Village Panorama Hotel

I do not recognise the hotel from the description of the previous reviewer, even though we must have been there at the same time. The reviewer paid £2700 for 6 people - £450 each. Given that flights would be at least £260, that provides £95 per week (c. £13 per day) for accommodation, food and drink on an all inclusive basis in peak holiday season. We paid just under £2400 for 4 of us and it was excellent value for money. This is a 3* budget hotel (which happens to be in a fabulous location) and should be judged as such.
AIRPORT TAXI: We booked ours in advance, but otherwise they were 30 euros per taxi.
RECEPTION: We arrived at 10pm. We were provided with filled rolls and a bottle of water each.
THE ROOMS: Very basic (did have TV, fridge and hairdryer), but they were clean. There was only a shower in the bathroom. There were some bungalow rooms below the swimming pool area that were dark and dingy (and we would have asked to be moved from them). Equally, our friends were in a block to the right of reception which had superior rooms. When you arrive, make sure that you are not situated in the lower level rooms.
THE FOOD: Was fine. A choice of 2/3 mains + veg/pasta, plus excellent selection of salads. There were 2 deserts plus grapes or melon. We didn’t meet anyone who had food poisoning or related upsets.
THE POOL: The pool was lovely, but the pool area relatively small and the number of sunbeds was limited for a hotel of this size. A 1 min walk out of the back of the hotel took you to a cafe/bar which had a fabulous pool with beds and parasols available free of charge if you ate and drank there (very cheap!).
THE LOCATION/AREA: The hotel is in a stunning location with spectacular sea views over the Aegean Sea (even from the bar area). It is on a hillside, so not suitable for the elderly or those with prams/pushchairs. There are two beaches close by; both sandy and pretty with safe swimming and lifeguard. The nearest (5-10 mins) has a small selection of restaurants and bars and plenty of sun beds/parasols 2 euros each. The second is in the Village (10 mins walk) so is surrounded by bars/restaurants and other shops. It is busier. The walking times are based on the shortcuts - make sure you ask your rep/fellow guests about directions! (There was a third beach we were told about by a fellow guest on the last day, so it was too late to explore that). The main town is a 10 min walk (downhill), so a steep return! Taxis are 5 euros in the day and 7 euros evening.
MOSQUITOS: We took liquid plug-ins and sprayed ourselves with repellents once in the evening. We used air-conditioning and did not open the doors with the lights on. None of us were bitten.
HOLIDAY: We met up with other families and several couples who, like us, all had a great time and considered we all had excellent value for money from this holiday. As in life, you get what you pay for.

THIS WAS THE WORST WEEKS HOLIDAY I'VE EVER HAD...
I booked this holiday for 6 people: my wife, two children, mother in law and her friend at a cost of £2700.
TAXI: When we booked the Holiday we were told that Taxi’s were cheap at around 10 Euros. NOT TRUE. At the Airport the Board says 24. As there were 6 of us we had to have 2 Taxis at a cost of 30 Euros Each, had we of known this we could of hired a car for the week.
RECEPTION: After travelling for most of the day we arrived at the Panorama. At first all seemed to be Ok then we met DORA the charming Receptionist, we had to fill in some forms and then had to be tagged like Cattle, she scribbled down the meal times and then told us where are rooms were, we had no help with our cases and were not welcomed with any drinks.
THE ROOMS: The rooms we had were awful, they consisted of a double and single bed made from concrete with a mattress on top and a Bathroom at the rear. The general condition was very poor with broken floor tiles, cracked power sockets, sheets with holes in, splattered mosquitoes on the walls.
SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS: We required a put up bed so that one of the children would have their own bed, this was explained when we booked the Holiday, but was not in the room when we arrived so we went to see DORA. We were told that there weren’t any but to come back later in the week, when we did we were told there were none. As a result of this our daughter had to share a double bed with her grandmother.
THE FOOD: Couldn’t really class it as food more like slops, Meat that was described as Veal was most definitely not, more like an overcooked cut of cheap beef and served in a very thin gravy, a bit like watered down soup. The mash potato was out of a packet. All the food should have been kept at over 63 degrees but was barely warm. As a result of this my son and I had food poisoning. My wife and daughter would only eat the bread.
THE POOL: The area around the pool was ok, the usual thing with the sunbeds and towels, we actually saw people putting towels on beds at 3am! The kids loved the pool and spent a lot of time in it. Unfortunately for them they both contracted ear infections.
MOSQUITOS: We plastered ourselves in repellent but it didn’t make any difference and were eaten alive. Unlike other countries who smoke their resorts to keep them under control, no attempt was ever made here.
RATING: This websites rating system starts at 1 but I can tell you now that The Panorama is not even worth that. It is a hell hole and I can't believe that any company would send paying customers to it so be warned
DO NOT BOOK THIS RESORT

Like many of you, I read the reviews and the panicked, i really debated cancelling my holiday, however the cost of cancelling wasn’t worth it, and decided to give it a go, and in all honesty I am glad I did.
Just to give you an idea I came on this holiday with my friend for one week as a quick last minute deal and paid £279 each AI, I am 28 and she is 34.
THE AIRPORT: A bit confusing as to where to pick up your suitcases as it was not clearly stated, but once we had that covered we were out quite quickly. The taxi was the worst part of this holiday. He told us 30 euros when we got in the car, half way down the road he changed this to 35, when we neared the hotel, he changed it again to 40 euros by saying hotel panorama was past agia pelagia. Please do not fall for this. The most you should pay is between 25-30 euros. We actually paid the most out of everyone at the hotel, they guy saw us coming a mile off.
RECEPTION/ROOMS : Arrived at the hotel completely tired at about 5am. We were offered wine/water/beer and a sandwich. (didn’t look amazingly appetizing I must admit) Immediately we told the receptionist not to palm us off with the “cow shed” rooms (as they became known.) And we got a very nice room with an amazing view (see pics) A/C fridge & TV. Although no help with our luggage as there is only one member of staff on duty.
HINT _ (take the magnet of the door key and keep AC on all day after cleaners have been)
THE STAFF : I personally had no problems at all with any off the staff, and the bar staff were all very happy friendly guys who were certainly not pervy. None of the staff were rude, or ignorant, the jolliest guy there was Costas in the mini market, considering he was stuck in that shop all day with no fan or AC I was surprised at how pleasant and helpful he was to everyone.
One of the waitresses could have done with a personality transplant but other than that everyone was nice.
THE SUNBEDS : Yes unfortunately it is true, they are lacking badly in sun beds, however, as we discovered the 1st day anytime after 6am is too late to get a bed, we did not make the same mistake twice, and for the rest of the week we claimed our beds as soon as we got back from our nights out at about 4am every morning. Either that or set your alarm for 5am.
THE POOL : Huge. Plenty of room for kids and adults, and room for lilo’s. Very slippery round edge, had a few giggles watching people fall in!
THE BEACH : I am probably the laziest person you ever met so I was dreading visiting the beach but by the 3rd day I dragged myself down there and was pleasantly surprised. The walk down was about 10 mins at a very slow pace
HINT (if you are going in the day take a dip in the pool 1st)
The beach itself was amazing, very warm sea, fab views, sun beds are 2.50 euros.
The walk back is about 15 mins, there are two slopes that are steep, but the rest of the walk is fine. There is a taxi in the day, and that will cost between 5 and 7 euros.
FOOD: Breakfast was my favourite: consisting of Boiled eggs, potatoes, beans, sausages, bread, toasties, all sorts of cereal, fruit, Greek yoghurt, and each day the cook would do either pancakes, fried eggs & bacon, flour balls etc.
Lunch & dinner was a mix, ok, if you are a complete fusspot forget it, but let me assure you I am very fussy yet, I can honestly say there was something for me every single day. (ok I didn’t touch Bambi & Thumper) but there were loads of salad pasta, rice, fish, chicken, Greek specialties and your English food. Some times they got it wrong i.e. watery mash, but you wouldn’t starve here. Also, I always get a Delhi belly when I’m away, and I didn’t get it here I’m pleased to say! This was by no means a 5 star restaurant, but what do you expect as its only 3 star. Some food was dry, some was sloppy, but generally speaking it was ok. There are queues for food so get there either early or later.
It was a standing joke about the food, but when everyone was honest, the agreed it was it was worth the money.
The restaurant does need some AC, and more tables, and certainly more variety for the deserts. Watermelon and jelly gets boring after a while.
THE ALCOHOL : Wine beer and soft drinks were available as self serve in the restaurant and tea and coffee available along with cake near the bar (milk isn’t gross, bring your own long life)
The barman have a strict 2 drinks per person per serve. This avoids even longer queues. It is a pain, but I understand their reasons.
The alcohol was Raki, Ouzo, Vodka, Tequila, Whiskey, Brandy, Rum, Beer, Wine, & cocktails. RECOMMEND the panorama (yum)
Of course its not your bacardi or teachers, and tastes slightly closer to paint thinner, but drink enough of it and hopefully you’ll forget.
There is also a mini market reasonably priced that sells all your sun creams sweets ices, hats etc.
THE ENTERTAINMENT : Also known as “the animation team” They produce a board each day with different things. Generally it goes something like this
10am Stretching
11am Volley ball
3pm Water polo
4pm Cocktail games/darts/ping pong
7pm Disco
8pm Kids dance (okie kokie etc)
9pm Karaoke, quiz etc.
They are run by a guy called Thomas who really has fun and gets everyone involved. But night times really is awfully boring, so after two nights being held captive we escaped and started going down to the bars on the beach (warning taxi’s stop at midnight so prepare for the walk back)
I can recommend “Nanus” for all ages as they have a dance floor separate from bar but “Paradise” leaves a lot to be desired. No tourists, lots of Greek teenagers, who aren’t impressed at tourists going there.
OVERALL VERDICT : This hotel is ideal for people who purely want a good sun holiday, to layback relax and catch some rays. Ideal for a couple of mates or couples to just chill out.
I really enjoyed it, One week wasn’t long enough however two weeks and id have been bored out of my mind, so ideally about ten days would be great here. Give the food a try most of it actually tastes better than it looks. And get involved in some of the water games, as it helps break up the day.
Also if you want a change “pennystellas” is a hotel 4 min walk away and if you buy a drink there you can then spend all day in there pool. Food there is great and cheap, its quiet and you are made very welcome, and they are very used to panorama guests using their pool.
This is a cheap but pleasant holiday, for those who are not expecting 5 star luxury for 3 star prices!!!
When not to choose this hotel:
If your looking for Nightlife go to Malia.
If you have small kids they have no kids club so best choose somewhere more child friendly.
If you have a disability with walking then as this is a hotel in the mountains you have to expect steep inclines so don’t go if that is a problem for you.
If you would like to ask me any questions please feel free to email me.

If you have just booked this hotel and have read this then please ring the tour operator back up and upgrade the hotel straight away. If you haven’t booked yet please never book this hotel!
THE ROOM:
We had to change our room 3 times in 2 weeks:
When we walked into the first room we thought we had gone back in time. It had a cobbled floor, lantern lights! no aircon, fridge, TV, I think that this room only just got electricity installed! The beds were so uncomfortable and squeaked every time we moved. They were also single beds and we wanted a double one.
After a limited nights sleep we went back to reception and they told us to come back at 11am to change our rooms (already wasted half the day) so we carried our suitcases up the steep steps back with no help from staff. The second room was ten times better but still a hundred times worse than you would want.
It had aircon and television but the beds were uncomfortable (just a mattress on concrete) and there was a large gap between them (not recommended for couples). We stayed in here for a week but had to move when we noticed that piping hot water was coming out of the cold water tap. We spoke to reception and they said we would have to wait for a technician the next day. But I kept running the water anyway and what I saw next was absolutely disgusting - The water coming out of the cold tap (the one you use to brush your teeth!) was brown ! ! ! !
We changed rooms again after a long argument with the extremely rude receptionists and got a similar room but the view was a brick wall this time! We stayed in it because we couldn’t be bothered to pack again and argue with the receptionists.
THE FOOD:
If you can call it food!
The restaurant was warm (with no aircon) and there were flies everywhere. There were not enough seats for all the guests so you had to wait for a seat and your food got cold. When you had one, it was dirty with the previous persons food on the table cloth.
The 'food' was disgusting! Breakfast was not worth getting up for and there were only frankfurters and beans! Crepes were offered sometimes, but only if you wanted to wait in a ten person queue for ten minutes.
Lunch was also rough. We tried to get in straight away as soon as it opens as otherwise you would have to wait fifteen minutes (and not exaggerating!) to get to the food. Melon was often the only desert offered (and you get very bored of that after 2 weeks!)
Dinner was the same but the queues were less (because people would eat out so they would get a proper meal). We ate out for dinner four or five times for something edible.
Over two weeks the food consisted of:
Runny Mashed Potato, Soggy Chips, Deer Stew
Carrots, Brussel, Sprouts, Pizza, Burgers (red in middle).
Pasta (quite often plain with no sauce) Bland Fish
and that’s basically the menu for the duration.
THE DRINKS:
The soft drinks were all watered down and not fizzy. The beer tasted really cheap. Other alcoholic drinks on all inclusive were Ouzo, Vodka Raki, white and red wine, and tequila and that is it - nothing else!
There was very often a ten minute queue for drinks at night which was ongoing all through the night so try and sit at the bar - (YANIS is a good barman - the rest are just perverts).
THE POOL:
Very dangerous! - Drains that you could trip over, a steep slope between the shallow end and deep end with no warning. The sunbeds were broken and uncomfortable - there was not enough for even half the guests. If you want one you have to get up at 5am in the morning.
THE BEACH:
The beach was nice although a very long walk, steep and dangerous, it is a 15 minute walk (or 5 euros in taxi) but is worth it to get away from the hotel. At the beach the shops offer food and water at half the price at the hotel shop. (The hotel makes you pay for bottled water!). Watch out though as there are a lot of pervs around!
ENTERTAINMENT:
What entertainment?!? IT WAS SO BORING! When you look around the hotel it is hard to try and find a smile on someone’s face. The entertainment was only on from 9.30pm - 10.00pm most nights.
There was Crete quiz, Bingo, Music quiz, Disco, and Karaoke was just introduced as we were there(lucky). It was so boring. Everyone thought so. We are not boring people and we made some good friends out there but everyone found it depressing. Karaoke was the only good thing.
THE STAFF:
Reception were so unco-operative and rude. They would always blame you and not the hotel. They were never smiling. They must have a hard time working in such a dive with everyone complaining all the time. That is probably why they are so good at arguing with you.
Don’t use the telephones next to reception as they charge you ridiculous prices! Get a phone card from the supermarket and walk down the hill a little to the payphone - don’t ask reception for directions as they wont tell you.

Fair enough the food is TERRIBLE. Absolutely un-eatable for some people. (But the kittens do enjoy it!) But apart from that we all reeeaally enjoyed the holiday. Met Loads of great people, which you need to do in order to have a good time.
The walk to the beach is not too bad at all. But the walk back up can be a bit of a nightmare when drunk. But a cab is 7 euros which is nothing between ya.
Beach really nice, beach cafés and bars really nice 'Paradise bar' is pretty good. Pool good, barmen lovely. TIP - there are 70 sunbeds around the pool, and 400 guests. And as we ALL know, the Germans love to take them all around 3am.
So either 1 - Fold em up and hide em in your room. Or 2 - eat at the cafe down the road. It’s the first cafe you get too on the walk to the beach. If you buy any food or drink they let you use that pool. With really nice loungers and a great view!
So all in all, wicked holiday for us, but was the people that made it wicked, so u got to get mingling, and not sit in the corner playing cards like some people!

This holiday was a real eye opener!!!!
We arrived and were given our rooms, we were amazed to be transported back to biblical times!!! Our beds were mattresses on Breeze Blocks. There was a picture of the scariest bloke on the walls too. We opened the curtains to view our sea view and were confronted with a brick wall. You could see the sea though if you stood on top of the dressing table and angle your head at a 90 degree tilt!!! My husband then shouted at his mother next door don’t unpack we are not stopping here.
We dragged our bags back to reception and were confronted by Dora the tank!!!! (receptionist) she started saying no more rooms at the Inn, My husband said you must have something,. she then asked if He was calling her a liar, He said YES. Amazingly after he said we were all going home she found four rooms for us to view. We chose two of them they had spectacular views, were spotlessly clean and very pleasant.
We noticed though all new comers were given the biblical rooms, but when complained were moved, so remember to complain like hell and stand your ground with DORA!!!!
Happy with this we then ventured in for Dinner! Well what an experience the first menu consisted of Bambi and his best mate Thumper!!! All swimming in a beautiful grey juice!!!. The salads that were there were expiable and desserts and ice cream a delight. What though was left from one meal was then trotted out in disguise as another. The menu that we had though we could always manage to make a meal of some kind, but by the end of the second week, we were craving decent food after loosing thirty stone! Saying that though no one had a tummy bug at all during our stay. The dining room was extremely pleasant and staff helpful.
The bar was good but the choice of drinks for all inclusive people were limited. I bought though a LARGE bottle of Gin and had it under the table and drunk that though with the free mixers. The alcohol on offer though managed to give us plenty of hangovers to nurse in the mornings while sitting round the pool. It would have been better if the free drinks went past the 11pm mark, as many nights we were up until 4am with other residents drinking and laughing.
The entertainers were fantastic, they got us all going around the pool and playing ‘water polo’ etc. Much fun was had with these two guys.
The hike to the beach was a major expedition, which would have been great if we were allocated ropes etc to cut all the corners walking to the beach. The beach and surrounding areas were beautiful.
This holiday was really good though overall for the last minute deal that we got but you have to make the best of what you have. We were very lucky we met some fantastic people and laughed for the whole two weeks.
Overall, apart from the first day of arguing and sweating, we had a great holiday, but do not expect culinary delights

I think I would probably say this was the worst week of my life. The holiday cost £900 for two adults which is cheap, but we may aswell have just thrown the money down the toilet as we probably would of got more enjoyment from doing that than staying at this hotel.
We arrive at 1am to find no one in reception and had to search the hotel for a member of staff to check in. After about 15 mins someone finally came. Our first room was disgusting and didn’t even have a proper floor. The sea view as described when we booked did exist but you had to look over the rows of other rooms in front of ours. First thing in the morning we asked for another room (along with every other English person in the hotel) and we were told that there was only 1 room left. We viewed the room, which had air conditioning but it faced a wall. We decided that it was a thousand times better than the last room and took it. Over the next few days a lot of German people arrived and were taken to really nice rooms, all with brilliant sea views. Basically all the English people get shoved in the worst rooms.
The food is absolutely appalling. It is cold, undercooked and swimming in grease. You get pretty much the same food every day and the salad and fruit looks like it has been used for days. We lived off bread and had to spend £300 buying food in the nearby town just to survive! The range of free drinks is rubbish. The only spirit you can have is Brandy and the wine and beer tastes like water. We also had problems with the bar staff who claimed that our watch was 20 mins slow so we couldn’t have free drinks.
Our bed sheets were not changed once and the room was only cleaned a couple of times.
We informed the rep of all our problems and all she said was that we pay less than the Germans. She didn’t once try to resolve things and she basically couldn’t care less that we were very unhappy.
On the fourth day I had finally had enough and just cried. I even rang the company we booked it through to try and get an earlier flight home but they said we would have to pay ourselves to do that.
The only advice I can give to anyone considering booking a holiday there is DO NOT DO IT. Save your money and go somewhere nicer instead. We have been to Crete twice before and the rest of the island is lovely but this hotel is a hellhole!