Kaissa Beach Bungalows & Apartments

Had a great holiday at Kaissa Beach. Well kept spacious apartments in lovely grounds. Great pool area with plenty sun beds and excellent bar serving good food.
Special mention to barman Alex-very friendly and great with our 3yrs old grandson Luke.
Apartments in good location for bars and tavernas can highly recommend Blue Sky restaurant just along the road for a great English breakfast you can’t beat the pig n whistle in village centre.
We have been going to the Gouves area for 7yrs staying at various apartments and Kaissa beach is the best we have been to- already booked to go again next May!

Have just returned from an independently booked 2 week break at Kaissa Beach apartments, where we had a wonderful holiday. Immediately upon our arrival Jean who works in the pool bar, took us under her wing and looked after us extremely well for the duration of our stay.
The owners, Costas, and his wife (Yeleni?) were lovely, extremely pleasant, and helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Everything we asked for (clothes airer, hot water, taxi, book excursion) was delivered promptly and with a smile.
The grounds are clean and well cared for and the standard of cleaning in the apartments is probably the highest we have ever experienced anywhere else in Greece – excellent!
Towels and bedding were changed regularly and bathroom bin emptied daily.
Surprisingly, the pool bar was never as busy as I’d expect it to be despite a weekly BBQ.
Whilst Jean’s hard work and efforts at getting events organised (Pool competition for kids etc) are commendable, I fear she is fighting a losing battle as a bar is only as good as the personality of the people who work there. In addition, she was the only one who ever stayed until 2 am and beyond.
I know little about running a bar, but from a customer’s point of view it’s the personality, drive, and enthusiasm of people like Jean that ‘make’ a bar and which contribute to the atmosphere & overall enjoyment of a holiday. We were particularly touched when she came in early for her shift on our final day to have a farewell drink with us and in fact she was the sole reason we bothered with the pool bar at all.
Although we didn’t venture very far to the East (past the little church), to the West there is a profusion of beachfront restaurants - all within walking distance - to choose from and the only time I was disappointed was at Zorbas, down near the marina. In fairness, this was probably due to poor choice on my part. Our favourites were Corali and Porto, great food, great service, and lovely friendly people.
We did very little – a trip into Heraklion to the market on Saturday morning, but having headed straight to the market we didn’t really hit the main shopping centre and failed to find our way back there. We discovered later that the shops in the capital shut on Saturday afternoon anyway!
Our only other excursion was to Santorini for the day. It’s advertised as THE most beautiful Greek Island. It was a long day and quite expensive, but in the long run it’s probably saved us money as although very picturesque, unlike some of the other islands we’ve visited I didn’t fall instantly in love with it and probably saw enough in one day to decide I didn’t need to go and spend a week or more there. That said, it’s a purely personal opinion and still a trip well worth doing.
The new shopping centre mentioned in a previous review is still far from finished and only 2 or 3 shops are open selling yet more ‘tourist tat’, but they have a rather temporary feel about them and seem strangely at odds with the up-market appearance of the development.
If you’re travelling independently and planning to get a taxi from the Airport, be aware it should only cost €20 - €25 max. We were quoted €20 when enquiring at the airport but were then charged €35 upon arrival at Kaissa. When querying this, the ‘explanation’ was that the €20 was per person! Needless to say, he didn’t get a tip and we won’t get caught again. The return journey was €25, the driver was helpful, polite, carried our cases from reception, pulled up right outside the terminal building, fetched a luggage trolley, placed our cases on it & and seemed genuinely touched & surprised by the tip we gave him.
The only slight negative aspects were;
• The apartments were not as modern as I’d anticipated from the website description and the furnishings were well used. There was the usual ‘Greek bathroom syndrome’ with constantly dripping taps/shower, extractor fan not working, mouldy tiles and shower curtain, and the basin tap handles were fitted so close to the wall, it was impossible to grip them properly to turn them on and off!
The apartment had a TV and radio (radio didn’t seem to work in either bedroom or lounge). The ill thought-out kitchen area had both a microwave & kettle, but the only power socket was above the sink, which meant that not only could you not use both simultaneously, but also the microwave would have to be placed on the (sloping) draining board which meant food would spill and you couldn’t open the door!
• Although we requested a sea view, we didn’t get it and were on the ground floor with views only of the other apartments surrounding the courtyard, hence there was little privacy, but from the layout I doubt that few - if any, of the first floor accommodation would even be able to see the sea.
• It was disappointing to discover that although the apartments are indeed 10m from the beach as stated, it isn’t a usable beach as its very rocky and sloping. In fact all the bars and restaurants are on the beach and beautifully done with lights, comfy seating etc.
There was however another beach about 10 mins walk away, just past the dive centre which was well populated by Greek people and where access to the sea is relatively rock free and in a small harbour/cove so it shelves gently and the sea is calm here.
A little further on is another larger beach just beyond the marina with row upon regimented row of sun beds as far as the eye can see - we didn’t bother with this one.
• During our stay the hotel was used for a Baptism party which meant that from Thursday lunchtime, all day Friday and part of Saturday the majority of the pool surround, sun beds and umbrellas were out of use because the area was being set out with tables for this event.
It was fascinating to watch the preparations & celebrations, but up to the time of departure on 12th July the pool surround had not been fully reinstated and although this was an inconvenience rather than a huge problem; it may well be so when all apartments are fully occupied later in the high season. We understand there are a number of similar events booked so it might just be something worth bearing in mind if you’re considering a visit…

Absolutely fantastic, the apartments were clean and beautifully kept. Air-con and safes available in each room. Simon the bar man is very attentive and full of help!
The locality of these apartments is ideal, near to town and the sea is on your doorstep. Take plenty of suncream as it is very hot!
Gouves is a very quiet town before the school holidays and this enables you to relax completely. There is something for everyone there whether you like loud noisy English type bars or a taverna to sit in and watch the sun set, next to the dragon island.(Dia)
The beaches are beautifully kept and the sun beds are cheap to rent. Watch out for the undercurrent if you go too far out to sea as it can be quite strong, and when the wind picks up the waves are quite heavy. (but great for body surfing)