Blue Bay Resort Hotel — Hotel in Municipality of Malevizi

We had a great holiday here. The food was amazing! (A few pictures attached). There was always something different every time (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and it tasted good! They also had a ‘vegan’ corner but this was just basic like vegetables and beans, no special dishes. There was a lot of vegetarian options too which was nice! Also the tzatziki was AMAZING! The entertainment was also really good, the fire show especially! ||We did feel there could have been a lot of improvements to make it 5 stars in our opinion: ||Water - we only received one water bottle in our fridge on the first day and after that you had to refill that from the ‘refil stations’ but the outdoor refil station was not that nice and it was effort having to get it from the restaurant. As an all inclusive we would expect at least a few bottles in our room per day. In the end we had to purchase it from the hotel shop which was €1 per bottle. ||The pool opened at 10am and closed at 6pm! Which we thought was quite late to open and early to close. It should at least be until 7pm. Also the main pool I could not reach the floor as there was no shallow end. I am 5ft so had to use a floaty to go in that one! The entertainment activity team also hosted water aerobics in that same pool which I could not join because I couldn’t touch the floor. ||They did have two other pools away from the main building but only one we visited, which was a 5 minute walk away at the other accommodation. It was very quiet, and fairly empty, if you prefer the quiet scene this is great. The outdoor bar at that pool/area was much better too as it was bigger and the music was better! ||Groups - if you are traveling in a group more than 4, the restaurant only has limited tables for more than 4 and they were all located at the back so you felt like you were shoved away. Also the same issue with no seating for groups outside the bar areas either, you had to pull some more chairs which were limited. So sometimes we had to sit separately. And sunbeds it was hard to find more than 4 together. ||Drinks - the all inclusive cocktails were okay but a lot of them had ouzo in them which I don’t like, there was a couple without ouzo but not much choice! There was house wine and beer and also mocktails. The drink sizes were ridiculous, if you were having them at the pool they gave you tiny plastic cups so we had to keep getting 2 cups at a time just so we had enough to drink. I’m not sure why they can’t just give you a bigger cup then maybe there wouldn’t be such a queue! We did try a paid cocktail pina colada which was €10 (added to the room bill to pay at the end), it was very nice. I noticed they also sold iced coffees etc but they came at a cost. There was a free coffee machine self service outside near the pool which was good. And bar snacks they had mini sausage rolls, pizza slices (which were nice), sandwiches and some other bits. They stopped serving all inclusive at 11, which we think could have been a bit later. ||We did feel like we were getting asked every two minutes for ‘reviews’; when we entered the restaurant after maybe the 3rd day the staff member chased us in and said can you please fill this out for a review, so we did. And then the next day we were sent a letter under our room door to meet with the manager, which is absolutely fine to send but after this, we had a pop up on the wifi which said please review us out of 5 (you had to do this or the wifi didn’t work) and because we put 4 stars, the next day at lunch they chased us again to ask us some questions and wrote it all down on a sticky note. Which again is fine but it’s the amount of times we were getting harassed for reviews only half way through our trip! And I think they were doing this to everyone. ||The outdoor area next to the main bar needed some touches, there was no music outside so the atmosphere was not nice. There were not many lights in that area too so the area did not feel cosy or nice to be there. However the other sheltered outdoor bit next to the main bar did, but it was small so limited seating. ||Our room was okay, just basic, nothing to complain about! We got new towels everyday. We met up with friends on this holiday they had another room which was a family room, and this was nice for them as both beds were in a separate room with a door so you had your own space. However if the end room needed the toilet they had to go through the other room to get there. If you wanted a safe in your room it was 3 euros per day!||The beach nearby was a 5/10 minute walk but it was quite hilly walking back up! But it is doable for most people I would say! The beach is rocky and small and was very busy but really nice clear seas and views.||Overall we had a great holiday, I guess it is what you make it. But great entertainment, food...

Just came back from a week staying at the Blue Bay Resort and all I can say is wow! From the moment we arrived at the hotel we were blown away. I went with my Boyfriend and my Mum. A very friendly man on reception checked us in. He asked us what our relationship was with each other and asked us if we wanted rooms next to each other, which we did. This was arranged straight away and we had our bags carried to our room by a lovely lady. Tourist tax did need to be paid on arrival but this is expected and it was only €3 per day, per room. The rooms are basic but clean which is all that matters to us. We were in the main building with a sea view. The view from the balcony was STUNNING! We were absolutely delighted and in the best place possible in relation to the rest of the hotel. We received fresh towels everyday and had our beds made everyday. The cleaners are very hard working and also very polite and respectful. In the main building there is 3 pools, 2 adults and 1 kids. The pools are not massive but big enough! There are 2 small slides also. Whilst the spirits on the all inclusive are limited, we couldn’t complain as it was clearly stated before we arrived. Multiple cocktails are on offer using Raki and Ouzo. Things like Raki Sunrise, Ouzo Paradise etc. Sangria was included in the all inclusive and me and my mum mainly stuck to that, that was lovely! My boyfriend had beer most of the time. White, red and rose wine was also included as well as soft drinks and hot drinks. The bar staff are very generous with drinks and allow you to get multiple drinks at once for your group. You can get water for free at meal times but if you want anything by the pool you do have to buy water bottles but they’re only €1 for a big bottle and there’s a filtered water tap by the pool. The all inclusive food exceeded our expectations! There was so much variety and it was DELICIOUS! There were little starter pots which were so well presented. The desserts were also lovely and there was a good variety. Food was also hot too, never luke warm. The staff are very quick to clean tables when you go in and also quick to take your empty plates. Snacks are offered at the pool bar which includes pizza and rolls, the pizza was amazing!! During the day there were activities such as water Zumba, water volley ball and darts. Marco who runs all the activities is lovely and very hard working!! We were lucky that evening entertainment was on every evening as we were not sure of it would be as it was mid September. The entertainment mainly took place in the amphitheater which was lovely. Entertainment was a bit hit and miss. RDR Extreme, who were singers, were AMAZING! They got everyone up dancing and were sooo good. There was a magician act with a man and a woman which we found very funny. We found a couple of the dancing acts to be a bit repetitive and boring. Definitely bring cards and games to play in the evening as the hotel is very remote and aside from the hours entertainment, there isn’t anything else going on. Unfortunately after dinner there is no food available. As people who like a snack after drinking, a few snacks being available after would have been good. One evening we did ask reception if there was any food available. Straight away the man rang someone and they brought us a bag each with a sandwich, apple, pear and packet of crisps which we thought was so good as we were expecting them to simply say no. The man, who we believe is the hotel manager, is very lovely and made our experience personal, giving us a hug as we left. There is a small shop in the hotel which stocks essentials but we recommend getting snacks outside the hotel. A big bag of crisps was €3.40. All inclusive does end at 11 which is a shame as once you leave the entertainment there’s a mad rush and you’re only able to get one drink. Bars also close at 1 which we thought was a bit early. We had the best week I would most definitely...

Highly overrated hotel, After reading all about this hotel it sounded and looked amazing, wow what a disappointment. When you arrive at the hotel and walk into the reception you think you’ve made the right decision, but unfortunately it’s all down hill from there. The booking said we were in the annexe which makes out that it’s at the side of the main building but is actually a small apartment block (one of many) which are scattered all around the hotel. You then get a lift down the steepest hill known to man to the room. You get shown your room and told there’s a bottle of water in the fridge for you which you’ll have to use sparingly as this is the only bottle of all inclusive water that the hotel will supply you for your entire stay. Water is available in the restaurant but it’s filtered local water. If you want bottled then you have to buy it yourself. If you’re into mountain climbing then you’ll be fine as there were 177 steps from our room to the restaurant, more if you want to get to the reception. Asked for ironing facilities on arrival which came next day only to find the tip of the iron was broken off, also the iron which had clearly been left by a previous holiday maker as it was from Asda and had been rewired using the wrong type of flex. I asked for a replacement iron and was told they will change it the next day. Had the broken iron all week as the replacement never arrived. Also asked for tea making facilities which arrived the next day but the tea/coffee/sugar was another 24 after that but you don’t get any milk though. Food was dreadful breakfast was the same every day except the potato options. Evening meals are poor quality with so much frozen food and not much fresh cooked choices. Overcooked meat, undercooked rice. The restaurant staff wipe the tables down with a dirty cloth, no anti bacterial spray, they just sweep the crumbs onto the floor. All inclusive finishes at 11pm after that you have to pay which is not all inclusive. The 6 swimming pools are actually 3 outside pools which are overcrowded plus 1 indoor pool which is not open and 2 small pools 400 yards up the road. There are no signs anywhere so you can’t find anything. You have to scan a QR code for information but the website is a nightmare to use for example you click on all include and it tells you the restaurant and bar opening times but only mentions Breakfast and evening meals to find out that the restaurant is actually open lunch time you have to click on reception then bars and restaurants, it’s stupid. There is absolutely nothing to do in or around the hotel except a bar and restaurant down by the beach. The view from the room was no way picturesque. Had to check out the room by 11am and sit around all day until pick up at 8pm as couldn’t book the room for extra hours. Was told we could use the facilities/restaurants all day as a way of compensation, what did they think we was going to do. It’s not really compensation it’s call common courtesy. Entertainment is advertised on the website for everyday including bingo but for the first 4 days there was absolutely nothing. And when they did have entertainment it was in an amphitheater where there is no bar or anything. The whole experience was dreadful and like so many people we spoke to we all just couldn’t wait to get back home. The only positive about this dreadful experience was the lady from housekeeping who cleaned our room she was amazing and friendly knew how to do a proper job. This review is not a reflection of Crete or the people of Crete it’s purely about a 1 star hotel that clearly has no idea about making peoples holidays a happy memory. If you like steep hills, steps, poor food and early nights this is the place for you. Would not recommend or return to this...