Hotel Oceanis

I have just returned from having 2 very enjoyable weeks at the Ocenais Hotel in Crete.
I read the reports about the hotel on this site and others before I went and thought we were going to be staying at the Over Look Hotel, as mentioned in Stephen King’s book 'The Shining'. All I am glad to say is that the bad reports were complete rubbish!
We found the staff incredibly friendly and helpful, regardless and the time of day or night. They really took the time to make our holiday enjoyable.
The rooms were ideal for what we wanted and were cleaned every day and the bedding changed regularly. We did have a room with air con which was a real god send.
The food was lovely and there was a wide variety available. In fact we never had the same menu twice. You could refill your plate as many times as you liked.
The drinks were readily available through out the day and you weren’t restricted to how many you could have in a hour either. Our complain moan about the place was the fact that vodka, gin, rum and whiskey was not free in the all in. But this did not spoil our holiday. We drank the free beer, wine, brandy, ouzo and Raki instead. We drank the vodka and gin in the happy hour.
We are both over weight and not at all fit but we found the walk to the beach very manageable. It took us 10 minutes there and 15 minutes to get back.
The hotel provides a free bus service twice a day to Hersonos which we made full us of too.
So ignore all the bad comment about this hotel. Its a great place to stay!

Well I would say this hotel is lovely, the rooms were clean. The towels n sheets were.
Food-the food was exceptionable ok, however on the 2nd weeks ,we found the food boring however we knew that after 2 weeks we’d get fed up of the food.
Drinks-we did not go in all inclusive, we did find the drinks fairly expensive however at 11-1pm it was happy hour where all cocktails and spirits were buy one get one free, which was good.
Entertainment-not much apart from the every 2 week Cretan night n the lovely barman messing about.
Swimming pool and sunbeds-the pool was fine, however a few weeks b4 some one had drowned, but now they have a sort of lifeguard Nikolos (who’s a waiter as well).
n be prepared for sunbed wars.
Staff-the staff are very friendly mainly the bar/restaurant staff, who wk v long hours. Giorgios the restaurant and bar manager is very fair and caring and willing to help. They socialise but work very hard at the same time and made it cosy for the guests.
Location-about 5 minutes from a friendly shop/taverna with satellite TV. 20 to 25 minutes to the beach not that far or hard. a taxi, free bus or car hire to Hersonissos.
As a whole, me and many other guests agreed that without the friendly staff the hotel wouldn’t be as good. It’s a great hotel to relax at.

After reading other reviews about this hotel I was dreading this holiday, because they were so bad.
Upon arriving we were booked in at reception and asked if we would like aircon in the room for a small charge. We said that we would be ok without. What a mistake this was, the room was like a sauna and we lasted one night in there, the receptionist found us a room with aircon first thing the next morning. The staff were really friendly and would do anything to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. The hotel was in the middle of the Crete countryside but the hotel has a free bus to take you into town and bring you back each day, and it is only 6 euros in a taxi.
The food was pleasant, and the swimming pool and sunbathing terraces were fantastic. The bar choice for all inc was limited but we just lived on wine and soda for the 2 weeks we were there.
The hotel was clean and we had a very enjoyable stay there and there is a pub and a shop about a 2min walk up the hill where you can get papers and magazines and for the people who want English food you can get that too.
Overall the holiday was very enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone. I would suggest that people who want English food and boozy loud nightlife go to Blackpool.

I have to say this must be the very worst hotel in Crete, when we booked we were told that it was about 30 minute walk into Hersonissos, more like 1hr and 30 minutes. As soon as my boyfriend and myself arrived some very unhappy neighbours with various complaints met us. They were right and for the first time in my life I was glad I only booked a weeks holiday.
The staff were very unhelpful and looked miserable and you could tell they just didn’t care about making your stay comfortable. The rooms were unclean and worn with holes in the bed covers and towels, you could complain all you like but they would not do anything.
The very worst thing about this Hotel was the food, I was not expecting first class food but I was expecting to be able to eat it, the dinners were overcooked, tasteless with no choice. Breakfast was even worse and we did not eat in the hotel after our experience of both.
Please use the local buses they are fantastic and very cheap, only 1 euro to go to Stalis and Malia, without this we would have gone mad.
This Hotel does have one good point and that’s the pool which is clean with lots of sun loungers and fantastic weather.
Please also note this Hotel is based on quite a steep hill and myself and my boyfriend like to think of ourselves as quite fit but this was even to much for us. By the time we got to the supermarket/bar at the top of this hill you needed a drink.
BE WARNED if we had never been to Crete before we would not go back again after this experience.

Just got back on the 18th September after spending 2 weeks there. I wish we only went for 1 week.
Was very disappointed with the Hotel and Surroundings. I felt like crying when I first arrived. There was a horrible smell in our room and also damp in the Bathroom. Had to get some air freshener from the shop. The staff are so rude and very unhelpful and I felt I didn’t want to ask them for anything. I asked for another couple of pillows as the ones we got were very worn and flat. In response I was questioned why I wanted them and they finally gave us some. Also, the Bath Towels were damp and had a horrible smell. We ended up using our own Beach Towels.
The food was awful. We only had four meals at the Hotel instead we went out to eat which obviously cost us money even although we had to walk miles to find somewhere. Snack Bar - What Snack Bar? All there was were some stale sandwiches in the fridge and the occasional slice of Pizza.
The Hotel itself looked very dated, in need of a refurb. The grounds were clean but half the grass was worn away and looked very shabby. Nothing like the brochure described.
It was a good 30 minute walk to beach, which wasn’t that nice either. Didn’t swim in the sea once. In the end, we hired a Scooter for a week and managed to get out and about. We couldn’t stand staying at the Hotel all day long. Spent a couple hours round the pool each day but that was all.
Hersonissos itself was OK. Very lively. Lots of Restaurants, Bars, Shops, Clubs etc. I think our Holiday would have been better if we stayed closer to Hersonissos itself. If you want a quiet Holiday then this is the place to go.
Don’t know if I’ll ever go back to Greece after this. A BIG BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!!!!!!!!!!

I have read the previous comments with interest and have the following comments to make on the Oceanis hotel.
The brochure states that Air conditioning is "payable locally" this could lead you to believe that all rooms have it, not the case I am afraid. Air con is only available in certain rooms, if at the time you arrive there are rooms with air con available then it’s offered to you, very misleading.
The accommodation was, as stated in the brochure, traditional Cretan! It was basic but of an acceptable standard of cleanliness.
The brochure also states that Greek nights and Karaoke were available "weekly" this again was not entirely true. During the time I was there there was one Karaoke night, and that was put on I believe through pressure from the guests.
Food! I actually found the food excellent, yes, there were always salads available but there was also a wide variety of cooked meats and fish too! Along side the meats and fish were a good selection of vegetables, so I think the food catered for all types.
People that go to a foreign country for a holiday, particularly Greece must accept that "The full English breakfast" is not a Greek dish and should consider places like Blackpool in future if they need Fish and Chips on a regular basis. What must be remembered is that the hotel was catering for many nationalities.
My main criticism is of the middle to senior management who, as Miss Gould stated previously, they were not very obliging. At times it appeared to be too much trouble to respond to simple requests, this was most evident on the reception desk. A smile is can be understood in any language. Hello Kev

After visiting several other All/inclusive hotels in Crete and Corfu, over the last 5 years, I have to say this is the VERY WORST ever!!!! We arrived with friends who have never been to a Greek Island before, and we felt more sorry for them as they now will tar all of these types of hols with the same brush!! You couldn’t really call this all inclusive at all, the choice of meals was so bad for our 14 day stay(unless you are a rabbit and enjoy salad 3 meals per day) that we went to a nearby shop(only 1 for miles) and got an English breakfast from the local Greek family who had found a gap in the market , and made a small cafe!!! We had 4 kids within our party, and there wasn’t even chips or anything to feed them happily with!! One day we went out to water City a brilliant day out and A/I guests get a lunch box. Well we ended up binning most of it, it consisted of the sandwiches, which are at the pool bar all day long, thin bread with a sliver of processed cheese, and a slice of luncheon meat, no butter or marge! Apples, which were bruised and very "over", no water, just thinly made squash and that was our lot, for a whole day out!! If you are thinking that A/I is all you will have to pay for, think again, and make sure you have enough money to at least pay for the kids to go up to the nearby shop to buy food on your stay. We cannot fault the restaurant/bar staff as they are clearly at a loss to do anything to change things, and are really very good, but watch out for Nana Mascoury on the desk, she is a dragon and goes by the name of Tuala, don’t ask her for anything, we waited for air con to be organised for us, we had arranged them , and to pay on arrival, after the 12th day, we realized that they would never be available to any of us, and we gave up the fight!! There was no entertainment during the fortnight, except ( you guessed it) on our last night, when every one wanted to do Karaoke, and we had to get early night because of travelling next day!!!
There was supposed to be BBQ Greek nights and Karaoke, 3 nights a week!! Angelo the barman was good, but the A/I selection was v poor, and we had many arguments with the manager about not serving at 2 mins to 11 when you then had to pay, and never could we get more than 1 drink at a time else they all got VERY cross at the asking! The rooms were clean but very basic and as I said even if you arrange air con, don’t expect to get it, and if you are ground floor(as we were) get some cockroach killer before you arrive, and keep the bathroom light on all night, that way, they cant get to the bed areas!! Well hope I haven’t put you all off, there were some good points like wall to wall sun and temps in the high 30s good views, but the inability to get to the beach , without an 40min trek or taxi. The pool was clean for most of the time, we only had a cloudy ness to it for the last 3 days of our trip(we got back 27th) hope that means it will get better for August, and oh by the way my next letter will be to Olympic hols but like most complaints , nothing will come of it, Imp just typing this to warn the rest of you, before you travel, so that maybe the travel firms will go and check it all out, and DO something about it!!!!

We went in June as we got a good deal, on arrival early hours of five in the morning, the operators were not helpful. The hotel seemed nice, rooms were basic and staff were not that friendly.
You were a good walk away to the nearest beach and amenities, unless you got a taxi in to town, which was about 6 euro. We found ourselves bored as a young couple; it was more for older couples.
The food was not that nice, very plain and tasteless, apart from the flies were on it before you even arrived at dinner. Would not go there again, unimpressed with the place, but Crete is lovely.