Palm Bay Hotel

What can I say! Returned from one weeks holiday from Palm Bay Sissi. Hotel very central with perfect views overlooking the small harbour. Very peaceful, iddylic. Hammocks everywhere to relax it. Pool area very nice with palm trees all around so there is no problem about sitting in the shade. Only downside for me would have been the food. Not a lot of choice but you do get enough to do but if you are fussy forget it you probably wont be able to eat anything. Breakfast was ok and evening meal would have been traditionally greek most nights. Desserts were poor apple or orange every night.. I certainly would not let this put you off as the location of the hotel compensates for this for me although when I go back (and I will go back) i will just book bed and breakfast as there are plenty of restaurants all around to get your evening meal in. The gardens all around the Palm Bay are absolutely beautiful and I would definately say you would not be dissapointed. The rooms are cleaned every day and a change of towels but the linen is only changed twice a week. Alison who works behind the bar is brilliant. She works very hard and always trys to oblige. Finally Sissi is a beautiful fishing village and I would recommend it if you want a quiet relaxing holiday.

Stayed at Palm Bay Hotel 7th - 14th May. Very relaxing holiday, the Palm bay is a pretty hotel lined with lots palm tree's. Good sea views and has the best view at sunset whilst sat around the hotel pool. Hotel is very clean. The food is very good, although breakfast maybe could have had more of a variety, evening meals though were very authentic and tasty ! The staff are helpful & friendly. One person that stood out to me was the very outgoing (British bar lady) Alison, who's big smile and friendly persona you will see on your first day. I found her very helpful, but if you want tips on anything than you'll have to catch her as she is often very busy, hard working lady. She definately made my stay at Palm Bay more fun and is a attribute to the palm bay hotel and i hope to see her again on my next holiday. Sissi is a gorgeous little village and has a quaint but pretty little harbour which you can walk along or sit above in the bars/tavernas, The village has plenty of shops too! If you want a relaxing holiday then Sissi is the place to go. The Beaches are a nice short walk too! People are friendly especially at the bars in the village, like Jimmy(British guy) who works at Sissi Bay Hotel bar...right laugh!..make sure you go to Kareoke night...Jimmy loves his Elvis songs hehehe. I also liked and found Les a lovely friendly chap over in the Irish Bar where he sometimes works as well as the owner Gavin or Calvin...sorry name escapes me. So yes everyone including the greek guys who will pursuade you to come into thier restaurants/tavernas for food n drinks are all welcoming. Sissi isn't well known i don't think so is very unspoilt which i think adds to the charm of this little paradise haven! Go you will love it!!

Arrived home yesterday from a weeks stay at the palm bay hotel. Very relaxing holiday, the Palm bay is beautiful has stunning sea views and is very clean. The food is excellent and very authentic and all the staff are very friendly especially Alison the bar lady who works very hard and made us feel very welcome and our stay very enjoyable! She is a real asset to the palm bay and we hope to see her again on our next visit. Sissi itself is a very beautiful quiet village with a harbour, beach shops bars and tavernas an ideal holiday for those looking for a quiet break away from a hectic lifestyle.

Me and my boyfriend were after some last minute sunshine in October this year and decided on the island of Crete, we came across the Palm Bay through the website On the beach which is very competatively priced! We didnt have the hugest of choicest as we literally booked it the week before we went out! Sissi was a fantastic choice, really really beautiful little port, several beaches scattered along the coast which were all walkable, plenty of eating spots and a handful of bars. Perfect for a last minute sunny break! Weather was fantastic, had 1 cloudy day - which meant we just went for a long walk - because you dont really do that when its a really hot day, and sometimes in the morning/evening the wind got up. The Palm Bay is pretty basic but very clean and very beautiful as its covered in flowers! Maid came in everyday and made the bed.... swept the balcony....emptied bins etc etc Sheets/towels were changed twice a week which was plenty. We were 1/2 board so got breakfast and dinner..... breakfast was served quite early 7.00-9.30am and was always a selection of cooked eggs/sausage/toast/yogurt/fruit/tomoatos/cheese/tea, coffee and juice and didnt really stray from that....but did the job nicely. Dinner was served 7-9pm and again was a selection, mainly of local cusines like moussaka/cooked fish/potatos/rice/lovely greek salads/bread - but there was something different every night - and 1 pudding. Food was served in the bar/resuarant area and you could take it outside and sit which was nice. No drinks included during evening meals. I think we would have ended up spending alot of money if we hadnt gone half board. It was nice and quiet when we were there, which i presume was because it was end of the season, but it was quite nice it being quiet and not having to worry about missing out on breakfast or sunbeds at the beach! We hired a car for 35euro one day and drove over to Agios Nikolas which was well worth it, and on the way back drove through Malia and to a bay east of Sissi. Didnt swim in the pool as it was freezing and the sea was 2minute walk away and much warmer and nicer place to swim in. We brought a snorkel as there was so many fish in the sea and we were swimming in it almost everyday. All in all a very nice last minute late sunny holiday :-) cant wait to go back to Crete now!

My 17 year old daughter and I have just returned from 2 weeks at the Palm Bay. What a treat! The accomodation is laid out to give the impression of a little greek village. Very pretty with lots of colour. The room was suprisingly spacious and the little fridge very useful. The a/c was also useful as the tempertatures hit the high 30s. The hotel was very quiet and we were never disturbed by noisy guests. The little beach close by is man made, so more dust than sand, but the swimming is fabulous. We mostly bagged a couple of loungers by the pool and then walked down to the sea for a swim. We would definitely return! One tip - don't take the half board option - there are plenty of very good restaurant close by. We had opted out and were jolly glad we had when talking to other guests!

A week in the sun, hot water and clean sheets requirement and a pool, by the sea is was we wanted and what we got was much much more. Traditional Cretian hotel, with the most beautiful gardens and courtyards that the two level accomodation look out on. Many cretian styled pots, colours and flowers and med plantes etc.... The location of Sissi is charming and not yet spoiled at all, with this hotel having the best location of all the Hotels that we saw. White washed walls, spacious and basic accomodation with balcony and chairs spotlessly clean and sheets changed every 2/3 days without asking. Maid service excellent. The hotel sits on a small cliff looking over a natural harbour with little coloured boats and fishing boats. A really lovely spot. A little beach that is within the harbour wall is a few moments away, just down a dirt path where you can swim in natural spring water, a little cold but lovely. Staff fine, hospitable with a smile. Food is trad greek which I am sure does not appeal to the hardened British traveller who does not like foreign grub, however if you like traditional it is fresh and very good. You do need to eat it at 7PM though when it is all out and fresh as by 8.30 there is not a lot left and it has become a little jaded. Breakfast was OK and acceptable, nothing wrong with it but not very exciting really, need to get there soon. Although they did cook us some new eggs on request. All in all, wonderful week. We only paid a shade over £220 each for half board and for that it far far far exceeded out expectations in terms of what we got. Even if we had paid more it would have been great as the actual setting, colour and pretty gardens and harbour and Sissi in general was fab -

Just back from a week in the lovely Palm Bay Hotel in Sissi. I've been to Sissi three times, stayed in Caravelle (which has now been swallowed up by the Vassia), Zygos, where the lovely Eva was charming and friendly, and then in Vassia in 2005. All on the West Side, so would have passed through and around the Palm Bay when walking into the village in the evening for dinner. The Palm Bay is charming, bit basic, but what a beautiful setting! White walls, blue woodwork everywhere, and the planting is fantastic, flowers everywhere. My sister and I wanted sunshine, sea, bit of nightlife but nothing hectic and a chance to unwind and swim, and that's what we got. We stayed B&B, for €35 a night (per room) which is fantastic value. We had a room each, as I said bit basic, but we didn't need much, just beds and a balcony, shower and a safe. Place was spotless, although we did have to ask for towels to be changed. One thing, bring a travel kettle and buy a cup or mug. I did miss having the facility to make a cup of tea or coffee. Apart from that, breakfast on the sunny terrace in the morning overlooking the lovely harbour was gorgeous, usual fare - cheese, eggs, toast, tomatoes, yogurt and fruit. Sissi itself is just gorgeous, we went to the little harbour beach most days, hired a couple of beds for €3 each and swam, ate rolls and drank coffee, read, swam, snorkelled, swam! You get the picture. The restaurants are pretty good, although the menus tend to be a bit samey. Kleftiko in the Pink Flamingo is fabulous, and the hosts Maria and George are charming and friendly. The Mezedes for 2 in Miramare is fantastic value, loads of tasty morsels for under €30. It's run by a gas woman called Sheila, all the way from Glasgow, and her sidekick Karen, and they're really friendly and laid back. But then that's Sissi for you, all chill and cool. Don't think we paid more than €30 any night for food (wine and drinks extra obviously). Noticed a comment about the Knossos supermarket in one of the reviews on this site, can't say we found them to be unfriendly, in fact Jenny remembered me from my previous visits, and was very welcoming. We went into Iraklio for the morning one day, bus outside the Pink Flamingo at 9 ish, leaves the bus station again at 2.45 to get you back for around 4pm, still time to hit the beach for a pre-prandial swim! So, Sissi is for people who want to chill out, eat nice food, (real Cretan food at that) and laze around on the beach. If that doesn't float your boat, than your best bet is Malia, Hersonnisos or Stalida, all-day breakfasts, Sky Sports, lager louts and overpriced tat.

We stayed at the Palm Bay for one week, and wanted to get relaxation plus some culture from the holiday. The Palm Bay is very attractive, full of palm trees (as you might guess!) and flowers. The rooms are basic, but clean and have everything you might need. Use of the safe and air-con are extra, but I'd recommend this in August! Our room was on the 1st floor with a good-sized balcony which was nice to sit out on, especially as it was fairly sheltered by palms. The pool area was also very attractive, although surrounded by palms so hard to find an area in the sun at times. The hotel is a short walk from the centre of the village (approx 5 min), in which there's a good selection of restaurants along the bay, reasonably priced. You can also enjoy a cocktail while watching the sun set at a few different bars. My only criticism was the relatively poor transport links between Sissi and other resorts on island. We didn't want to hire a car so were limited to just visiting Ag. Nic. on our own, plus there were only two buses a day. If you're travelling with a tour operator I wouldn't recommend the organised trips. We went on one to Santorini, a nearby island. For this you're hearded onto a large ship like cattle with hundreds of other tourists, treated like children, and in all there was twice as much time spent travelling than on the island itself. I was disappointed with a trip to Knossos (there was one too many unconvincing rebuilds), although this day also included some time in Heraklion which I would recommend, although perhaps travelling by car under your own steam instead.

If you're looking for a charming hotel in Crete, Palm Bay is what you need. Its name might seem tacky but Palm Bay is a small and charming hotel composed of bungalow type rooms. All the buildings are blue and white and there are flowers everywhere. It looks like a small village. Rooms are of medium size. Ours was a twin room with a balcony, practical bathroom, wardrobe and safe (not included in price). The hotel has a small pool where you can relax (not noisy). I loved the fact that there were several types of seating arrangements: chaises longues by the pool, inside seating (near buffet!), outside seating (terrasse style), other tables with a view on the tiny port and with swing like chairs at some tables and also comfy seats near the pool. There's also a tiny beach by the hotel but bigger ones if you're ready to walk 20 min. The staff was helpful and friendly and spoke several languages. Food was good, the house wine too! The clientele was composed of families and couples mainly. The village itself is small but has plenty of restaurants and bars and people are very friendly. It's not far from Malia (by cab) if you want a wild night out! Sorry I don't have any pic at the moment but some are available on the net.

We stayed at the Palm Bay in Sissi in September 2007 for two lovely weeks. We had not chosen it but had been re-assigned there by Thos Cook as our original choice was overbooked. As there were no reviews we were a bit worried about what we would find but, as it turned out, we were more than happy. The hotel is right in the centre of Sissi and is surrounded by a profusion of palm trees and colourful climbing plants which are very attractive and provide welcome shade. Combined with the architecture of white walls and blue beams it really is very pretty. Rooms are basic with a fridge, aircon and a safe. We didn't use the aircon so I don't know the cost, the safe was one euro a day Our room was at the front so there was a bit of traffic noise but most of the rooms are very quiet, no noisy discos or bars within a 100 metres or so. Breakfast was very good, always fresh bread and a toaster, eggs etc, juices, tea, coffee and cereals, cold meat and cheese and cake. The other guests were generally not young but different nationalities. The small local beach is about 100 metres away and the pool area is clean and pleasant. All the restaurants and bars are within easy walking distance and Sissi is very clean pleasant small town. However i would suggest that young people would find Sissi very quiet but it suited us ( we are 60 and 58). Local car hire was reasonable (Mevis Car Hire - a Fiat cineicento for week for 150 euroes inc extra insurance). We found driving easy, even in Heraklion. One local restaurant stands out - Mike's Place, if you like fresh meat, fish and different vegetables give it a try, particularly the 'bekri meze' There is a daily bus to Agios Nicolaeos at 9.15 returning at 5.30 costing 5.40 euros for 2 each way. The best beach nearby is "Sun Beach" near the Malia Palace archaeological site (you will need a car or taxi) but really lovely and cheap sunbeds. All in all we had a great holiday and would recommend the Palm bay Hotel at Sissi.