etc. The wait can be a while in the queue at peak times but if you just leave it till it’s quieter it’s much quicker. Pool- The pools were all really clean. They are not massive but ample enough and my daughter loved them as did I. The loungers around the pool on the grassed area are a little tired- it would be so much better to have the loungers that are at the pool by the bar and the front of the hotel. They are so much comfier with the padded toppers as oppose to the older loungers which can be a little uncomfortable. The tree crickets in all the trees are super loud but we actually didn’t mind it and quiet enjoyed listening to them! Evening entertainment- This is the only negative to the hotel to be honest. It would be so much better if they had a proper show or something aimed at a younger audience. There were some traditional singers and a couple of nights of dancers but something more entertaining would of been good- maybe a magician, acrobats, a pop singer tribute act etc. We felt the entertainment was a little stale and more aimed at an older audience. The bar is lovely and airy, nice seating areas and a fab variety of cocktails on offer. Beach- The beach itself is beautiful and the sea comes right up to the wall and it’s not a big walk to the water, it’s just metres from the sun loungers. The view of the coastline is amazing and to be honest the whole area is stunning. There are lots of shops, bars and restaurants right next to the hotel so it’s just a very short walk which we found as a big plus to the hotel. We cannot wait to return next year! We had the...