Sunshine Village and Apartments

4 readers found this review helpful

My friends and I (11 girls) stayed in sunshine village from the 19th of June until the 26th, we are all 18 and therefore this review is probably more helpful for younger groups than families.
After reading all the reviews that I could find online my friends and I were all feeling quite worried about what we were letting ourselves in for. We didn't expect 4 star accomodation as everything in Greece seems to be one star less than stated from experience, and we weren't wrong, it wasn't four star, more like 2/3.
However, I was pleasantly suprised with the hotel when we arrived. We had 3 apartments between us and they were all together which was great. The apartments had two rooms with 2 single sofa bed's in one room and a double and a single bed in the other. They were very spacious and had a good size bathrooms with a hairdryer which we didn't expect.
The pool was huge, very deep and most importantly clean! There was also a baby pool. We found lots of lilo's etc around the pool which were for everyone to use which was good. The pool side was never too busy and there was always sunbeds available for all 11 of us! There was a radio on all day which I think was the Crete alternative to Radio 1 which kept us entertained whilst sunbathing. The pool side bar, like the main bar, was self service but I found that better as it meant I didn't have to keep asking staff for drinks. Soft drinks included water, orange juice, grapefruit juice, lemonade, cloudy lemonade and cola which was a good choice. Alchololic drinks included red wine, white wine, beer, ouzo, raki and brandy, which I thought was not a very good choice, I didn't like any and bought my own spirit from the supermarket down the road and just used there mixers, which they were fine with.
The food was suprisingly good, it all was very fresh and there was a choice of hot and cold food, with a large salad bar and a dessert counter with fresh fruit and homemade pudding and ice cream every lunch and dinner. The breakfast times were 7.30-9.30 which was too early for me, so I never sampled it, although my friends did and they said it was fine. Snacks were available everyday and were either sausage rolls which were nice, sandwiches which dissapeared fast and donuts which were not so good. The food was basically the same everyday and by the 4th night I wanted something different.
Overall the hotel was much better than expected, it was nice, the staff were very friendly and extreamly helpful (boooking taxis at all hours for us, recomending tavernas, and allowing us to sleep in the lounge area as we had a very late departure flight at 4 in the morning). Extra costs included air con-7 euros a day and keeping a room on-60 euros per room.
The area of Herssonissos was lively with lots of restaurants and bars. However the night life is disapointing and we so went to Malia the other 5 nights, which, if you want a good night out, is definatly worth a visit. It has many bars and clubs and if you talk to the PR people (which are everywhere) you can get really good deals on drinks. Zig Zag and Apollo are really good clubs in the centre of Malia strip. Star beach is just down the hill, which is very steep and I wouldn't attempt it in the midday sun but it's fine when it's cooler. Star Beach has lots going on and is fun, but over priced for the party nights which are 15 Euros and not worth it. There is a lovely restaurant by Star Beach called Asian Star which I would recommend. There is a bus running past Star Beach taking trips to Knossos. 4 girls out of our party went and had a brilliant day. If your interested in history/classics it's well worth a visit, or even just for an alternative to sun bathing!
If you are looking for a cheap relaxing holiday in the sun this place is great. It is fine for families as the hotel is quiet but slightly out of Hersonissos, so staying nearer the town would be more convenient as taxis are needed to get everywhere except the supermarket. For younger groups if you are travelling to go out in Malia, you are better off staying in Malia itself.

2 readers found this review helpful

I've just got back from the Sunshine Village Apartments in Hersonissos and had a great time and loved the area (not the hotel), we went 19 to 26th June, and thought i would pass on some infomation for anyone wishing to go there.
Firstly i would say it is a wonderful part of the island as it has a mix of night life and the more tranquil side in the old part of Chersonissos. The beaches are good and plenty to do during the day with water sports ect.
For the younger people Malia is the place to be and is about 10 mins away by taxi and cost us 15 euros each way but was well worth it.
Now the hotel, well GOOD POINTS, its clean, the pool is good for swimmers because its over 3 metres deep, the rooms are very large and are cleaned and beds changed daily, the staff and management were friendly and helpful.
BAD POINTS, The main bad point is you go there all inclusive expecting decent food and plenty of alcohol, well the food is just passable, but you dont no what your eating because there are no labels and when i asked a member of staff what it was they didnt no and couldn't find anyone who did, but at least the salad was fresh and ok. Next the drink one of the most disappointing aspects for me, because the local beer is not to good and there is only one pump that you help yourself, plus there are no pint glasses just small tumblers, and the spirits well you get a choice of four bottles left on the bar, all tasted awful.
Then there is the HILL, i no that it cant be helped but you better prepare yourself if you go there as it takes a good 15 minutes to climb back up, take it from me it is really steep, so we tended to walk down (not a problem) then get a taxi up, the least i paid was 7 euros, doesnt sound alot but it adds up.
To avoid the hill turn left at the top and go past the hotel which has shut down, and walk to the old part which is beautiful, loads of taverners and gift shops.
Finally it is supposed to be a four star hotel, which i find unbelievable, for instance you would normally get air conditioning in most 3 star but here you hve to pay 7 euros a day, which i feel is totally wrong.
My advice Hersonissos it definately worth going to but research your hotel well, as there are other hotels on that hill aswell.
I would go back, but stay somewhere at the bottom of the hill there is a lot of choice. Hope this helps

2 readers found this review helpful

All inclusive my arse...u get drinks till 10 in small glasses. food is the same everyday and not very good. also the meals are only at set times of the day. some of the staff were quite rude. rooms was nice n big although the bathroom was a dump n full of ants. its at the top of a steep hill which takes a good 15 minutes if your walking up it. out of the way from all the clubs which are to far to walk to.

Cleverly worked to try to qualify as AI but DOES NOT MAKE IT. Food is an insult to Greek cuisine. Operates on less than the breadline and recycles food. It's a con.
Inaccessible for wheelchairs, nigh impossible for anyone with walking dificulties. Beautifully set in a mountainside - just try walking 150 to 200m up a 1 in 8 gradient!
Every apartment has a kitchette, pity they do not have ONE single item of kitchen equipment!

After just returning from the sunshine apartments in Crete, I most point out, not everything is as advertised. It is not a 4 star more like a 2 star plus. Air conditioning comes at a extre cost of 35 euros per week, which I would advise because of the mosquitos. Other wildlife includes cockroaches and lizards.
Advertised are local branded drinks, this includes beer, ouzo, brandy, raki, red & white wine and also soft fizzy drinks. This sounds great until you find out there is one beer tap, small glasses and self service. The beer kept on breaking down, plus there were queues. Food ok-ish! But can't get my head around the left over carrots from the previous nights dinner which was served at breakfast.
Beach is around 600m as stated however, there is a very steep hill in between, which I would recommand this will cost between 5-7euros. Beach is great with loads of activities for young and old.
On a good note, the staff were great, worked long hours, hard and were very helpful.

we arrived at 5.30am on 16th sep 08, got took to are room fella didnt even help us down the stairs, there was me, my partner and are son who is 16months in a buggy and are 2 cases and 3 flight bags, which i thought it was very rude of the lad, when we got in the room we had no cot 4 my son who could not sleep in a bed by him self as he was way to young, the lad said we will have 1 the next day, so the next day we went to see them and they said on friday which i was very mad about, we got 1 on thursday in the end.
apartment was ok we had a 1 bed apartment with tv, no cooking things or hairdryer which i was told there was, we all so had a flood 1 day when we had rain as are room was down a little hill, not designed properly, was lucky we was in the room as the 1 next door really flooded as they was out.
pool was lovely and over looked the sea and the view was breath taking really nice, pool was cool but lovely after sitting in the sun all day as it was really warm, had snacks 2 times aday which wasnt that nice, the pancakes was ok,
breakfast was poor, scrammbled egg which looked like it had been there all week, feta cheese was nice with tomatoes which i had every morning,
dinner wasnt really good, salad was ok and tea was bad aswell same most day the stuffed vine leaves was nice, some days they did lamb chops which just looked like bone!!! did not cater 4 children and i wouldnt recommend any1 which children to go ere as my son didnt eat anythink all week apart from fruit!!!!! they did chicken nuggets once and pizza once and chips once!!!!
the drinks was poor just white wine, red wine, beer, ouzo, raki and brandy, they was all minging!!! soft drinks ok atlot of different juices and pops, none sugar free tho and also soda water when it worked.
hotel was up a hill only 1 part was steep i wouldnt say it was really bad was walkerable
if you didnt wana walk it tho it was 5-6 euro in taxi, shops and bars in hersonissos was lovely, really nice place, we eat out a couple of times, we when to the chinese there it was the best iv ever had so if u go ere go there 14 euro each 4 banquet, we also when to the one at the bottem of the hill which was lovely to,
aircon was 38 euro 4 the week and safe box was 12
we didnt go water part but everyone recommended it
i would go back to hersonissos but not sunshine

I wasn't looking forward to this holiday after reading the reviews but I was pleasently surprised when I got there! The accomodation wasn't what I expected as we had booked for 4 people and expected a double bed, a single and a sofa bed. What we got was one double bed, with a single bed in one room and a sofa in the lounge room, however, this problem was solved by moving the single bed into the lounge to accomadate one couple and 2 singles. The 2 rooms were large and cleaned daily. Each day we had clean sheets and the maid even tied up and did the bathroom, we also got fresh towels every day. The balcony had gorgeous views of the ocean but you had to pay 25euros per week for the air condition, we didn't bother as we were told by others it was very noisy and it was only in the bedroom so our friends in the lounge wouldn't have benefited! The pool was fantastic, we didn't see any wild dogs, at least not in the complex!
Staff were friendly and helpful, didn't think much of the food as it was always warm and didn't look very appealing, what I did eat tasted ok and if you had to eat there it wouldn't have killed you! Snacks were only served twice a day and if you weren't quick you missed out! It was always mini croissants, pancakes or really nasty sandwiches! The allinclusive drinks were awful, no choice at all, just ouzo, reki, white wine (which an alcoholic wouldn't touch) and beer (if you drank it all day, you would still be sober!).
Apartments were up a very steep hill, we got taxis everywhere for 8, eruros. Hersonissoss was beautiful, some lovely bars and shops but quite expensive, Malia was a short taxi ride away and there you could get some really good deals on drinks and food but only go there if you want a wild night!
Overall, I wasn't disapointed with my stay at Sunshine Village and would recommend it.

The food was very good, however the alcoholic drinks were awful. we bought a bottle of wine every night from the little shop in the hotel. 3e for a bottle of red wine very good value.
the pool complex was better than the photos and suited most people, there were shoots for older children and teenagers and an area for toddlers. it was a long walk up from Star beach, it cost 5 e in a taxi. the rooms were large and beds comfortable the air conditioning was free.

We had a fantastic holiday. The hotel was extremley clean, the apartments were large and very clean. The pool was very clean. The food was what you would expect in a family run Greek hotel. The salads were delicious and their was a variety of different dishes each day. I would certainly go back to this hotel and highly recommend. There was a very steep hill so a taxi is recommended. Very close to the hotel we found a very quaint traditional greek village which was very beautiful and had a number of tavernas to eat in. I think the reviews from last year did not do this hotel justice.

1 reader found this review helpful

It was not planned to go to this hotel (overbooking problem with our hotel booked), we have been told that Sunchine was a 4* but we have some doubts.
Bathroom was not very cleaned, air conditioning had to be paid, first time that we had to pay that...the snacks were more than limited (after 5 or 10 minutes) nothing left, it happened several times.
The bread was not good, only industrial ones, we saw the plastic bags in the kitchen.
Variety of the food, desserts was not huge or tasty but you can find something suitable to eat and agreed with a previous comments, food was sometimes cold.
If you like water melon or melon or grapes, it is fine otherwise no so much choices of other fruits. Again limited quantities of fruits.
Presence of wild dogs in the hotel, pissing and putting their legs with scares in the swimming pool during the evening...when we saw it we did not sim anymore in the swimming pool. A resident took pictures, we did not but seeing the receptionist's reaction while seeing the dogs, we understood that he did not care about the hygiene and peolpe and child swiming the day after.
If you are a climber or like effort for climing steep slope as the hotel is on a hill.