Petra Mare

We have just arrived back from a wonderful holiday at the Hotel Petra Mare, we were extremely impressed with the hotel, large rooms and spotlessly clean, maids work 24/7, the food is excellent, consisting of traditional Greek and English food, offering a wide range of salads and puddings, the snack bar by the pool also provides excellent food ranging from chips, pizza, sausage, salad and meats. The whole complex is cleaned extensively. The pools are brilliant and very clean, the water slides are opened twice daily and are great fun. First Choice Entertainment Team (Nick, Gareth, Natalie & Vicky) are fantastic, they work very hard to provide excellent activities for both adults and children. The beach to the side of the hotel is clean and good for snorkelling. While we were there we also heard very good reports from people who had put their children in the kids club and they were impressed with the reps. We were all very sad to leave and are hoping to book again for next year. Well done First Choice this was the best holiday ever. PS. Thank you to Vicky – Phil has showed everyone his certificate. Thank god “for play your cards right”. Phil, Jo, Oliver & Alice

We have recently returned from 2 weeks at the Petra Mare and we really wish we were still there! The hotel staff are extremely friendly and the cleaners seem to work 24/7 and do a superb job. The swimming pools and waterslides are great and keep the kids AND adults entertained all day. The hotel itself is a lovely place, just perhaps a little outdated. The food is not really up to the standard that we believe it should be for a 3star plus all inclusive. It gets very repetitive and we ended up spending quite a bit of unplanned money eating out at restaurants in town! I have mixed opinions about the first choice staff.... the entertainment shows are of very good standard and utilise all their individual talents. However, just because they can all perform well doesnt mean that they are all great people! Gareth & Vicky are fantastic. They both work so hard and make so much effort with all of the guests. Unfortunately, the other 2 members of their team, Nick & Natalie are far to interested in each other to actually do any work! Put it this way, we certainly noticed when Gareth & Vicky werent at work! The kids club team were great and were very patient with all the children. Again a couple of them made more effort than others. Laura was very friendly with everyone and made an effort to get to know all the children and their parents. The kids also thought highly of Sarah, but all of them did a great job.

We have just returned from a fortnight at this holiday with a 9 year old. Holly has had a brilliant holiday she loved the slides (which were pretty good) pools made loads of friends and the wave club was excellent the reps were Dan Antonia Jenny Sam and shauna were excellent.. The Entertainers Gareth Natalie Nick and Vicky were really good with the kids contrary to other reports and yes they may not be the most professional but they were work really hard and I think they did there best given with what materials they have to work with. NOW for the BIG gripe- we achieved what we set out to do and that was to give holly a fantastic holiday - but as for our holiday what a disaster - the food is so boring after 3 days you just cant be bothered to go to eat ,the snack bar never changes its menu and as for the drinks they are absolutley dire . The alcohol tastes horrible even the lager was only just drinkable but definitely not out of plastic cups. My husband got up every morning to put the towels on the last 2 sunbeds in the hotel and that was on the beach at that time you could not get one by the pool. the worst all inclusive we have ever been to. (Perhaps it didnt help that Chris and I had 2 weeks in the Maldives in April which was just paradise.) The trips were good but be warned the water park is a 2 hours drive which the rep doesnt tell you. Lerapetra the town is pleasant walk away but dont listen to the reps and go to Zorbas walk a little further to the fort past the harbour . We found a taverna called Faros which is nearly the last one before the fort the food was excellent and nothing was too much for the waiter who was called Carlos - we had complimentary water melon and apple , Raki and he gave holly a chocolate biscuit.for a fraction of the price of eating at Zorbas. Book a late check out before you go because the hotel is so full you cant keep your room on we had to check out of the room 12 hours before our pick up time. They gave us a room to change into which resembled a changing room at a Swimming Baths.

we have had a great time this year, the first choice staff were outstanding, the entertainment staff were the best we have ever seen, Gareth, Vicky, Natalie and Nick. were up for anything, they even enjoyed their regular swimming classes. They helped make our holiday memorable. We would return in a flash, the kids entertainers were good even so that my 12 year old could not wait to go to the club daily. the facilities were great, the water sports were a must, and the hotel staff were friendly and polite. The food was great there was never a day when you could not eat, but if all you want is british fair this may not be your idea, with having the most fussiest eater with me my husband never starved, remember it is foreign country.

Our family has just returned from the Petra Mare hotel & I am really disappointed with it, for starters the food is so repetative by the third day we were all really fed up with it. All that seems to be on offer is fish, lamb & chicken these are served every night. Alot of folk werer moaning about the drinks, I cannot comment on the spirits but the white wine was good...strong though!! There is no outside professional entertainment brought in so you have to make do with First Choice's team for the night time entertainment, I must admit they really did a fantastic job, but for the money I paid for this holiday I would have expected abit more money pumped in from First Choice. The lazy river that is advertised in the brochure was never on in the 2 weeks that we were there, I noticed excrament in the baby pool and this was repoted to the reception, however I was in a sunlounger next to the pool and no-one came to clean it for 4 hours. Oh yeah.. a word of warning, we had to get up mega early to get a sun lounger, for the first three days we were going down a a respectable time in the morning and we had no beds all day. The town is really small that you can literally walk around the whole place in 5 mins. We found this place to be just to boring for what we were looking for, We have been on many all-inclusive holidays before through First Choice & this by far was the poorest all-inclusive hotel we have been in. I would not recommend this hotel for all the familes who are looking for alot of activaties and professional entertainment, however if you are looking for a holiday just to relax this this is for you. P.S The supermarket sells pot-noodles.....you'll need them, trust me.

I took my husband, young daughter and 10 month baby to this hotel and we all had a whale of a time, my daughter loved the kids club, though you have to make sure you get in early to get their names put down for this, and she loved the kids disco and games in the evening. My husband loved the day activities, water polo etc, and the childrens pool with its slides are ideal for all ages of children. Only downfall was the main seawater pool was very cold and not bearable for my children, so spent all of the time in the childrens funpool. Also, sunbeds became a bit of a competition, people were reserving them very early so if you arrived after 10:00 you had no chance of getting a sun bed with a parasol, but if you are a real sunworshipper and don't need shade, there is always a supply of spare beds you can put where you want. Food was fine, but don't expect english cuisine, you need to be prepared to try different things, if you don't enjoy different things, there is always chips, salad and soup every night !!!! I was also very impressed with the cleaness of the hotel and pools, there was always cleaners on the go and friendly staff wondering around picking up rubbish etc. I would definately go back to this hotel whilst I have children that need entertaining.

This was my best ever holiday, so much so, we didnt want to leave! The hotel itself was spotlessly clean, and all the hotel staff were very friendly and polite, and very professional. Our room was lovely, and bigger than expected, with a very much enjoyed air conditioning, particularly after a very hot evening spent in the Stage area. The pool area was perfect, one big pool for bigger children and us, and a smaller one for children, which had a lovely play area for them. A lovely area to sit and snooze on a sunbed. Pool itself was very cold but gorgeous to cool down in, and there was some fabulous waterslides of which I used very often. The lazy river was excellent too. Kids clubs were superb, and excellently run by friendly, cheerful, professional staff. We hardly saw the kids - and I must say, the DVD nights were wonderful! Coupled with the men going off to watch the football and us girls had some great girly nights! Speaking of, the entertainment team were absolutely brilliant, and had us either rocking way and singing along, or doubled up with laughter. Nick, Gareth, Vicky and Nat were all fabulous - friendly and helpful, if rather competative at waterpolo!!! (you know who I mean!) They worked extremely hard on their shows, and we loved them! It was great to also get to know them a little better after their show and it was also very sweet of Gareth and Vicky to come in on their day off to say goodbye to us. Very much appreciated and I wish I was still there. And I shant forget Bingo with Gareth in a hurry! This was one holiday I truly didnt want to end. I made some good friendships, and enjoyed all the hotel had to offer. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Wonderful, perfect, superb, friendly.

Well I have to say I am appauled at the reviews that I have read here... For starters - I was there when that family with wife in wheel chair was there and the reps - one in particular was always there to help them and went above and beyond her call of duty to help!! And I know they even got a refund for one of the trips they went on becuase it was not suitable for wheelchairs! I had a fantastic holiday while I was there and yes the sea is quite rocky but again we were advised to get some sea shoes - a must!!! After all how can you blame the reps on the sea! Please think about what you are complaining about here. ALL the reps are extrememly good - ok one or two may have slipped throught the net but that is always going to happen. The kiddies reps are fantastic, the entertainers put in so much hard work and when they are not doing pool activities or fun quizzes or bingo they are rehersing for the nights show! The work every day from mroning til night and do not get finished until well after 11 - guys you are doing a GREAT job ignore the nasty comments! I think you are all FAB! Over all the hotel is really nice! The food is good on our transfer in our rep Ashleen I think her name was told us that we woudl be best to just pick one this a night rather then get a selection every night as then we would bore with the food. this was a great tip and woudl advise e eryone to do the same. There is always a rep around to help and I cannot fault them. We had a great holiday and would recommend it to anyone.

We stayed at the Petra Mare hotel in Ierapetra for a week at the end of May. From the moment we arrived at 5am we felt well looked after by the hotel staff and First Choice reps. Our room was airy and spacious, the mountain view was gorgeous. Our room was cleaned to perfection everyday and clean towels left every day. The meals were all buffet style and there was so much variety and plenty of everything. All the staff in the dining area were friendly and always ready to help. The pools were clean and although a bit cold in the mornings...very welcome by mid afternoon when the sun was at its fiercest. As we were only there for a week we only went on one trip out and that was to Chrissi (donkey) island which is a 45 minute boat trip away and is truly a tropical paradise...we were surprised that no one but us took the oppurtunity to eat at the little taverna there as we had delicious greek salads for a silly low price. The entertainment seemed to be good fun but too be honest we were so tired at nights we tended to sit on our balcony to relax and read for an hour before bed. Ierapetra itself is a quiet peaceful town and all the local people we met were incredibly friendly. All in all a brilliant hotel and a brilliant holiday.

My overall impression of this hotel can be summed up in one word - CHEAP. It seemed like everything was designed to be as cheap as possible - from the pathetic plastic cups, to the nasty drinks and the tacky "entertainment". The hotel itself is OK - a bit shabby and in need of redecoration. Our room was spacious, with a lovely sea view, but the bathroom was a bit grubby. It was cleaned every day however, and towels and sheets changed regularly. Hotel staff were pleasant and hard working - but although the floors in the communal areas were being continually mopped, I don't think the strip of carpet along the corridor was vacuumed once in 2 weeks. The restaurant was OK - food mainly good, but a bit repetetive after 2 weeks. We were also slightly put off after seeing a huge (dead) cockroach on the floor one morning. The outside part of the restaurant attracts several local stray cats - unfortunately at least 2 of them are heavily pregnant, so in a few weeks time, the place will be swarming with them. Although there's little you can (humanely) do to deter them - and I am a cat lover generally - I don't really want grubby strays rubbing against my legs when I eat. There was a decent choice of food in the restaurant (lamb, chicken, fish, pasta) and a good variety of salad, vegetables and some delicious desserts. The wine was OK - not brilliant. Be warned - the only place you can get a decent soft drink is in the restaurant - and even that is sweetened orange or grapefruit juice. Elsewhere in the hotel the only non alcoholic drinks you can get are nasty local fizzy drinks or water. The snack bar was rubbish, unless you like cheap pizza and chips. A major criticism is of the plastic cups used throughout the hotel (only exceptions are the restaurant and the bar) - these cups are so flimsy that they practically melt if you use them for hot drinks and fold in on themselves. A word of advice - take some PG Tips - the tea is awful. As is the milk - UHT. Again, cheap and nasty. Speaking of which, the First Choice "entertainers" were a joke. A motley collection of people who were clearly only there because they hadn't made it onto Big Brother this year, (and because they're desperate for their Equity cards) they were arrogant, aloof and had sadly limited social skills. They also made it very clear they didn't like children, despite running the kids disco. It would have been far better for kids club reps (the creche reps were fantastic by the way) to do this, as they seemed to relate to kids far better. As it was, there's a Barbie wannabe, a poor man's Lily Savage, a fat bird who makes Jade Goody look talented and an obnoxious fat bloke who's so far up his own backside, he needs oxygen. All in all, not a good advert for First Choice. And another word of warning - don't be conned into buying an "Express Check In" for your return journey (7.50 euros each) - a complete waste of money. You turn up, queue, and watch people who haven't paid go through the "Express" channel in front of you basically. During our stay there were 3 fights among the guests, and if you want a decent sunbed by the (good) kids pool, you need to be a very early riser. So - all in all, no I won't be going back.