Island Restaurant Gouves — Restaurant in Municipality of Chersonissos

If you are visiting Crete and you are looking for a nice, fancy and quiet restaurant with a nice view of the sunset, don't go here. We visited during our last night on our stay and we were disapointed. We honestly didn't see the board with a written "program" for almost every night (it is 10 meters from the entrance, nothing on the website) so you can imagine our surprise when this whole place changed into a resort type evening event with a live music and some "local" dancers. When we arrived the hostess was very nice and lead us to our table just next to the sea. Beautiful view and the servise was fast and good. That's when it went downhill. Live music was playing some unknown music and the dancers weren't dancing and then they were dancing but the music wasn't playing. So what was the point? You can get a "professional" photo from a guy running around. It costs 5E I believe? I didn't hear the price. Still, it has nothing to do with a "fancy" restaurant. When the place filled up with people the servise took a huge step back. We ordered a bottle of wine. No one ever came to top up our glasses. Even in small tavernas around everyone keeps your glass full all the time or at least ask. The food was avarage and nothing special. One plate of gyros arrived cold. Once again, the servise dissapointed when our mains arrived and we sill had empty plates from the starters so we had like 8 plates on the table at one moment. We even saw two waiters being confused over one table wheter the customers left or not and if they should set the table (Maybe someone should be managing it?). The cherry on top was a tiramisu when the waiter poured it with a salty caramel. It was so sweet it was inedible. Let alone the "musician" went between the tables and played his electring instrument taking picture with everyone around because this is and "instagramic" place. If we knew about the program beforehand we would'nt have come here. The overall dissapointment is from the bellow average servise and mid food we got in this "fancy" looking restaurant. Maybe if they invested the same amount of energy from "entertaining" people into providing a solid servise it is a nice place where to have a dinner (if you don't mind not hearing each other over the music). Sometimes other's effort to take their Instagram photo resulted in their butts being in our table and plates. No tip was for oblivious servats. The hostesses were nice on the other hand (second star), tzatziki was tasty (second star) and that's about it. We discussed what we didn't like specificaly with a lady who catched us outside asking what was so wrong that made us to...

We had a lovely evening at The Island in Gouves. We made a reservation and requested a seaside table, and we were seated at the perfect spot to enjoy a stunning sunset. The atmosphere was lively, with a live music and dance performance taking place (though we couldn’t see the show from our seaside table, we could definitely hear and feel the energy). The music during the show was on the louder side, so if you're looking for a quieter dinner, it's something to keep in mind. Cocktails are slightly pricier than in other places we've tried around Crete, but they're absolutely worth it cause they are well crafted and generous in size. The wine service was also excellent. Service overall was top notch. The staff were friendly, attentive, always smiling, and we never had to wait long for anything. For starters, we had a shrimp ceviche (fresh but slightly overpowered by lemon) and a traditional feta wrapped in filo pastry with honey and sesame. The menu is extensive (from pizza and pasta to various meats and seafood). We both chose fish for mains. The sole meunière was decent, and I had a plate of small red mullet, which were very good, but the side vegetables were a bit bland. Fortunately, we had a side of fries to share, which balanced the meal. We ended with a traditional dessert which was very tasty. As a kind gesture, the restaurant also brought us a complimentary plate of fresh fruit and a small bottle of raki with the bill. There was also a photographer offering printed photos at the table (10€ for one, or 20€ for four). All in all, while the food didn’t blow us away, the combination of the view, atmosphere, cocktails, and exceptional service made for a memorable night. Definitely a place we’d recommend for a special evening...

Before coming on our holiday, my husband researched resturants and he saw that Island was highly recommend by people so we were very much looking forward to dining here. However, I feel that we have had a much better dining experience at other resturants that were much cheaper. When we arrived, we were sat at table 107 which was recommended in the reviews to watch the sunset. The atmosphere was lovely, music was playing and we were greated warmly by staff. Soon the resturant started to get busier and things started to go down hill. Firstly if you sit at this table, be mindful that other people will walk in front of you as you are eating/watching the sunset/ taking photos because there is public path just behind the resturant that leads onto the rock. We had people literally unpacking their bags or sitting on the floor next to us or stood directly in front of the view that we had paid to get a good look at which really spoilt the atmosphere. Secondly, the toilets are across the road, down the ally to the right and down the stairs. Now as a woman on holiday I didn't feel comfortable using toilets so far away from where I was eating, especially with having a hidden disability. Quite frankly it is unsafe. Thirdly, the food was very mediocre and was not worth the price. The waffles were good but everything else was just tasteless and bland in comparison to other resturants we had eaten at and were much cheaper. Overall, a very disappointing and underwhelming meal and I would highly recommend spending your money else where. It is such a shame as the view was 5 star and the waiters were lovely, it just wasn't up to par with the high end customers they are...