Petra Mare

“Agréable séjour”

The staff were very pleasant, the hotel was clean and comfortable, and its location was convenient relative to the center of Ierapetra. The only annoyance was that you have to go to the restaurant very early, whether for breakfast, lunch, or especially dinner. When we arrived at 20:30, the platters were often empty because service starts at 18:30, and that was the only point that bothered me.

“We enjoyed our stay. It was perfect for our 4 years old son.”

All the facilities nearby were great. The kids’ mini club and activities were really good for a 4‑year‑old. The staff was excellent and made everyone feel at home. The restaurant never felt too busy because it was open for several hours at each service. The food choice was good, but perhaps a bit repetitive. Being on the sea, I wish there were more fish fillets and fish‑based dishes. The facilities were good, but some of them were outdated (kids’ toys in the club, pool tiling could use a little refresh).

The hotel was solid, offering a good variety of meals, but the beach didn’t live up to my expectations.

“I would visit this hotel again in the future for its extensive facilities for children, but I wouldn't choose to pay”

An excellent hotel, especially for families with children. It has a slightly heated outdoor pool with slides, activities for kids, various play areas, and a private beach. The hotel is clean, and the staff is very friendly. I believe the view was superb no matter which room you were assigned. I appreciated that the bed linen was changed daily and cleaning was done as needed; other hotels often just do a superficial tidy‑up without changing the sheets. The indoor pool is not included; you have to pay extra for a spa package to use it, which I don’t think is fair, especially if the weather turns bad or if the outdoor water or air temperature is too cold for a baby. I didn’t find the food for children particularly suitable; there were too many fried options (nuggets, fried smiley‑face potatoes, fried fish croquettes—pretty much everything for kids was fried, except for the broccoli and carrots). It would be useful to introduce soups, purees, or grilled fish and meat that are unsalted and unseasoned—especially for children under 2 y. If I wanted to choose potatoes from the kids’ menu, they were fried; if I chose mashed potatoes from the adult menu, they were very salty or heavily seasoned. It is also worth noting that if the child was asleep during meal times—or refused to eat right then, as often happens with toddlers on vacation when their routines change—you weren’t allowed to take food “take away” to feed them later. The reason was that, after the dining hall closed, food was available at the snack bar; however, a 1.5‑year‑old cannot simply live on fruit, ice cream, fries, pizza, or nuggets. It is not a suitable location if you want to venture outside the resort; there aren’t really any taverns, a lively town or resort area for strolling, or many sandy beaches to choose from—and the ones that did exist were quite far away, with sunbeds costing around €40 for a pair. Regarding the room type we booked (a Suite): the shower stall is located right in the room rather than in a separate bathroom, and the toilet is separated only by a sliding wooden door. This allows noise and odors to reach the main room while the toilet or shower is in use, which is bothersome if, for example, you have a small child and want to shower while they are sleeping.

I was blown away by this hotel – the room was huge and spotless, and the staff from the moment we walked in until we left were incredibly polite and eager to help; I’ll personally thank Emmerlato for being the best; the facilities were simply perfect, and we’ll definitely return.