Iraklis Apartments

Basic but very clean accommodation. Recently refurbished. Run very efficiently by a lovely family - helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Very close to the beach, the busy road was not a problem.
We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and would not hesitate to go back there.
Pauline and Christine, Whitley Bay.

does exactly what it says on the tin, rating of 2 star and in fair condition, typical greek style apartments, very basic and a place to put your head down at night (who wants to spend their holiday stuck in their room) Clean sheets and towels, clean rooms and a pleasant communal area, please bare in mind the rooms are self catering and if you want kim and aggy then you have to fly them over, the maid will only give a basic clean when your staying, you can buy bleach and other cleaning products in the fantastic super market just down the road. its not the ritz and you wont pay for the ritz either, cheap and very cheerful, air conditioning and fans are available for your comfort and Maria will go out of her way to help in any way. a 5 minute walk to the main tourist area and local bus stops are at the front door for the Water park and other excursions. i have been to crete many times and stayed in many similar apartments, some worse and one or day better which i paid a hell of a lot extra for.

We have just returned from a holiday here. We booked on bed & breakfast. The rooms were dirty. We only had clean towels the day we arrived. bedding was not changed. The owner was very unpleasant with guests, only interested in how much money she could get out of people. Her husband spent his days trying to catch birds with his nets, to put in his cage. We had to leave our breakfasts, as the bacon & sausage were raw & eggs very brown! The accommodation is a very long walk to the beach & you have to cross the busy highway, which is very dangerous. Best avoided...

after reading other reviews before I due to made me very worried.....Don't believe these other reviews they just aren't true.
we arrived at the studio's very early 16.40 but thoughtfully left our keys in the door or us. apartments were basic and incredibly clean...perfect for our 2 weeks as love getting out during the day,though joining in is a must as it good fun plus we got to meet other people that we will remain friends with. Maria and stavros do a pasta night which for 3 Euro's. If there are problems they will be sorted out very soon.
It was like a second honeymoon for us and the Iraklis, maria and stavros made it special we will deffinately be back and for the other whinging lot go to a 5 star hotel next time

The family is very nice, helpful and friedly the apartment is very clean , the cleaner comes in every day and make sure everythink is clean i go back every year as i think no i know its one of the best around

If you like an English breakfast and a sunday roast when you are abroad the resort of Stalis is for you.
The Iraklis Apartments seemed fairly typical of the area (tired and run down, the beach saves it) so although comments I read made on this review site are true, I am not sure the apartments quite deserve the bad reviews and low listing. The apartments need some updating to the external areas in particular which are looking very tired. The look of the actual apartment building is excellent which is a shame as the garden areas really let it down. The furniture and fixtures are old but tasteful and generally clean. Bear in mind it is listed as two star and is probably correct it being in my opinion between a 1 and 2 star.
The apartments are owned by a elderly Greek couple whose daughter Maria is responsible for it. The father has been very ill and is quite frail, it is obviously their nest egg. I am guessing they bought it before Stalis became so 'touristy' and when it was a comparatively quiet village and they are probably not savy enough business people to be able to deal with the competitive commercialised market that they now find themselves in. The apartments only seem to have one cleaner who appears to have no vacuum, no cleaning solutions or protective gloves. She does a good job considering but her being so illequipt may be partly responsible for the overall problems people have had with the cleanliness of the apartments.
''Beware'' of the tour operator (ours was Libra) we wanted another apartment but they said it was full and Iraklis was the only available one, a few other people on our holiday got this story!!!
The loo was rather a 'challenge' for me personally and if you are in anyway squeamish I wouldn't recommend you go any lower than a four star hotel.
Overall if you stay in the Iraklis apartments be ready for a 'rustic' Greek experience.
Plus points
+Clean sheets and towels which were changed daily
+Bins changed daily
+Freshly painted in apartments and balconies
+Building interior and exterior walls and tiled flooring freshly painted and very clean
+Clean fridge and furniture
+Beds comfortable
+Nice pleasant staff
Bad points
-A few of the fixtures and fittings not working or in disrepair
-Cooker and extractor not working(perhaps system tripped )
-Kitchen and bathroom sink, table and dressing table surface, shower needed a clean and polish
-Low water pressure, so not enough water to flush loo sufficiently(I put some bleach down it
probably not meant to) and shower had very little water coming out, hot water was sporadic
-Two pools one concrete one tiled, in which the filtration system didn't seem to be visibly working, possibly potential health problem
-Old cleaning bucket and brush and loo brush left in bathroom wasn't very aesthetic
-Our studio apartment's kitchen directly outside bathroom which was not very conducive to wanting to prepare food, we ate out
-A ceiling room fan fitted as standard would have been good
-Take a travel kettle and fill with mineral water, as there is a lot of calcium in the water and leaves deposits in kettle.
-Separate single beds with wood surround so even put together you can't get together! Great if you row a lot!
-Needed new table and chairs on balcony

1 reader found this review helpful

No fresh sheets, No air con, towels only changed once in a wk, and they don't replace the toilet roll (they said buy your own)!!
On arrival there was no one at reception and had to call the operator to find out where our room was (the key was left in the door, not safe). The room was very very basic, and on opening the balcony door (because there's no air con) the handle came. In the morning i noticed the cooker plug had been melted and just taped up with insulation tape so never used it. The shower just works, but don't expect hot water, and there's no hook for the head so you can't stand under the dribble you do get.
The hotel is next to a busy road, and if you manage to block out the traffic noise, the fridge makes a noise like an air plane taking off every time the motor kicks in to cool it down (approx every 20mins, just as your about to nodd off)!! another couple were charged 70 euro's just to move rooms!
All this was really annoying knowing that we paid extra to stay here because the magazine said it was 3star, and closer to the beach than the other option, but this is 1 star at best, i've travelled the world and stayed in some right dive's, and this is up there with them!!
Great resort, but DO NOT stay here!!

Im mainly writing this review in response to all the people that have slated the Iraklis apartments on here, Okay the rooms were basic but thats usually what you get in Greece, end of the day if people want luxury they should put their hands in their pocket and stay at Cactus beach or the Anthoussa you get what you pay for!!!! I thought the people that ran it Maria and her family and Hugo were super and really friendly and I didnt hear anyone complain during our stay, everyone loved it after initally fearing the worst after reading reviews.

small room no conditoning had to pay for the fans. noise was annoying but nice friendly people

4 readers found this review helpful

Having just read the previous review to this one I felt it necessary to comment on it. I think the lady who wrote the review has got the apartments mixed up.
This was my 8th visit to these apartments and I can assure you that there is air conditioning in ALL the apartments.
A small complex consisting of 15 apartments, taverna and bar. There is a swimming pool and pool table for entertainment. If you enjoy a relaxing holiday with minimal noise/disturbance, then this is the place to go. The accommodation is adequate for your holiday requirements with towels/lining changed twice a week. The staff are also very friendly.
Iraklis apartments can only be booked via their own website www.iraklisapts.gr
If you have been to Gouves before and enjoyed it, but would like a change of accommodation, then this is the place to try. I don't think you'll be disappointed!!