Villa Marie Kelly

1 reader found this review helpful

We've just arrived back after a blissful one week at Marie Kelly. I would strongly recommend Marie Kelly to friends and family for somewhere to relax. The apartments were very basic and had all the needed self catering bits and bobs. Beds quite comfy, but only one pillow. Air-con was 50 euros for week, and does come in handy. We didn't use safety deposit box, but that was 25 Euro for week. Every apartment had balcony which was nice, especially if wanted to catch the early morning/early evening sun. The pool is a good size and is quite deep, with a baby pool. There are lots of sun beds and always can get one.
The food from snack bar was good, and the breakfasts were reasonable. Just watch the drinks, that’s where your money goes. Go with the Mythos, 3 Euro for huge glass full.
Olga and Dimitri are very helpful, and Yiannis on the bar makes up the best shots, so we sat round the bar as much as we could. There also provide a pool table, which me and b/f constantly on! It’s very much a family orientated set up, though the time that we where there it was mostly couples of different age groups.
The apartments are situated in a prime spot in Gouves, quiet and peaceful! Can see and hear the sea from the apartments, and the beaches aren't rammo with people and sun beds, we tended to walk towards main shopping street to get the best beaches, it was only 6 Euro for 2 sun beds and an umbrella all day.
A 5 min walk from the apartments takes you into a road full of tavernas all with fab generous food and welcoming staff. We tried a few different ones, but ate in Scorpios a few times, I found the staff lovely, and inviting. The meals were very generous, and did the best Keliftko and Stifado - and their chips were fab!!! But their Moussaka wasn't too good.
The main waiter does love his Raki tho, when we ate in there he was forever filling up my b/f shot glass with Raki, and joining him. Everywhere else we ate did terrific food, the Oasis I would recommend. We tried 2 tavernas up by the Bakery, very pretty looking tavernas (typically Greek looking) wasn't that impressed by the food. The best Breakfast we had was at taverna run by George and Ann, especially good when missing home slightly!

It takes half hour walk along the seafront to the main shopping street, with shops that tend to sell all the same things one after the other, and are desperate for you to buy something in their shop!! Lots of tavernas there, and a huge Irish pub. We didn't tend to walk into town of an evening, but I would imagine it’s quite lively, but not heaving!
If you’re a couple and want to purely relax, and not do a lot, then I would recommend Marie Kelly. I went there 4 years ago with my family and I thoroughly enjoyed it then.

Just came back from Gouves and have to say it was a bit of a disappointment. Very, very quiet and no real 'heart' to it. Just lots of little clusters of restaurants vying for business. The main street is a let down, and behind it are packs of wild dogs!
The Apartments are clean, but there's noting in them to keep them clean, and just like the other review said, the beds are terrible and when you move around in them at night, you get tangled in the very small, very thin sheets.
This is a nice enough complex, and the pool is okay, but after a day or two it would be nice to have a bit of entertainment.
All in all, a little disappointing and out of the way, but generally acceptable for a break, if not the main holiday of the year.

3 years ago I came to this place and I loved it the people were friendly the complex was great and the apartments were fine they had nice beds and the rooms wasn't cramped besides you don’t come on holiday to stay in the rooms.
The beach is a 2 min walk away and there is a beautiful restaurant called milos up the road. The town is about a 10 min walk away and has lovely people there they can’t do enough for you!
I then came back the following year cos it was so nice and I’m coming back in 2007 to Kelley Marie and I can’t wait.

1 reader found this review helpful

Just returned from a 2 week holiday at the Villa Marie Kelly (two families, party of 8). Had a great time and we would definitely consider returning. The resort itself was not up to much but enough if you are looking for a restful holiday; plenty of taverna's to each out in each evening and time to recharge your batteries.
Like previous reviews with the exception of one, we found the apartments to be typical Greece. They were clean, hade white washed walls, balcony, 2 twin beds in bed room and 2 in lounge area, basic kitchen facilities but hey who's going on holiday to do cooking! Each room has safety deposit box at cost of 30 Euro's for 2 weeks and air con at cost of either 70 Euro's or £70, I can't remember which. Either way both are needed for a safe and comfortable holiday.
Taverna's around Villa Marie Kelly were all great. However, we had a bad meal at Scorpio’s and by the end of the holiday we got fed up with him pestering us every time we set out of the door... we nicknamed him the Tango Man as he wore an orange vest every night and pounced on everyone that went by!
I can recommend the Oasis, fab brekky and evening meals, also the Medusa just past the Oasis, really good value and big portions.
There is a great bakery just around the corner past the supermarket, delicious doughnuts and break... yum yum
Gouves town didn't really get busy and there are not many shops there and what there are all sell the same thing.
Taxi's are few and far between. Although the owners of the apartments are more than happy to order one for you if you ask.
Food at the apartments seemed to be fine. We didn't eat there other than for breakfast but I can say it was good value. Service was also good.
Back to the apartments themselves. The pool was not big but never got too busy and there are plenty of free sun beds. The apartments operate no towel policy, so there was no need to get up at dawn to reserve your sun beds, there are plenty available after 11!
Bar area was very clean and comfy. Leather settee style seats and sky TV. There is a TV in apartments but don't bother all channels are in Greek.
Overall we had an excellent holiday. We are experienced Greek travellers and place higher values on cleanliness and efficiency rather than material things like, whether sheets remained tucked in at nights or if ants were in room. We found sheets and beds to be fine and if surfaces are kept clean in the kitchen area and on the balacony, ants shouldn't be a problem. Oh I forgot to mention mozzies. The first week we never saw one, second week a few more were apparent but it was the first time we have come back off holiday in Greece and only one of us had a couple of bites.
Finally these apartments have regulars coming back year after year.
Would highly recommend to anyone with children as very safe. Not for the young and lively... thankfully.
Enjoy!!!!

This was my first time in Crete and I thought the Marie Kelly was lovely pretty basic but all I was doing in the room was sleeping.
The people are very friendly I meet a few friends who I will keep in touch with and I will be going back next year. As for restaurants we ate at a couple of different ones but always ended up back at Skorpios the staff were very friendly and I must admit I feel in love with Yannis.
Yorgi and Sofia were lovely too very entertaining dancing and singing. It would be a shame to go to Gouves and not try Skorpios and there food is beautiful.

Not too many good things to say about the Maire Kelly. Not too many really bad things either.
The complex is adequate (and lets face it, it's at the budget end of the market) and the pool quite good. We found the proprietors to be a little surly, and the barman was helpful enough, even if he did have one eye on the clock all the time he was working, and his mind on Hersonissos!
Maid service was intermittent - coming 4 consecutive days, then nothing, there was no brush in the room and mozzies, ants were forever in evidence. get some ammonia based soothing gel before you travel, and a good repellant, and you should be okay. We had to go to reception and ask for a kettle. For some reason, the Greeks are the most electricity/ cost conscious people you'll ever meet! Dim lights, no kettle... just the finishing touches really.
But the beds were horrendous! If you suffer from back problems, forget it - if you don’t, you will by the time you come back. They must have got the mattresses off the tip, or from the Prison. the sheets were barely enough to tuck in, resulting in waking up 8 times a night to untangle a knotted cord of cotton posing as a sheet, as your skin shredded on the 'piled' material of the mattress or the top cover - both feeling like sand was sprinkled on them (I was still automatically trying to 'brush' it off on the last night!).
The place isn't too far from the beach, and it's not a bad beach as that part of Crete goes, safe and in parts sheltered, not too far from ice-cream and drinks from the supermarket.
As far as Gouves goes think of Mablethorpe in the heat - with mozzies, without the attractions. Or really decent food. Or pavements. Gouves seems to comprise of little 'micro resorts'. a few hotels interspersed with 'restaurants' and the odd supermarket ..... all selling exactly the same things for the same price from the same menus. I resorted to eating Pizza quite often, as I was sorely disappointed with the quality of the cooking on offer. Though to be fair, these resorts are seasonal, and the people who work in them are back on the land for the olive harvest once the season is over. Truly, northern European style professional catering it isn't. But you can live on it!
For some reason, English Breakfast were particularly good value. The best was 6 euros, just round from the Da Vinci Code Restaurant (what Da Vinci had to do with Gouves I never did find out.. maybe they say he ate there in 1993?), on the opposite side - Manolis or something. Proper bacon, proper sausages, two eggs, coffee, fresh juice, beans, mushrooms. Tomato. And if you ask for coffee, juice and toast, it costs more! weird, maybe it's a 'hook' to get you to come back later? Pizza was good there too - but tell them you don’t want garlic bread. They bring it un-asked and they charge for it!
Skorpios is okay too (just outside the access road to Marie Kelly... just dont go in too often or they'll expect you every night.
Many other nationalities in Gouves, so you'll find it's the few Brits at the bar at night and no effort to entertain beyond some bootleg CD's. Satellite TV in the rooms ..... but it's in Greek, though there's usually some English movie on at night with Greek subtitles.
Car hire is plentiful and you can get some good rates. But if you've a mind to shop around, my Top Tip is this: Ask for the price with full insurance with NO EXCESS. If you don't, they'll play all sorts of linguistic gymnastics when you've sat down with your credit card in your hand. Just decide on the size of car you want (two people and two kids will fit happily in a Panda/ Atos and it's small enough to negotiate the roads) and say "How much for X car for X days, full insurance, no excess". I got an Atos (bit of a nail, but good enough) for 200 euros, no excess, for 11 days. Just say you're wanting a car, but not today, and are shopping around for the best prices. They wont want you walking away so will offer you it today for the same price as if you had it tomorrow.
Taxis are 12 euros to Hersonissos (after midnight) and 20 to the airport. Agree the price before you get in!
Speaking of the airport. don’t be surprised if you get there and have to queue for ages outside before being herded in and sent through scanners. All very stressful, time consuming and exhausting in the heat. It also leaves very little time for shopping in the terminal.. and the prices are the same as the high street anyway if you're flying in the EU.
Speaking of High Street. Gouves boast a particularly splendid example of the American dream (there is a former US base just down the road). Only trouble is, it's 1930s depression America. An utter waste for time and energy, but there is an excellent dentist just up at the top who does very good private work (I had 5 appointments, root canal, ceramic crown, whitening etc, etc, etc. for £300).
Heraklion market is best avoided, and take care due to the pick-pockets descending from various countries.
All in all, I wont be back to Gouves, but if you're looking for a really quiet, not at all busy resort - there's Gouves, or there's Bridlington in January.