Eri Sun Village Water Park

1 reader found this review helpful

We had booked to stay at the Mareblue Village Hotel which looked wonderful. However, 12 hours before we were due to fly I luckily checked my emails to discover that they had overbooked at our chosen hotel. So because of this we had the opportunity to upgrade to a 5* hotel with free access to the local water park or we could cancel our holiday (so not really any choice unless we wanted to disappoint the children).
I checked out the hotel online and discovered it was a 4* and read the reviews which gave me some idea of what we were being sent to.
So we turned up at 11.30pm and was greeted by a receptionist who ticked us off the list and gave us the key and a map to our room and not much else (check out time etc) because she was to busy on her mobile phone. Fortunately for us a very kind member of the hotel staff just happened to be around and kindly showed us to our rooms and helped with our luggage.
The room was very basic, I have stayed in better 3* hotels. The general cleanliness of the place was good but when I looked under the beds I could have stuffed a mattress with the amount of dust underneath it. I went to check out the bathroom and the light wasn't working and neither was the hair dryer. I went to the room next door where my other family members were staying and their air conditioning wasn't working. So off we went on the first trip down to reception. The receptionist was just in the middle of painting her nails this time when I complained about the faults. She told me that she would send someone 'directly'. I had already read some of the reviews online about faults not been sorted so I decided to mend the light myself and then took the bulb to the 'busy' receptionist the next morning and told her I had sorted it myself. She looked confused and had forgotten that it needed repairing.
The next morning we met another family who had experienced the same upset we had with the hotels and had also been informed of the change right at the last minute. The amount of money we had paid to stay at our chosen hotel was more than what it would have cost us if we had booked to stay at the Eri Sun Village. Yet we were told we were being upgraded
The food was ok but set meal times only even though we paid for all inclusive. Drinks were always available.
We had entertainment on the Saturday night but that was it so we bought a pack of playing cards from the shop and played Fish and Snap with the children.
There was no shuttle bus provided to the town or the beach directly from the hotel so it was a walk down the hill or a taxi.
The 'free access to the water park' wasn’t a perk for us it applied to everyone but you had to pay for your bed, brolly and wasn't allowed to take a picnic.
The hotel has a lot of potential to be a lovely pleasant 4* but it isn’t given the opportunity.
To finish on a positive the pool was great for the kids. they had a great time playing in them and enjoyed the water slides, as did we.

My husband and 2 children, aged 14 and 10, went here in July this year and it was a nightmare. We arrived at the hotel after our hotel had been changed for a third time. When we got to our room my 10 yr old son ran through the glass door on to the balcony as there was no safety glass and no stickers on the glass , which meant my son had to endure 2 1/2 hours in surgery and had to have 48 stitches to his legs, hands and feet.
The management moved our room from the second block to the fourth block which was further up a very steep hill; the management did not seem to take into consideration my son was now on 2 crutches. The only place where there was stickers on the glass was at the gym area which was also where the kids played and was not supervised, it was an accident waiting to happen.
The food was very poor and re-heated on several occasions and the entertainment was a joke. Our rep eventually arranged with the management for entertainment but we had to pay for the bar (please note this was an all inclusive holiday).
I would very strongly advise anybody stay well clear of the Eri Palace especially if you have children.
The hotel is clean and looks great in the pictures but it is a death trap. If the glass doors don’t get you the walking up the hills will!

Avoid this hotel at all costs! I read these comments before my holiday & thought I would go with an open mind but the place is really as dire as previous comments on here.
The food is very basic, you will not starve here but you will not enjoy any meals available. It really is the cheapest, most bland food they can serve up. Most of it is in cabinets in direct sunlight, including yoghurt/margarine, dairy etc. Salad/fruit had flies on it!
The all-inclusive drinks are disgusting; warm beer, undrinkable wine, ouzo/raki, cheap brandy & the only thing I drank was plain soda water!! Coke from the machines is syrupy & flat. We bought vodka/cokes from the local supermarket as there was really nothing else available. Even drinking water is luke warm from a tap.
There atmosphere here is very subdued as I expect everyone else staying there is of the same opinion once arriving "what have we done?!" The staff are miserable, there is no entertainment & apart from sleeping there we spent our holiday away from the place.
We did try the facilities of the Eri beach hotel which were better but the food/drinks are the same at both hotels. If you have already booked & are reading this review, my advice would be to take a lot more spending money as you will be eating/ drinking a lot.
In case you are thinking of booking because you have been offered a cheap deal, don’t!!!! The only good thing about this is that in Crete you are pretty much guaranteed the sunshine & the port of Hersonissos is very nice to visit.

1 reader found this review helpful

***GREAT HOLIDAY - PLEASE READ***
After booking our holiday to the Eri Palace, we looked at the reviews on line & were worried about where we would be going. However, we needn't have worried, we had a fantastic holiday!!
The complex was very Greek & pretty. We were in "Alexander the Great" block, facing the mini amphi-theatre, which was probably one of the best blocks to be in. The only problem was that the sun faced our apartment in the afternoon & it got baking!!
The apartment itself was lovely & clean although basic. It was cleaned, beds made, glasses washed every single day. We had a 2 bed roomed apartment which included free AC. It helped, but wasn't fantastic, however several days of our holiday were in the 40's (during the time of forest fires in Greece).
When we arrived, English schools hadn't broke up for the holidays yet & there was only about a dozen English in the complex. Other Nationalities included French, German, Italian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Belgium, and Swiss. However, towards the end of our fortnight, there were more British (probably about 1/10 of holiday makers). All our kids made British & foreign friends.
The food was fab. Something’s were the same every day, but there was also lots of variety.
My 7yr old daughter is extremely fussy & she still managed to find something to eat every mealtime. The waiters/waitresses are prompt at cleaning the tables & are helpful & polite.
Food isn't served throughout the day, just at regular mealtimes. However, there is "coffee time" at about 4pm at both pool bars. They serve cookies & cake, which you can have with coffee from the machine.
One of my 2 complaints was the lack of vodka! The beer was fine, obviously nothing special. The main bar & both pool bars operate a help yourself system of beer, raki, ouzo, brandy, coffee, & soft drinks. No vodka!! So I bought Vodka in the mini-market on site quite cheaply. Both pool bars shut at about 6pm.
The couple that run the mini-market on site are lovely. The mini-market supplies pretty much everything & considering it has a captured market, it is very reasonable.
There are 2 different pool areas. The top pool is 1.8m throughout but with a small baby pool at the end. And the lower pool is smaller & starts shallow, deepening to 1.5m. There is also a raised area with another baby pool. We spent nearly all of our time by the lower pool as it was close to the bar!
Also, the pool was slightly smaller so our 6 & 7 yr old kids could get to the side of the pool without any help. My 2nd complaint is that the pool toilets were a bit yucky! We tried to only use the toilets in the apartment because they were not that clean. I think people forget that toilet paper can't be put down the loo.
There is no evening or daytime entertainment at the Eri Palace, which we were aware of prior to booking, but some people we spoke to thought there was entertainment. You are able to get the free shuttle bus down to the Eri Beach Village which is on the front, but it does get packed down there.
We spent our evenings drinking with friends on the veranda or in reception of the Eri Palace & didn't feel the need to leave.
There is a gym downstairs, but it is a bit of a worry as the equipment doesn't look all that safe so we avoided it. There are ping-pongs tables downstairs & tennis courts also. Paddles & rackets can be borrowed from reception.
I hope you haven't gone to sleep by the end of this review, but I wanted to let everyone know how nice the Eri Palace is!!
All in all, we had a very relaxing, enjoyable holiday. We would definitely go back to the Eri Palace.

Having just arrived back from Eri "palace" literally yesterday, I feel compelled to warn all who is going, do not in any way, shape or form expect the 4* rating which has been described to you back the tour operator.
I have read you like you are doing now, the reviews to get a sneak preview for what is to come. Well all the reviews are very true.
The food is a joke - continental breakfasts, food, which I strongly believe was simply re-heated as you, could tell by the pasta been hard on top.
The apples were black in the middle. I'm not planning on eating spaghetti bol for at least 6 months as my diet mainly consisted of that for the week.
There was a very very poor choice of drinks simply fizzy pop, hot drinks (tea / coffee), flat fizzy beer, red n white wine (cant comment didn’t bother trying), brandy, ouzo (obviously) and raki (which I can only describe as mentholated spirits. This is no way raki I’ve been to Turkey and believe me that is not raki)
I went with 3 other mates so it wasn’t an issue with family entertainment and kids clubs, however there were a lot of families there, all of whom complained about the nonexistent entertainment. When it came to entertainment kids are kids so they'll entertain themselves, however this isn’t the point.
The maids are very friendly and try their best to help out, however the same can’t be said for the rest of the staff including the manager. I got the impression that the British were of nonsense, one of the receptionists was very arrogant and just rolled her eyes back every time I spoke to her.
Overall I did enjoy myself you make your holiday what it is and in a few weeks I will be looking back with fond memories with a smile, thinking I won’t be mountaineering anytime soon.
I just feel sorry for the families who have paid a lot of money for their hols only to spend most of it complaining to a manager and staff, who say that you are the only one who complains. ha ha
Enjoy :)
Greg.

We arrived happily at Eri Palace at 2am and were amazed, it all looked so beautiful, we went to bed happy, the next morning though we realised that it was far from being a palace! The food was poor, you don’t want to eat the same things every single night, especially when it was that bad, I spent the week eating bread and butter!
Even the choice of drinks was extremely poor, the juice was clearly very cheap stuff that tasted of nothing, there was an extremely poor choice of alcohol!
There was no entertainment at the hotel, we had to travel to the sister hotel for some form of entertainment, and boy was it entertaining!

Overall I had a good Holiday, but don’t expect it to be a cheap Holiday because its All Inclusive, It won’t be!
If you are a fussy eater, have young children, or are elderly, this is not the holiday for you. Luckily I went away with a group of young 20 year olds, who used the hotel for sleeping, swimming and sunbathing!
We spent a few nights in the Hotel recovering from nights before in the reception, which was full of Germans. The bar was self service which closed at 11 and only served raki, ouzo, rum and lager (which was impossible to pour a descent drink).
The hotel was at the top of a mountain, so hiring your own transport the holiday is vital. We hired quads for a week in the middle of our 2 week break which set us back 20euros/day (Fully Comp with 200 excess).
We ventured to Malia nearly every other night where the alcohol runs freely, and drinks can be as little as a euro each with a free shot to get you in. Malia can be compared to Blackpool though and can be rough.
Hersonissos is a more pleasant night life, but there is not a lot of English, there is plenty Germans, Dutch, and Irish who don’t like the English.
Luckily our room was on the ground floor by the pool, which meant we could jump over our balcony wall and onto our lounger, this was lucky and some people had a 200m hike up hill to there room! I’m not exaggerating. The standard of our rooms was very good, and the cleaners were very friendly and turned up every day. A sore point was that just about every other day there would be a power cut which meant no air con, light, coffee machine, and soda machine.
We only paid £400 last minute for a fortnight All Incl. For the price I can’t complain, but would not pay anymore. I spent £600 -£700 in spending money for a single lad. The Hotel has the potential to be an excellent one, just needs to get rid of the management.
Overall I had a good holiday, but take my advice, and find somewhere else to stay.

We arrived late at night to find a very unhelpful chap behind reception, who offered no assistance in carrying our bags to our room. The room was a hike away at the top of a very steep hill, which would render it near inaccessible to the elderly traveller or a person with a disability.
The room itself was very clean and tidy and the maids were always polite and provided a good service. Rooms are equipped with fridges and air conditioning which is free during peak season otherwise 6Euro per day.
The food at the hotel is fair to poor, with the vast majority of it being overcooked and swimming in oil. Having said that we always managed to find something to eat at meal times but chose to eat out on several occasions. There is plenty of bread, cold meats, cheeses and salad to choose from if the flies don’t beat you to it!
Aside a handful of Brits, Italians, Poles and Russians the vast and overwhelming majority of the guests were loud and obnoxious Germans. Everything in the hotel is geared to them and the staff pander to their needs irrespective of others and in fact the staff seem as if it’s a major hassle to have the guests in the hotel at all!.
The hotel has 3 pools two of which have inclusive bars, they are generally well looked after and clean with loungers and parasols.
The Excursions supplied by our rep were very expensive and I advise you to shop around, or if you are brave do as I did and hire a car and do it yourself (I saved myself over 140 Euro)! If you chose this option again shop around as many of the advertised prices don’t include insurance or collision damage waiver (CDW). You should be able to pick up a small car (Seciento) for about 90Euro for three days, which will cost 25ish euro in fuel for the duration.
Hersonissos itself is a fairly lively resort but is very pleasant. All the main pubs and clubs are at one end so if that’s not your thing you can steer well clear. Also be aware that charges on the beach for loungers etc can be 8+euro per day!
Getting home is 5euro in a taxi from anywhere in the resort which unless your into hill walking and mountaineering i strongly advise especially during the heat of the day.
The hotel is generally overrated and if it wasn’t for the pools and the nice air conditioned rooms it would probably only scrape one star in UK.
Albeit we had a very nice holiday and saw a lot of the island and Hersonissos I strongly advise you DON'T use the Eri Palace.

We arrived here in the middle of the night everything was deserted, little English spoken, we were just pointed in the direction we had to go with two small children, and when they say it is on a hill it is an under statement it is near the top of a massive mountain and it is very steep.
The rooms were ok, but when we got moved to a lower floor as a result of a injury and a wheelchair was needed, the smell was disgusting as it was under the restaurant and there was also rats running about on the corridor, when they were seen by the staff they were just stamped on in front of my children to our disgust.
The meals were disgusting very little choice and nothing for the kids, there were no snacks available if you missed the set meal times it was tough. The drinks were also very poor.
Some of the staff were helpful and they did try to help especially with the injury but it didn’t compensate for the rubbish hotel and facilities. You must be brave and very mobile to go to this hotel.

This was the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at, and I’m used to the conditions of camping, so that is saying something.
Arrived in the middle of the night and the old guy on reception was very rude and unhelpful and didn’t speak much English.
We found our room (at 4 in the morning) at the top of a mountain (nickname Everest!), thanks to 2 drunken and partly clothed English lads who made more sense than the reception guy.
The room itself was okay but basic, apart from the shower being broken and live wires sticking out in the bathroom.
Being the furthest room away from the facilities, it did have a fantastic view but was a 10 minute walk from food and drink!!
Luckily I hired a car before we went, through the Internet. £70 for 6 days (with air con). Bargain. You’re best off not hiring a car from the millions of hire agents in Hersonissos or in the hotel as they are much more expensive.
The food and service was absolutely rubbish. It was the same stuff every day, for every meal! I personally think it was reheated and given to us again. It was terrible.
There was a very poor choice of drinks and very low quality ones at that. The drinks were not available after 11pm (what happened to all inclusive!!) and we were told to go to bed after the bar had shut, when we were sitting on the terrace chatting with another couple, which was extremely rude and patronising.
There was an elderly couple that paid £2000 for 2 weeks at this hotel and had very little mobility because of the mountain, and did not leave the hotel due to this. Many fellow holiday makers and ourselves were very upset by this.
Hersonissos was a very nice and pleasant place. Eating out was cheap and cheerful (which we did regularly because of hotel food) the town was lively and people very friendly.
There was a port town (Agios Nikolaos – Ed) about half an hour drive on national road past Malia (I cant recall the name) which was lovely.
Overall I would recommend Crete and Hersonissos but I would only return to the Eri Palace if they paid me a hell of a lot of money! Needless to say, avoid this hotel at all costs.
Michael and Emma