Vasia Beach Hotel

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Have just returned from the Vasia beach & spa resort in Sissi, it was amazing! We had no faults with it at all apart from the travel agents, who we booked with (Imperial travel) cocked the entire booking up! No reserved flight seats, they forgot to book transfers so were left stranded at Heraklion airport (and a nice £198 euro taxi bill to pay), no baby booked into the hotel so we had no cot or food allowance. We (finally) arrived at the hotel after a tricky start at around 1pm and was shown to our room by the concierge & a porter bought our luggage. We went into a separate newly built building with leather sofas & huge terracotta urns lining the way to the rooms, the rooms were key card operated. We walked into our room & was amazed, we thought the lounge area would be where the children would be sleeping but it turned out there was a large double bedroom with en-suite toilet, sink, shower, balcony & huge wardrobe & another large twin room with own balcony & plenty of storage. In the lounge there was tea & coffee making facilities with enough for the first day (grab a lot more from the restaurant to keep yourself topped up) a fridge with water, beer, fizzy drinks for your first day (around 8 items in total). All great if like me you have baby formula milk to make up & store! There is a PC which doubles up as a DVD/CD player, TV (few English channels but look out for Filmnet 1, 2, & 3 they are Greek channels but it’s all in English with Greek subtitles, I was watching CSI Miami, harry potter, NCIS & all other sky programmes & films)....and a further 3rd balcony. The bathroom is great, full sized bath with over head shower, separate glass shower cubicle, sink with vanity cupboard, lovely decoration in black & white marble & fresh fluffy white towels. You could have all 3 showers & the bath running at once & you lose no pressure or heat! there was a basket of goodies left for us to, fruit, shampoos, body lotions, bubble baths, shoe shine & horn, 2 pairs of slippers & a sewing kit. DO NOT take towels with you, you won’t need them, you can hire them from reception for a returned deposit (no cash payment needed, you use your key card as a debit/credit card). The pools (all 3 areas) are spotless & cleaned every day, there is always someone tidying something! Plenty of sunbeds & umbrellas (all free) and a bar/diner at the entertainment pools, kids games, adult games, keep fit, polo, music....all day every day! The food is great, I never stopped eating, salads, fish, meats, pastas etc buffet style with friendly staff, there is a Chinese & Italian restaurant in the complex too which guests can use once a week. We tried both, the Chinese was nice but it’s never like you have from your local take away so the kids didn’t each much. The Italian was on the sea front, lovely view, & lovely food! yes the food does get a bit samey but after 2 weeks it was to be expected.... we fancied home cooked food & nipped out to the Sissi arms (just over the road) where we had a great Sunday lunch, all home cooked by the English cook/owner... I'd recommend it to all! Sissi is not a big place but as we had 3 kids to run around after we didn’t tend to go out much anyway we always took a walk into the village to feed the ducks & fish & do a bit of shopping. We found a great place for kids on the sea front called 'Sissi Mini Golf' great bar, amazing sunset, great activities for the kids, 18 hole mini golf, pool, air hockey, swings, slide, toddler ride ons etc, owned by Manos but most people are English that work there. the kids club is open from 10am till 6pm... during which time I never saw my 7 year old daughter or 8 year old son, they were safe secure & were well entertained I can’t tell you much about the evening entertainment as I only went out a handful of times in 2 weeks (I had the baby to look after) but my partner used to take the kids to the kids mini disco, karaoke, bingo etc, there were 2 England games on while we were there & we had it in the rooms & in 2 of the bars. The Greek barb nights were great, dancing, great food (although it does get busy) be prepared to be patient or instead of coming down for dinner at 7 come down at 8... the queues have gone down but they are still cooking fresh food. We tried out the hotel spa & I had a olive oil massage & my daughter had a children’s massage....very professional, wish I had gone back for further sessions, well priced & recommend to those who need a break from 3 kids constantly on 'the want' the spa fees go onto your key card & you pay at the end of your stay....(also while you are there please nip round the side of the spa.....the 'hotel' cat has 5 kittens & they are so cute & I’m sure a few sausages from the buffet bar wouldn’t go a miss). There is no beach on the sea front but the hotel run free minibus transfers at various times to boufos beach, it’s a bit pebbly on the water but sandy where the beds are, it looks further than it is, it took us about 15 mins to walk back (after missing the bus) There is a supermarket next to the hotel which sells everything including English papers, baby milk/food, nappies, gifts, booze, fags etc it’s about the same price as here but if you wander to the village there are quite a few supermarkets, where you will find everything a lot cheaper (there are also 3 cash points in Sissi). The hotel reception are great & will help you out no matter what the problem is... we enjoyed it so much we are thinking of going back next year...and we never go to the same place twice.

I have just returned from The Vasia Beach Hotel and cannot understand the negative comments. I am a family of four and a fantastic time was had by all.
The accommodation was first class the food very good and the Italian excellent. The entertainment team provided an excellent variety for everyone.
Sissi is a lovely little place and has some quaint bars and restaurant, we ate out a few times as we feel whenever you go All Inclusive you o sometimes find the food gets a little repetitive.
The Hotel I feel is excellent value for money and I would definitely re-visit.

I have to say the Vassia beach and spa resort was a great surprise. I have been to Greece several times in the past; this was a real treat.
We stayed in the new rooms 615 which had show home appeal, the bath room was very good, all contempary style fittings
A larger than average sized bedroom, the only fault I would say was there being a double wardrobe with a few hangers not enough for a family of 4. The air con was a bonus which was greatly needed even in May the weather was very hot.
I missed there not being a beach nearby the nearest good beach was in Malia.
Not too good for taking children as it seemed to be a full of hung over party goers. Which was 15 min taxi ride away and costing 30 euros return.
The restaurant and dining room was very clean and with modern décor.
The food was great with lots of choice also having a children’s selection of pasta dishes and deserts.
Overall we had a lovely relaxing holiday, Shall certainly book again in the near future
Dawn

Absolutely fantastic! We couldn’t have asked for a better holiday. The staff were so friendly and helpful especially Ellen on reception plus Sissis best chef, I will be returning!

I have just returned home from this hotel and in my opinion it is a 3.5 star, 4 tops. The first week there was no entertainment what so ever, not even any music by the pool.
Two days of this week the weather was really bad so people were sat around in the reception area bar with long faces. The music was really quiet so you could hardly hear it.
Once the animation team arrived the atmosphere was much better and also a newly built bar opened, but by this time we were half way through our holiday. Apparently there is a club downstairs to the new bar which will be open very shortly.
The down side to the second week was that it got so busy that there was no room to sit by the pool and we had to queue for our meals. At one meal time we were wandering around the dining room with our plates in our hands trying to find somewhere to sit.
In the end the manager sat us with a German couple who were extremely put out therefore it was very awkward.
In my opinion the dining hall is far too small for the size of the hotel. Also as there is only one bar open during the day and you have to queue a lot of the time in order to get a drink.
The food was ok but very 'samey' and although it was labelled in the evening it was not at breakfast and lunch which made it very awkward for me as I don't eat meat. The pool bar which serves snacks does not cater for vegetarians except salad and chips.
Sissi is a lovely place, although very quiet and difficult to get buses from. There is not a sandy beach but the hotel provides a free bus to the nearby beach in Malia.
We were in the old part of the hotel which was ok but not half as nice as the new part. The rooms were kept clean and the staff were very friendly and helpful and the hotel has potential and is expanding but I don't think that I would return there.
Our rep only visited us when we phoned him to book an excursion. I felt very sorry for him as he was obviously overworked but we felt abandoned. Another couple that booked through the same company never saw him at all.

This holiday has to be the worst holiday I have ever had.
The food was in a word disgusting and it was not only me complaining, there were Dutch and Welsh family there and we all felt as though the management did not care.
The food was not local and it was badly prepared, hard rice, very greasy dishes and when one of the guests complained about the amount of oil they just said to her that it was good for her heart.
The only reasonable dish was salad but if it didn’t all go at one sitting they would bring it out for the next meal. All the juices had been watered down. Flies were all over the food and had no covering; I am amazed we didn’t get a tummy upset.
The attitude of staff was terrible and although promising to do something when pressed, it never happened.
The nearest town is Sissi and is a short walk about ¼ miles and is very pleasant with some good restaurants and cafes. The nearest big town Malia is a 40 euro taxi ride as the buses only run a couple of times a day.
It has the potential this hotel to be very good but not with the present owners!
You have been warned!

We had a great two weeks at the Vasia beach hotel and would thoroughly recommend it to families and couples, wishing to enjoy a more relaxed and quieter holiday, away from the more rowdy areas.
There is a good mix of Europeans here with British in the minority, and a very friendly atmosphere. With the two young owners, Vasia and George always mixing with the guests so that they are aware of any things that need to be put right.
Food is plentiful, well cooked and varied, with plenty of meats, salads, pastas etc. Excellent theme nights with a variety of Greek dishes, superb BBQ, good drinks and entertainment, with no drunken yobs thank God.
There are also two smaller dining rooms specializing in Italian and Fish dishes, and you can eat there as part of the all inclusive deal, if you want something a little bit special.
Good pool areas although a bit crowded, but there is another quieter pool if you need to escape.
There is no sandy beach here and you will need to travel a few miles to find one, but the hotel does run a bus service to the nearest.
If you like a walk, go along the coast road and you find an incredible Minoan palace just outside Malia about 20 mins from the hotel.
The little village and harbour is also a pleasant stroll away. Enjoy!

We visited this hotel with great expectations. We were soon disappointed.
We had to wait 4 hours to check into the rooms and when we eventually did, they were horrible.
They were pull out beds that you had to do you self, and you couldn’t even leave them out all week as there wasn’t enough room to swing a cat.
We had a tiny kitchen area and one wardrobe for two people, which held your safe and ironing board and a cupboard so god knows where you were to put your clothes.
This was supposed to be a 4 * hotel and based on the rooms I don’t see how.
The staff were helpful and it wasn’t their fault.
We did complain to First Choice and after another 4 hours, they told us that we could pay another 250 pounds to move to a 5* and that they were not willing to help any further.
We did pay and moved to a wonderful hotel, but we will never be going back to the hotel.
Since then first choice have been no help and didn’t offer any compensation.
I will never use First Choice again and I am recommending that nobody else does either, they were terrible.

I stayed at the Vasis beach hotel in May 2006. What a disappointment. The advertisement said luxurious accommodation. WHERE? I certainly was not in any luxurious rooms. I was placed in the old self catering block. A dark and airless room with no windows, a front door that did not lock or shut, a TV that didn't work, the room was gloomy and depressing.
The bathroom was small and the shower had not hook to hang it on and the bath was a shower cubicle with sides. Definitely not 4 or either 5 star rating and pushing it to be 3 star. The med hotels reps were unfriendly unless you paid the high prices for the trips available.
The hotel staff were untrained and unfriendly with the hotel manager being as elusive as the Scarlett pimpernel. The food was bland and tasteless with us having to eat out during our stay. The drinks around the bar were served in small card coffee cups the sort that comes out of a vending machine.
There were no gym facilities, spa treatment were around the pool area. One guest staying at the hotel erected and put together the table tennis table so the children had something more than football to play. The nightly entertainment was a joke with the entertainments team looking as if they had just left school, they had no idea, however they tried there hardest. Would I return? Not on your nelly.

I had looked at all the reviews on this hotel before booking and was quite confident that all would be ok. Unfortunately, the hotel has changed a lot. Definitely not a 5 star. Accommodation was good. We were placed in the new rooms; bathroom was great, only drawback was that there was a big lack of storage space. We had one wardrobe, that was it, no drawers at all, so my teenagers’ clothes had to be placed on a table for the entire two weeks.
The rooms were cleaned every day with fresh towels and bedding every other day. Now, if you are unlucky enough to be given the older part of the hotel, you will not be happy, as they are very basic, mattresses on concrete slabs, very small bathrooms etc.
The food hall looked fantastic, but that's about it! If you like pork, chicken, pasta and salad and chips then you will be fine. There was a lot of German and Dutch staying at this hotel and they definitely catered more for them when it came to main dishes. We got so sick of the food we ended up eating out most nights. I have 2 teenagers and they were surviving on pasta at first, I honestly feel they were malnourished by the end of the 2 weeks. This was my first all inclusive holiday and it has completely put me off. The drinks were awful; we ended up buying our own and having a little drink in the room some nights. The only good thing was that the kids could get as many drinks and snacks as they wanted, so I suppose we saved some money there, but that money saved was counteracted by the amount of money we spent eating and drinking off site. The food hall was also packed every day and night, I got sick of the argy bargy every time, not what I call relaxing!
The hotel itself is big. Towels do have to be put on beds at about 6 or 7ish to secure a place. There are a lot of sun beds but they are very close together as well.
The staff work very hard at this hotel, and they do put themselves out. On Wednesday they have a barbecue night and they come around with orders for drinks and bring them to your table. The barbecue itself is mad. There is a massive queue, so by the time you get your food to the table its stone cold.
Sissi is small and very pretty, but very boring as well. The shops are tacky and the Taverna's are all the same, not much culture at all. Also, hire a car otherwise you will be stuck in Sissi for the duration of your holiday as there is no proper bus service unless you walk for about 40 mins to the main road. We went into Malia for the day and it cost us 30 euros in a cab.
Overall, very disappointed. We paid £3000 for this holiday and ended up spending a further £1000. As we went direct we didn't have a rep to complain to etc, so we just had to grin and bear it. Apparently, there is more work planned for next year, and it sounds like it will get bigger and bigger, also, they plan to put the prices up for next year. Good luck to them!
I wouldn't go back to Sissi and definitely not go back to Vasia.
By the way, the spa is very good, we treated ourselves to a couple of things and they actually have special offers on a weekly basis.
P.S Thank god for a pub called the Sissi Arms that was just outside the Vasia, they serve the best breakfast and the people are great. Also, the Pink Flamingo is lovely, the owner is called George and he is a really nice man.