Kyknos Beach Hotel & Bungalows

2 readers found this review helpful

The location of the hotel was good. It is situated between the two towns of Malia and Stalis and just 5 minutes to the nearest beach.
BUT the hotel staff wasn't very friendly and helpfull. To all women, please be aware of foul langange and not very nice comments from the staff (especially from the manager!!!).
I can't recommend this hotel at all and hope that all tour operators will check this hotel again. For the moment i would stay away from this hotel to enjoy Crete and the nice taverns which is always worth a trip!

1 reader found this review helpful

I don't know how to begin?? Myself & 3 best friends all aged 21 stayed i Malia's Kyknos hotel for 1 week. The staff thoughout the stay were brilliant, helpful and informative. The rooms were better than expected, clean spacious and basic. I ate everyday at the hotel and loved the food. Kyknos is only a 10min walk/less than 5min ride from the beach and nightlife. Heraklion airport is only a 20-25 minute drive. I would HIGHLY recomend Kyknos. We experienced no problems at all, worth every pound spent and looking forward to returning next year!

I have been to the Greek islands several times over the past 25 years and it has taken me 20 years to persuade my husband to visit with me.
Imagine my concern when I read some of the reviews below!
Our room was of a high standard although basic, although not less than we would expect when holidaying in Greece.
The breakfast was plentiful and we had no problems choosing from the wide selection of (continental) food. When on holiday in Europe we really don't expect (or want) British fayre! If you want a British holiday abroad, then stick to Costa del sol or Dorada!!
Plenty of hot water, the shower was superb and the rooms were spotless. The pool was lovely and the surrounding areas of a high standard. We had a problem with our air conditioning and when we went to report it, they were already on the case because the maid had already done so!!
The staff were very pleasant and although there were many Germans at the hotel, we and our friends found them to be as freindly as we were.
I would have no hesitation in coming back to this hotel and recommending it to others.

We've just come back from a great stay at the Kyknos. The location was fantastic; the room was comfortable and clean; the staff were very pleasant; and the food was good with lots of variety. There were lots of beaches to choose from and all were nearby. The bus stop to go to Heraklion and Agios Nikolaus was just behind the hotel. We had a lovely Cretan evening with music and dancing. The pool was very quiet and peaceful with no blaring music. We would definitely recommend this hotel.

well from the many review that i read on this site i was expecting the worse from the hotel that i booked and expected a bollocking off all my mates for it.
the minute that i walked into the hotel the front desk staff were polite and friendly and i had no complaints.....
the facilities were very pleasant, pool etc but the table tennis pool table and the foosball machine need to be updated old and rotting to say the least.
the fact that you have to pay for a safe and a fridge when i paid £400 for the holiday is a joke for starters 14euro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i piece of advice would be not to go half or full board with the hotel deal because the food is bland and very unpleasing to the eye.
but for a peaceful day in the sunshine and nice scenery this was the hotel.
only 1 row ocured with staff where one of my friends asked for a fork that wasnt handed to them at the table and she was very rude answering him ...............would recommend but bring extra dough for the dinner each night!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Kyknos is not 4* however the rooms were reasonable and the air conditioning worked well and at 40 degrees it was needed. The water was always hot unlike the food at times but there was always plenty on offer and finding huge bowl of strawberries as part of dinner was a surprise. Being given an information sheet on arrival we were directed to a beach across the road, if you like tips its OK, but a short walk after turning right out of the hotel and going through the Kernos complex will bring you to a good beach and 2 bed and brolly will set you back 5 Euros, cheap compared to Balearics. The hotel had a mixture of Russians, Germans, French, Poles and Dutch and only 6 English but we all got on quite well. That was until the foul mouthed, drunken, pot smoking British youths arrived then it was hell. Slowly the whole of the area was taken over taken over by British yobs and I felt quite ashamed of my nationalty. Laws on riding scooters and quad bikes don't seem to apply in Stalis and Malia being ridden by anyone, even as young as twelve. They travel as fast as possible and some have no lights at night and certainly wear no helmets. The main Beach road is murder as there are no pavements and i would think they would ride the bike on it if there were. So if your age and IQ is is over 30 avoid Stalis and Malia for the rest of the season

This was a very nice break in Crete! Thank you very much, Kyknos team, we will never forget our stay with you!
The rooms were spacious and clean, all the people were friendly and all the other guests were nice too!
The resort was fantastic too! Plenty of bars and Greek tavernas with delicious food! The beach is marvelous!
We will be back soon, thanks!

My wife and I stayed at the Kyknos Hotel (Thomas Cook has it incorrectly advertised as Kyknos Beach Hotel) for a week on a B&B basis.
The hotel is located on the main beach road that runs through Stalis into Malia and as such is ideally located if you enjoy going out for meals or enjoying cocktails in the evenings amongst other things. As advertised it is only about 200m from the beach, although I'm sure it's not the beach shown on the website. The coastline around the area is very rocky and the sandy beaches are small in both width and length. Fortunately we visited Crete off-peak at the end of September so were able to find beach space. I would imagine that in the height of Summer you may find it difficult to both find some free sand to lay your towel or find a decent bit of sea without any rocks.
Being our Honeymoon my wife and I decided to "live it up" and enjoy the delights of a 4* hotel. Unfortunately Kyknos Hotel is 3* at best. We had hoped to feel a little spoiled but those hopes were soon dashed when the double bed we had requested turned out to be 3 individually-made single beds put together. The mattresses were hard as well - possibly good for those with back problems? There was a TV with about 8 channels, but apart from BBC World News all other channels were either in Greek (understandable), German, or Polish. Not that many people go away to watch TV but anyway... The room also had air conditioning which was excellent, and a decent bathroom with a fantastic shower - good pressure and hot water. A safe box and fridge were also in the room but they incurred an additional cost for their use - I think it was €24.50 in total for the week.
Despite other reviews we found the food to be ok. Nothing special - certainly not what I would imagine from a 4* - but there was at least a selection. I think that bacon and egg were offered once but, as mentioned in other reviews, the majority of the holidaymakers at the hotel were German and so I think the breakfast menu was developed mostly for them - sausages, bread, cheese, ham etc. From what we saw of the lunch and evening meals I would certainly suggest that you don't opt for all inclusive.
The swimming pool was excellent and I had it to myself most of the time. Unlike pools over here the deep end really was a deep end at 2.7m and floats, rings, balls etc were provided if you wanted a more active swim. Two smaller childs pools we also available. There were tennis courts although I don't know how much they are to use.
The hotel bar was pretty uninspiring. The waiter didn't seem to have much time for us and was quite disinterested - a couple of times I gave up trying to order a drink as he refused to be prized away from conversations. There was a very limited stock of drinks but to be honest with the beach road bars on our doorstep it wasn't a great loss.
The Thomas Cook rep was equally uninspired and was only really keen on selling day-trips. She appeared to have no knowledge of the area, or any insight into other activities outside Thomas Cook's trips. To be honest we did our own thing and didn't need to see her after the induction meeting so we might have gotten the wrong impression.
We enjoyed "Greek Night" on the Thursday night which was free and included Greek musicians and dancers. I understand Greek night and BBQ night are on alternate Thursdays. We didn't see the magician on the Sunday so can't comment.
Overall I would say that the hotel does the job if you want it as a base as it's excellently located, clean and friendly enough. If you enjoy spending your time predominantly at your hotel because of children etc then I would suggest considering an alternative.
Just to finish I would definitely recommend hiring Quad Bikes to tour the area including Sissi, Mochos and Hersonnissos, and also take a coach tour to the Palace of Knossos (travel agent is opposite the hotel). Having a tour guide makes the whole experience so much more interesting.

Well I have to say I find the reviews on Kyknos harsh to say the least. I never felt uncomfortable with the guests or staff - OK sure, they are mostly Europeans there but plenty of English people as well.
Pool bar was disappointing drinks wise but a great atmosphere. Food was fine - OK, it was pretty much the same buffet at dinner time every day but inc. fresh fruit, ice cream, hot food and more. None of it tasted bad really (except the strange green ice cream they have!).
Having said that - it's never 4 star, 3 is more accurate as the rooms are fairly basic. I would however, return.

Hmmm. Don't visit if you don't like Greek food? Well, it is Greece after all. I mean, if a Greek person came to the U.K. they might complain that they did not see one gyros or kleftiko all week. I personally feel that if you go to a foreign country you eat foreign food. And the food was good.
German tourists arrogant and rude? Nothing more arrogant than a little Englander who expects the whole of the world to be like a little piece of England and do things THEIR way, otherwise they MUST be backwards.
I found the hotel and its staff to be what I expected. Clean and Polite.
Rocky beach? Try walking 15 mins into Stalis and find the most wonderful golden brown sandy beach with the sea being like warm bathing water, so crystal clear you could count the scales on the occasional fish? With bars and tavernas sitting all along the coast with all sorts of Greek specialities and, for little whinging Brits, all English breakfasts and dinners.
The pool bar only offered Raki, Brandy, Ouzo, Wine, Beer and soft drinks? What more could you want?
To sum up I would say that my family and I had a very good stay at the Kyknos Hotel. I would agree with Miss Calverley's complaint about the disabled access, mind. It's stairs and steep slopes here. There was enough variety in the breakfast menu for us for a 2 week stay. Let's face it, at home do you eat the same breakfast and dinners week in week out?
Stalis is chocka with bars and restaurants, not to mention supermarkets and souvenir shops. There really is no reason to go much further and wider. But we did 'cos we hired a car and went all over the place.
Nearby Malia is for hyper active 18-30's. A true meat market. If you've ever been to Magalluf or Faliraki you will know what I mean. Best left alone if you don't fancy falling asleep in a pile of your own vomit.
So, my overall advice is BOOK IT. It's ideal for families with children and you can lounge around the pool all day or fall asleep on the cheap sun loungers on the beach.