Galini Hotel

1 reader found this review helpful

O'h how i wish i would've read some of these reports before we went to this hotel!! We spent alot of money to go to this accommodation( cant bear to call it a hotel).
Room like a prison-cell, beds were infact not beds, but concrete slabs with a small thin mattress.
Resort is not herssonissos, but Anissaras, up a hill, 15 mins walk to beach and a taverna in boiling heat!! Taxi is 8 Euros each way toHerssonissos.
If you are ill, God help you, no doctors or chemists for miles!! As for the Olympic rep, Doesn't even do a duty in the hotel, you have to pay to ring office for appointment, and he was a waste of space, offering little or no support.
If you go there, don't say i didn't warn you!!!

1 reader found this review helpful

i arrived here with my partner on the 26th of augest 2008 and all i can say is hotel from hell we was totally miss sold this holiday the beach is a good 30 mins walk and the beach is nothing to shout about its gravel and dirty sorry to ruin your ideas of white sand and clear water and the word all inclusive is a joke her very basic breakfast more aimed at germans so if u dont mind ham cheese and salami with stale bread for breakfast go for it as for diner we have eaten out every night as the food is so appalling and food around here isnt cheap dinner is either seafood every night wich looks like dogs vomit some kind of soup asparagus or mushroom lunch is not included the snack bar is not free and is the only place for miles u can eat a burger or pizza or anything romtely worth eating not a place for children to be as pool is litrally falling to bits with sharp tiles and broken concrete edges i am a shock that tour operators can still send any 1 here. do not belive anything the brochure tells you its in the middle of no were the staff are lovely and are all ways willing to get u drunk in the bar be warned though no spirts are free only beer, coke and lemonade wich is not worth drinking the beer is watery but berable the coke and lemonade is shocking they do not have the right mix its pure syrup and is vial to drink most of the guests resort to paying 2 euros for a bottle of real coke wich doesnt last long if you have kids in this heat ! as for the room very basic every time any 1 has a shower it floods the bathroom and bedroom balcony was swimming and slipery where the air con unit leaked and as for the air con beware its 6 euros a day so if ur here for 2 weeks like us it gets expensive 84 euros if u want a fridge thats a further 4 euros a day. anyway i am makeing my self angry at the amount of money we have wasted in this frankly SH*t hole im off to bed

1 reader found this review helpful

Comments I had read on here were very misleading so I felt the need to come and defend the Galini hotel!!!
We have just returned from a weeks holiday here and had a brilliant time- we couldn't fault it! The rooms are traditional but nice, the staff are very friendly, accomodating, knowledgeable and helpful.
The food on offer is brilliant- I am a very picky eater but I could always find something I liked. Meals were an eat as much as you like buffet with breakfast offering several types of cereals, fresh bread, meats, cheese, greek yogurt, honey, fruit and cake. Dinner provided a large choice of salad dishes, soup and bread, several carb choices, different vegetables, and a number of main meal options. Puddings always included fresh melon and a variety of cretan ice creams along with another option. The only thing I would say is if you are half board you do not get a drink with your meal (this includes water!), so be warned- if you want to drink you have to pay (it was about $1.50 for a bottle of water). The Maitre D is brilliant (just ask him to dance ;) ) and the staff are more than happy to help.
If you want entertainment then this isn't really the hotel for you. The pool was nice and the bar has some brilliant staff and greak cocktail choices, but the prices aren't that low ($4.50 for a long drink, $6 for a cocktail). Entertainment is fairly basic and not everyday- we had a greek music band, a bingo night and kareoke. Aside from this there isn't much else to do. The hotel is situated in a fairly rural location so it is a taxi ride to the nearest main town. Locally there are a few 'supermarkets' and the odd small basic taverna, but that is it. There are lots of walks that can be done, and the beach is only a 10 min walk (down hill) from the hotel. If you decide to walk in to the main town (Hersonissos) it is a 30-45 min walk and can be reached either along the beach or on the main national road.
If you want a quiet break in a nice (fairly basic) hotel then I would definitely recommend here! We travelled with Olympic and went on 3 of the organised tours (which are an additional fee) but would DEFINITELY recommend doing so, you really get to experience what Crete is all about. We did the Knossos trip (which included lunch at a taverna up a 1000metre high mountain!), the Spinalonga island boat trip & BBQ and the 'unknown crete' trip- including a visit to a winery, all of which had brilliant guides, excellent food and wine (inc in price) and adequate free time in different village like Elunda and Agios Nicholas.

My family and I,stayed in galini hotel for a week.We found this hotel rather
tranquil and a very friendly staff .The reception staff was excellent as well as Manolis
the maitre of the restaurant.Although we faced a problem in the begging of our stay
regarding to the view of our room ,this was sorted out in a few minutes.Our request was made and the recerption staff was very helpful.Finally ,we enjoyed our stay in a sea view room.The all-inclusive is basic but in my opinion it is a good value for the money we paid.
Additionally,the cozy atmosphere and the traditional style of the hotel were
ideal for a relaxing holiday.As fas as I observed that hotel had to deal in a great percent with repeaters.
I would introduce this hotel to people who really want to relax !

Having read the four other reports on the galini hotel i felt i had to offer some defense for this small cretan hotel. So here goes.....
This hotel is a basic cretan accomadation in a quiet location run by a very friendly team of staff. Its perfect for those looking for a quiet relaxing holiday close to some nice beaches and within a five minute taxi drive of a hectic resort with nightlife entertainment and restaurants in abundance.
The hotel has a nice pool and poolbar and some of the views are fantastic (look out for the sunsets during the evening meal.
The food here is decent. At the end of the day you get what you pay for and if your expecting 4 star or 5 star buffets then book 4 or 5 star accom. Also if your coming to greece expecting egg and chips for dinner and a fry up for breakfast then do us all a favour and go to spain. The great thing about greece (most parts anyway) is that it still seems rather traditional. THe food here is basic but edible and the choice is good.
The entertainment is what ud expect from a small family run complex. A few bingo nights, kareokee, quiz's and the odd cretan night. Dont come expecting great shows put on for you by an animation team. Again if you want that book 5star accom!
What galini does offer you is a real sense that your in greece and if your coming out with an open mind and your not narrow minded then im sure you will have a ball!
when your there say hi to the rep steve - he's an absoloute legend! oh and manolis in the restaurant is cool. As is the reception staff. Look out for the manager who always seems to shout at poor steve the olympic rep.....anyway enjoy ur holiday there
(oh and book santorini and jeep safari excursions....they were amazing!)

1 reader found this review helpful

i went to the gallini hotel for two weeks with my husband daughter and soninlaw it was the worst hotel i have ever stayed in the food was terrible the location crap there was nothing to do on a night it was a 20minute walk to a dirty beach we were all glad to get home i would not recommend this hotel to anyone going to crete and watch out for the ants our room on the ground floor was overrun with them i would not rate this hotel a one star olympic holidays should be fined for advertising it in there holiday brochure dont go and waste your money feel sorry for anyone thats booked to go

1 reader found this review helpful

Basic just didn't cover it, when booking the holiday was advised that the beach was 5 mins away and that it would take 15-20 mins to walk into Hersonissos (more like 2hours). No night life, no hotel entertainment, same thing for breakfast every day; eggs and beans on bread, no toast. Did pay for all inclusive but we could only get drinks free from the bar till 11pm, I thought all inclusive meant all inclusive, not just the basic stuff, wouldn't go back and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Very disappointed.

1 reader found this review helpful

Firstly the hotel is not located in Hersonissos it is on the outskirts and is not within walking distance of the main resort. There are a few supermarkets and a Taverna within walking distance.
The hotel is graded as 3Star but is barely 1star, you have a half board or all inclusive option both of which are laughable as each day you were subjected to eating in a "Dinning Room" behind tatty old 1970 torn curtains where bland school dinner type food is laid out on a table where you can help yourself buffet style (and then clear your own table just like at school!). If you were lucky the curtains would be opened to reveal the the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen and it was the only plus to the dining room. We only made breakfast a few times as the food was cleared at 9.30 prompt.
We booked a family room and were greeted with a prison cell size room with a double and two single beds squashed into together located under the dining room in a dark corner of the hotel with no view and next to an olive grove that bellowed the chiming of the loudest crickets from day break till sunset. We were lucky to get this as while we were there another family were booked in a family room but were shoved in a twin room with two beds to sleep 4 people! There is no standard air conditioning per room but available at a cost of 6euros a day, or fridge or even a fan!! I asked the hotel staff and Olympic rep to be moved but both just laughed at me as it was the height of the season.
After the first week and much badgering we were moved to a 1 bed apartment still within the complex at an extra cost of 120euros, the apartment was lovely and took away the horrors of the hotel.
The pool area had broken sun beds and a sheltered area that smelt of cat wee and the swimming pool turned my daughters hair GREEN and all our swimming costumes and beach towels!! Everything that went in the pool and the beach towels we used are ruined and on my return have boiled them on the hottest wash possible and the colour wont budge... My 3 year old daughters blonde hair is just beginning to look normal again!
The nearest beach is a 10min walk and is lovely but is shingle and a bit rocky. The brochure stated nightly entertainment in the height of the season and I can report that at the Galini you will experience Bingo on a Friday night and Karaoke on Sunday... We were there 2weeks and that was it!! No Cretan night, Barbecue or cabaret as promised.
The only saving grace was the pool bar and Kosta and his staff who always made us feel welcome and could deliver drinks on his head!!
The taxis are few and far between but when they eventually turn up it will cost you 8 euros into Hersonissos.
I have just returned from my holiday and have been dying to right this report to warn people about this hotel, everybody we spoke to were unhappy and couldn't wait to leave... it was like Fawlty Towers in the sun... You have been warned!