Marinos Beach Hotel

We read the above reviews - and others - before deciding on this particular hotel; and as for the overall environment, we wouldn’t disagree with the general comments. But it seems most people only give reviews when they are happy with the results; not so much so when their experience is one they only wish to forget! So to redress the balance, here’s ours.
Having never visited Crete before, we booked this particular holiday hotel because we were led to understand - by those informed - that, generally the island’s accommodation infrastructure was not as sophisticated as those of, say, Spain. Therefore, despite cheaper named availability’s in the same resort, we were prepared to go over budget in assuring that our stay be a comfortable one - as we would be in this, as yet, unchartered hot climate for two weeks; where daytime temperatures would average 38 - 40 degrees Celsius - and the night temps wouldn’t be much less!
However, " The map is not the territory" as they say; and this hotel fell far short of it's supposed standard!
Upon our late night arrival at the Marinos hotel, we were first unsettled by the unwelcoming attitude of what I thought must be the night porter/receptionist as he - in barely understandable English - required a voucher we did not possess, before giving us access to a room. We feared he might not let us in without it. Finally, he took my passport and silently beckoned me to follow him to our first floor apartment; giving no time or help to lug our cases up the two flights of stairs. My wife is partially disabled; suffering from walking difficulties which necessitates the use of a walking stick. Yet I had to leave my tired disconcerted wife behind in a dark deserted reception area, come back for her later and reassure her all was well - even though I wasn’t sure that it actually was! This was a rare moment; we actually couldn’t wait to get to the 'welcome meeting' the following day.
Though the apartment was reasonably clean, there was no kettle or grill, only one saucepan; hardly sufficient for any sort of proper cooking, so eating "in" was "out" - excuse the pun.
The first morning, 8.30 a.m., we found our way to the breakfast area; where the choice on offer was minimal, to say the least. The only hot food was a boiled egg - if one was lucky enough to find one that wasn’t mostly raw! There was barely enough available corn flakes to fill our puny glass desert dishes; only to find, upon seating ourselves, that the added milk was sour - so tea and coffee was off as well. The remaining menu consisted of: ham and cheese slices, sponge cake, lemon squash; some type of yoghurt mixture we dare not try; dried prunes, dried apricots, bread and honey. This menu would not change for the whole two weeks! It soon became obvious that the menu was geared for the German and Dutch Europeans, as we had difficulty in detecting any other English speaking guests.
Such had not been pointed out in the brochure! We would be virtually isolated for the whole of our stay - people talking about us - with sideways glances - but not to us.
A ray of human sunshine arrived; in the shape of our Thomas Cook Rep, Jodie, who hosted our Welcome meeting. We cannot speak highly enough of her; young, bright, polite, knowledgeable and genuinely caring - which is alot more than we can say about anyone else at the Marinos. She put our minds at rest concerning the 'vouchers;' saying TC never issue them in any case, and the man on reception - who turned out to be the hotel owner - should have known this fact.
Concerning breakfast: On day 2, the milk and corn flakes were out; most embarrassing having to tell them, as they seemed most put out after us having complained about the sour milk the day before. Day 3, and the milk was sour again! We gave up taking breakfast altogether after finding the refill was sour too - you can only complain so many times . . . .
During those three days the air-conditioning didn’t work, and I came out in a severe mottled itchy rash, such as I had never experienced before. The rep thought it might be a heat rash; as did the pharmacist when I enquired, resulting in twelve euros for two tubes of special ointments, to be applied twice daily. By this time the gloss was quickly wearing off our long awaited holiday, especially when the ointment wasn’t working after two days of staying out of the pool in bright sunlight and keeping well covered - as the pharmacist had advised.
Due to no air conditioning the itching was driving me mad at night, as the temperatures were too high. So I asked the rep to speak to the owner; who put it on for a measly three hours, or so, in the early evening; only to be switched off by the time we came in from our evening meal. Fat lot of good that was! I was most annoyed about the fact the air con refrigerant supply was on a ring circuit, giving no personal control over it's use - as is usual practise in apartments.
The next day I decided to venture into the sea, despite both my rash and the pharmacists advice to the contrary. I needed to cool down and there was no other way to facilitate the process. I couldn’t continue to use the hotel pool as the sun was shining upon it from dawn till dusk. Then, by the next morning I found that the rash was starting to diminish. Within two days of not using the hotel pool at all there was a massive improvement in my condition; and that’s when we ascertained the hotel pool as being the cause of my rash. The 'chemicals' in the water were the culprit!
We were now five days into our B&B holiday and there was no decent breakfast to eat - forcing us to venture out early morning to buy, again, what we had already paid for; no swimming pool or sunbathing activities to be enjoyed by me and the wife; no air conditioning, necessitating leaving the balcony door open at night and braving the mosquito’s veracious appetites. And to add to our woes we had to suffer a cockerel, resident in a nearby field, crowing every morning from 4.30 a.m. onwards. We couldn’t have a quiet drink at the pool bar in the evening because the owners became unsociable. We couldn’t relax in the reception area, due to their three young children watching loud Greek television programs or/and repeatedly playing their favourite Eurovision song contest winning track, practising their singing and dancing routine.
We were forced to hire a car for nine days, as opposed to the three we originally budgeted for - which provided air-conditioning, allowing me to cool down - otherwise the holiday would have been total write-off; what with no one to communicate with and little or nothing in the way of amenities or entertainment; other than what we could hear coming from other comparable hotels in the vicinity.
We were "gutted;" having heard stories from a couple we aquatinted whilst on transfer back to the airport. They paid £100's less than we did and got alot more, including entertainment and air-conditioning - with personal remote! They hardly felt the need to leave the grounds, whereas we had little choice; unless we fasted for two weeks, as even the evening meals menu was repetitive with only two choices - my wife doesn’t eat pasta!
My wife and I are of the opinion that the Marinos Beach Hotel, although relatively clean and aesthetically nice from the outside, is short staffed and operated by a thrifty family who will not spend or provide unless they are forced to by way of complaints from their disgruntled guests; instances of which we happened to witness upon occasion -- not at all surprising!
In summing up: We paid for air-conditioning which we didn’t get - value £? We paid for breakfasts we couldn’t eat - (£77 their charge at 4 Euros per person); and then had to pay for them again in the high street - approx. £96 over two weeks. We paid for the use of a pool I couldn’t swim in (?) which caused us distress, time out for seeking medical help and expenses (12 Euros for ointment), and three days loss of valuable holiday recreation - ? Circumstances forced us to pay six extra days car hire - with air con - if we were to have any cooling comfort, at all - value £140. That blasted cockerel which drove us mad in the early morning, forcing us to get up earlier than if we were still at home. The family’s three children creating noise in what otherwise would be peaceful areas till 10.30 at night; the whole hotel serving as their playground.
So much for a relaxing holiday in the sun. We went there to get away from stress, not to buy it! So much for the MARINOS being "family run." Our experience shows that such businesses aren’t necessarily more efficient than Corporate concerns.
Mr A. Knight

The hotel is situated down a palm tree lined driveway, just off the main road in Platanes.
The smell of the flowers and honeysuckle in the evening is truly wonderful! Because it is set back from the main road, we found it to be very peaceful. It is right on the beach.
The hotel has a very large and deep swimming pool, which is surrounded by pleasant gardens which have a large number of free sunbeds and parasols.
At the corner of the swimming pool is the beach bar/ Taverna. It has a good selection of food at fairly reasonable prices. We stayed on a bed and breakfast basis. However although the breakfast was ok, they were really aimed at the German and Dutch guests.
The breakfasts consisted of cold hard-boiled eggs, dried fruit, ham, cheese and bread. (We tended to go out for breakfast at the Axos hotel, which is at the top of the driveway on the opposite side of the road. They had a huge range of different types of breakfasts ranging from traditional Greek yoghurt with nuts and honey to continental breads and jams and full English fry ups! So there was something for everyone. All breakfasts came with orange juice and the choice of tea or coffee and all under 5euros each!)
But the food at other times of day at the Marinos was very good indeed. I can recommend the pork souvlaki and the Greek salad and the homemade lamb burgers were great! We chose to sit out on the front terrace of the beach bar so that we could enjoy the wonderful sea views.
The best meals to be had were at the Marem Taverna at the top of the driveway, it used to be owned by The Marinos Beach hotel. It is now owned by the hotel owner’s nephew and nieces. The food was outstanding, the prices were very reasonable and the service very friendly. The cost of a three-course meal for two with a nice bottle of local wine, would only cost about 30 euros.
The rooms at the hotel are accessed via a very pleasant courtyard. It is filled with fragrant flowers, trees and shrubs.
We opted for a 1 bed roomed apartment and could not have been happier. The apartment was a good size and had a small kitchen area with built in fridge and extractor. The balcony was huge! We were very fortunate to have a wonderful view over the gardens and pool towards the beach. A better view we could not imagine! I could think of nothing better than to sit on the balcony with a glass of wine and watch the sun set.
The maid came daily apart from Sundays. The apartment was kept spotlessly clean!
The village of Platanes has a good selection of tavernas and shops. It also has a ceramic factory, where local potters, artists and glass blowers sell their wares. There are lots of bargains to be had!
If you want to venture a little further afield Rethymnon is only a short taxi ride away, it will only cost about 5 euros. You will find lots of little winding streets jam packed with little shops. There is also lots of tavernas dotted along the front and around the Marina.
We found The Marinos Beach Hotel to be far above our expectations and would highly recommend it. The rooms are clean and the staff friendly. I will certainly return to the Marinos Beach hotel again and I only wish I had booked two weeks instead of one!

We had a fantastic holiday in Crete and were pleasantly surprised at the quality and standard of the Marinos Aparthotel. We opted for a full apartment instead of a studio and were delighted at how spacious it was, especially the size of the balcony, which seemed huge. Everything was brand new and a cleaner came in every day so it was also very clean. There is a very modern reception area and the staff were extremely helpful.
The Marinos is set away from the main road so it is quiet and is right on the beach. The complex feels more like a hotel than an apartment block with the well-kept grounds, the internal courtyard, the modern lobby and excellent facilities. It is the kind of place where the staff would be upset if you were not happy with something as they obviously take pride in their work.
The grassed area with palm trees which leads up to the pool means there is lots of natural shade and there were a few families with very young babies staying at the Marinos who obviously felt it was ideal for them. We went out of season so we were pleased that there were no children but it is a small complex so I can’t see that being a major problem either way.
As a young couple we enjoyed the resort. There were enough nice tavernas to have a decent meal and the bars were modern and there was a fairly good nightlife. We hired a car from a local hire firm on the main road and got an excellent deal. Despite our initial reservations about not going with a 'named' car rental place and the tour reps advice, we hired a brand new Daewoo for three days and went all over the island and saved ourselves 100 euros compared to Thomas Cook’s Avis deal!! We would definitely recommend hiring a car and seeing this amazing island.
We too would be happy to go back to Crete and would recommend the Marinos Aparthotel. It was above our expectations of a cheapy, Greek apartment complex (which we have done many times before) and even in some ways above our expectations of a 3* Greek hotel. We hope this helps make up your minds! :-)