Petra Mare, Ierapetra

We went to this hotel at the beginning of June 2006, and my overall impression can be summed up in one word - CHEAP. It seemed like everything was designed to be as cheap as possible - from the pathetic plastic cups, to the nasty drinks and the tacky "entertainment".

The hotel itself is OK - a bit shabby and in need of redecoration. Our room was spacious, with a lovely sea view, but the bathroom was a bit grubby. It was cleaned ...
...staff were pleasant and hard working - but although the floors in the communal areas were being continually mopped, I don't think the strip of carpet along the corridor was vacuumed once in 2 weeks.

The restaurant was OK - food mainly good, but a bit repetetive after 2 weeks. We were also slightly put off after seeing a huge (dead) cockroach on the floor one morning. The outside part of the restaurant attracts several local stray ... more

We went to this hotel at the beginning of June 2006, and my overall impression can be summed up in one word - CHEAP. It seemed like everything was designed to be as cheap as possible - from the pathetic plastic cups, to the nasty drinks and the tacky "entertainment".

The hotel itself is OK - a bit shabby and in need of redecoration. Our room was spacious, with a lovely sea view, but the bathroom was a bit grubby. It was cleaned every day however, and towels and sheets changed regularly. Hotel staff were pleasant and hard working - but although the floors in the communal areas were being continually mopped, I don't think the strip of carpet along the corridor was vacuumed once in 2 weeks.

The restaurant was OK - food mainly good, but a bit repetetive after 2 weeks. We were also slightly put off after seeing a huge (dead) cockroach on the floor one morning. The outside part of the restaurant attracts several local stray cats - unfortunately at least 2 of them are heavily pregnant, so in a few weeks time, the place will be swarming with them. Although there's little you can (humanely) do to deter them - and I am a cat lover generally - I don't really want grubby strays rubbing against my legs when I eat.

There was a decent choice of food in the restaurant (lamb, chicken, fish, pasta) and a good variety of salad, vegetables and some delicious desserts. The wine was OK - not brilliant. Be warned - the only place you can get a decent soft drink is in the restaurant - and even that is sweetened orange or grapefruit juice. Elsewhere in the hotel the only non alcoholic drinks you can get are nasty local fizzy drinks or water.

The snack bar was rubbish, unless you like cheap pizza and chips. A major criticism is of the plastic cups used throughout the hotel (only exceptions are the restaurant and the bar) - these cups are so flimsy that they practically melt if you use them for hot drinks and fold in on themselves. A word of advice - take some PG Tips - the tea is awful. As is the milk - UHT. Again, cheap and nasty.

Speaking of which, the First Choice "entertainers" were a joke. A motley collection of people who were clearly only there because they hadn't made it onto Big Brother this year, (and because they're desperate for their Equity cards) they were arrogant, aloof and had sadly limited social skills. They also made it very clear they didn't like children, despite running the kids disco. It would have been far better for kids club reps (the creche reps were fantastic by the way) to do this, as they seemed to relate to kids far better. As it was, there's a Barbie wannabe, a poor man's Lily Savage, a fat bird who makes Jade Goody look talented and an obnoxious fat bloke who's so far up his own backside, he needs oxygen. All in all, not a good advert for First Choice.

And another word of warning - don't be conned into buying an "Express Check In" for your return journey (7.50 euros each) - a complete waste of money. You turn up, queue, and watch people who haven't paid go through the "Express" channel in front of you basically.

During our stay there were 3 fights among the guests, and if you want a decent sunbed by the (good) kids pool, you need to be a very early riser.

Despite everything, our 3 year old child had a wonderful time and it did end up being an enjoyable holiday - mainly because we met some nice people. And although I wouldn't go back myself, I would look at similar holidays in other locations.

 

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