Paradise Bungalows

Our family of two adults and two young children (6yrs and 9 yrs) were among the last guests of the season before the hotel closed for renovation. And the staff left to organise olive picking on their farms.
We found the waiter to be polite, cheerful and very helpful. Food was plentiful and good. Our room was superb with loads of space and lots of hot water for evening baths after the beach. Swimming pools were clean and wonderful, as there were only a few other guests. Miss Vicki was a great credit and favourite with the children. She actually seemed to enjoy entertaining them even during out of hours time.
It was a good idea to hire a car as the hotel is isolated from beaches. The nearest beach has awkward rocks to clamber over before reaching the swimming area. We spent most days at Star Beach which is a free water park with loads of facilities. We had a really good week, and would definitely go again.

I went alone, the room was large, and had everything I needed, apart from a kettle, but I took my own mini-boiler so I could have plenty of mugs of Yorkshire tea, if you, like me, can't live without "proper" tea then I recommend you take something to boil water with you and a mug. The shower was very powerful. Bed linen and towels were changed daily. There was a secluded balcony and the vines were in flower, which gave the place a “hanging gardens of Babylon" feel to it, very nice.
The food was really good, breakfast was always eggs (fried or scrambled) baked beans, (one day there was sausage and on another there was bacon too), tomato, cake, bread/toast, jam, cheese, coffee and squash and roughly every other day some sort of warm pastry. Dinner was various salads ( Greek, tomato, cucumber, olives, bean salad, tsatsiki, egg mayo etc, plenty of choice ) and/or soup cold meats and cheeses as starter, and for main course a choice of 3-4 meat dishes a fish dish and a couple of veggie options, plus rice, potatoes, vegetables, bread, pudding was fresh fruit, jelly, ice cream, pastries. All food was on a buffet basis, so you could have as much or as little as you wanted. The food was hearty tasty stuff, and fulfilled my objective of filling my belly up for the day :-). When I arrived my first night, I missed dinner so the chef made me up a cold plate which was brought to my room and most welcome after a long journey.
The staff are really friendly, speak good English and always are happy to help out. Vicky was particularly good, doing the low key evening entertainment and adding to the relaxed friendly atmosphere, my suggestion would be to join in the pool-side evening entertainment, it's a good laugh and helps you to make friends with other guests......alcohol fuelled bingo, lottery etc was a scream. Guests were mainly English and Dutch and we all got on well.
The complex is located about 15 minutes walk from the nearest beach, which is rocky, but develops into a nice sandy one if you walk east along the coastal road, I enjoyed sunbathing here, there was always a nice cool breeze coming off the sea. I didn't venture any further than the beach, so can't say what the more built up towns were like, but understand from other guests that they are easily accessible via bus.
I had read some reviews before I went and was a little apprehensive as some of them were quite negative, but I guess if you've been to Greece before, you know that the **** star rating system doesn't really apply, and I think Paradise Bungalows was excellent value for money, I would certainly go again. If you want to be in the middle of the hustle and bustle and nightlife then this is not the place for you, but if you want a relaxing time away from it all in a peaceful setting, with good food and nice folk then come here, its fab!

My husband, 2 boys aged 9 n 11 and myself loved this 2 week holiday. Pretty surroundings, noisy crickets in trees, pool outside room, plenty sun beds, choice of food, reasonable priced mini market, cleaners every day, great entertainer -Vicky (kids loved her) and didn’t see much of them between 3pm and 7pm, as we all slept in the same room this proved valuable for our free time!
Wished we could have been closer to the next resort as it soon added up taxiing back and forth at rates of anything between 5 and 10 euros - get used to bartering before you get in anywhere! The aqua park was worth a visit for our age kids as they love all the different slides; we thought star beach was posers paradise and had only 4 slides for 10 euros per person for the whole day.
The nearby beach was great - walk along a little from where the bus drops you off and in front of Captains bar you can use the sun beds etc no problem, 3 euros each. My boys loved it there. The walk back if you stay longer is exhausting in the heat though so carry water and enjoy the exercise. We met lots of friendly families from all over England and Ireland n found we got to know each new family that arrived very quickly n the kids soon became pals with the girls n boys of any age.
The Irish were brill company and great for a laugh - join in the evening entertainment and make the most of the holiday, those who winge don’t even try to enjoy it, but we didn’t meet any one there who hated it! We had no problems with any of the staff Chef at dinner was great with my boys tempting them to try his Greek dishes even though the younger boy always ended up with chips and meat every night after a little attempt of them.
We wouldn’t go back there purely because of being isolated and the fact we like to try different places every holiday.

First time in Crete a bit surprised at how friendly all the people were the bungalows were set in a small village called Anasaras overlooking the coast.
The trip to Hersonissos is 2 euros in a cab and the bus service to all major resorts is first class and very cheap the hotel was clean the food wonderful and the service to all rooms excellent.
This is the third med hotel we have been in and we are going to Santorini in September in another med hotel any person who wants a quiet holiday but for a few euros they can have as much night as they want in Hersonissos this is the place.

OK. The food was far from out of this world. By the last night I felt that if I looked at another slice of French bread before I die, it would be to soon. Waiter’s attitude left a lot to be desired.
But, fair-dos, there were the good points. My 7 year old son, Alexander, thoroughly enjoyed Kids Club, and couldn’t get enough of it. The entertainer Vicky was absolutely wonderful. From Balloon Darts to Bingo, charades to karaoke, entertainment was never an issue.
I felt that the staff, however, on the desk were very brisk and rude. For instance, I went in to cancel the family’s dinner at five to seven (as it had to be done before seven o’clock) and found the receptionist coming in at quarter past saying I should have come earlier!
The rooms were surprisingly good! We weren’t expecting anything luxurious - air conditioning, beds, bathroom and shelter was all we really needed and was what we got. The beautiful scenery of Greece took our breath away and the only outdoor problems were the noisy mosquito’s in the tree’s, but obviously that couldn’t be helped.
The kids really enjoyed the pool and we could rarely get them out!
Overall, not to bad although I wouldn’t go there again and again. Hersonissos wasn’t far away, and we went there on a regular basis! Although we got the occasional Grease ball it was great!

Our family of 3 have just returned from spending 2 weeks at the Paradise Bungalows just outside of the main resort of Hersonissos, Crete.
My first impression when we pulled up in our taxi was Oh No! The building looked a little in need of a lick of paint and I certainly had my reservations. However I soon learned to love our little holiday hideaway. The reception staff were very helpful and friendly and helped us to our accommodation.
The room was a good size equipped with a double bed (the usual two pushed together), a large dressing table, wardrobe, two armchairs, a fridge and a coffee table. There was a good size bathroom with a full size bath (unheard of usually when in Greece!) and double French doors leading to a very large balcony with table and chairs.
The balcony had the most beautiful trees with gorgeous pink flowers cascading down the walls. Grape vines were also in abundance – a truly lovely setting. The rooms had a daily maid service which ensured that they remained sparkling throughout our stay despite the best efforts of our two year old! The only thing I would say is that tea and coffee making equipment could have been provided. We actually bought a kettle in the town for around 5 euro. We paid a local charge for the air conditioning unit that worked brilliantly.
The hotel had 3 pools – the main pool which was located near the main building had plenty of sun beds/chairs, shades and the usual bar/snack area. Inflatables were allowed in the pool, which never seemed to get very busy or noisy. A small splash pool was also located in this area for the younger children – this probably could have been a little more exciting as it was really a small hole with water in it!
Another good size pool was located just outside our bungalow and again good shade was provided by the trees if required.
The hotel had a free bus service to the local beach that left at 10 a.m every morning and returned at 2 p.m. I would advise you not to bother as this beach was not very good! There is nothing there – not even a sun bed or a parasol to hire! A short walk further along will bring you to private beaches but only guests of the adjacent hotels are allowed here. There are a few tavernas along this stretch and we enjoyed a nice lunch at the Greek Tavern – however later in the week we decided to visit again for dinner and the food was just awful.
The food is a little difficult to review – it was ok to start with but after a few days seemed a little repetitive. I think I have been spoiled on other holidays favouring the buffet style service! Breakfast was very bad – the hot option EVERY morning was beans and egg. Sometimes the egg would be scrambled sometimes fried but never a choice. Cereals where on offer along with orange juice and toast. A little fruit usually melon would also be provided. Dinner was ok. There was a good selection of salad but it was the same every day.
The chef dish up around 5 choices of hot food but again it just seemed to be the same every day – although the waiter ensured us it wasn’t! The choice of potato was always chips and very few warm vegetables would be available. Dessert was always jelly and icecream and a pastry which was different every day. One grudge I had is that no drinks at all were provided and had to be paid for. I was very impressed with our waiter though who became expert at dodging the low flying food being despatched from our toddler. We did decide to eat out around 5 times during our stay just because I couldn’t face mousakka again!
The entertainment was so bad it was funny! Vicky, bless her, tried her hardest but it was difficult as most people preferred to go into town after dinner. Karaoke was very bad as there were only about 40 songs to choose from and the machine was diabolical – even Whitney Houston would have trouble sounding good! We did stay another night for the quiz but the questions were so easy everyone got the same score which meant that we had to play charades for the decider! Bingo and balloon darts were also on the menu but we declined to stay on these nights.
A short walk from our hotel would take you to the local bus stop but you risk your own life crossing the very busy main road to reach it. For this reason alone we preferred to take a cab into town/to the beach/water park as it was much easier and we thought a very reasonable 6 euro to do so.
We spent a lot of time at Star Beach water park which had free entry and was marvellous. You only pay for use of the large water slides if you want to and there are 3 beaches to choose from which also offered the usual banana boats, ringos, parasailing etc, 4 children’s pools with slides (free) and much much more!
You do have to pay for beds and parasols at 3euros each. There is also an excellent internet café and plenty of places to choose from to eat. I’m not really sure why other tourists bother to go to the great expense to visit the more expensive water parks (25Euro + per person) as judging by the brochures there was no difference to what was on offer.
In conclusion when it was time to go we felt very sad to leave. I don’t think we would stay here again but only because we like good food! We didn’t mind that we were a little off resort as it was lovely and quiet on an evening and we needed that with a toddler in tow. It is ideal for couples and families and as long as you have a sense of humour you will enjoy it here.

Paradise bungalows is a little off the main resorts and we had to catch a taxi to get around. There are no bars/tavernas near so if you want a quiet relaxing time this is the place.
The accommodation was excellent rooms cleaned daily and sheets/towels changed daily. The two story blocks set in lovely gardens made a pleasant change from large rise apartments.
The staff were extremely friendly nothing too much trouble. Mike the barman was super helpful and always had a smile and time to chat.
Having two pools was very nice and they were spotless with plenty of sunloungers.
The food we thought was only average and although the soups and salad bar were excellent the hot food was very mediocre, the best night being the Greek barbeque which was held in the restaurant due to the wind outside. Breakfast was not so good and not always very warm. Most places can get decent sausage and bacon now and even croissants and nice warm rolls would have been good so this might be something they could consider for the future.
The entertainment was not brill although with only one animator Vicky it would be hard to have anything more elaborate. Karaoke/quiz/bingo and balloon darts were the night time programmes. Vicky really had to work hard to get people involved as many chose to go out after dinner to the surrounding towns.
Apart from the few points which is why score is only 7 we had a great time at Paradise bungalows and recommend it if you want a nice relaxing holiday in lovely surroundings or have a car to get out and about.

Me, My Wife, our daughter, Kimberley aged 14 and our son Jamie aged 8, enjoyed our stay at this hotel,
The Food was so good, my wife wanted to take the chef home. (well he does make a mean Chicken Soup!!!)
Vicky the Entertainer, was very good, she is at the hotel 6 days a week, and has a varied selection of things to do during your stay. (Personally... I enjoyed the balloon darts!) And there is always a kids club on, during the late afternoon.
With general entertainment on in an evening for every one!
There’s a pool table room at 2 euros a time
Billy the barman always was very polite and helpful (His real name is Vasilis, but preferred to be called Billy)
The rooms are cleaned every day, the pools are very clean and well maintained too.
Fresh towelling and bedding at least 5 - 6 times a week.
And there is a bus from the hotel that leaves for Anissaras beach at 10.00 am and picks you up at 2.00pm that is provided by the hotel (which is nice!) And a bar called 'captains' is a nice place on Anissaras beach for a drink or a bite to eat.
A great time was had by all...
But, if I was to add anything that was a minus for this hotel, it would probably be the location, however the brochure for this hotel did state that it was in a quite location, so we were warned. So I’m not complaining :- }
Bus fares are very cheap, there is a bus stop about 10 minutes away from the hotel, and if you are prepared to travel and explore the island of Crete you will find it is very easy and economical to do.
Would recommend to families and couples alike.

We have just come back from our holiday. Brilliant time. Great hotel. Very clean. Fresh towels and bedding daily.
The layout of the bungalows was very cosy while at the same time giving privacy.
the whole complex was kept wonderfully clean with crystal clear water in the three pools.
Staff were at all times extremely helpful and friendly. We could not have asked for better service.
The food was outstanding with huge breakfast and evening meal and a vast range of choice. the salads were a meal in themselves. Very reasonably priced and tasty bar meals were available for those who felt they could eat more.
The effervescent Vicky provided entertainment throughout the day and evening.
Could hardly recommend it more highly.