Advantages: None spring to mind
Disadvantages: Rude, unhelpful

...Yes really, this is what a Cosmos Rep said to me - "tell your mate to shut up and sunbathe!" I booked a holiday through Cosmos to Hersonissos in Crete. 6 of us girls went (all around 22 years old) an our main holuiday destinaton was Malia but we decided to stay in Hersonissos as we thought we would get a nicer, more upgraded apartment than in the Malia strip. We got our own transfers to and from the airport and we wern't really interested in excursions or anything - the only reason we went through Cosmos was for our apartments (which turned out to be a complete dive - please see my review on "Adams apartments - Hersonissos".) We had so many troubles at our apartments with the manager, he hated us, there was no water AT ALL for 12 hours (couldn't even flush the toilet etc!). When we complained to Cosmos, the rep came to see us... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Excellent
Disadvantages: None

...First of all a HUGE thank you to Nikos, Angela, Tilly and Billy for making our stay so enjoyable and making us so welcome from the day we arrived to day we left. Nothing was too much from the minute you wake until you finally crash out... (the pool bar is open 24hrs but not rowdy so if you dont want to stay in the bar til 4am as i did on more than one occasion you can go to bed with hardly any noise) The apartments themselves are very beautiful the pictures in the brochures do not to it justice. Everything is kept so clean and picturesque. The rooms are all a good size and are just what you need for a comfortable stay. The location is brilliant.... 10 mins up the hill are traditional greek tavernas and restaurants that serve the nicest food great value for money... 10 mins down the hill and you are in the main town of Hersonissos... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Some fascinating history and beautiful areas
Disadvantages: Tourist hellholes

...The island of Crete is a strange mix. On one hand, it has some of the most fascinating archaeological finds in the world, the island having been home to the Minoan race. On the other, it is the site of some hellish package tour resorts, most of which have sprung up in the last ten to fifteen years. I first visited Crete almost twenty years ago (around 1981), and although I was only very young at the time, I remembered it fondly as a beautiful and mysterious place. Upon returning in 1998, I was disappointed to find that the island had changed enormously. The coastal resorts of Hersonissos and Malia were now the destinations of countless package tours for tourists from predominantly The Netherlands and Britain respectively. All seemed hell bent on a week of debauched and inebriated entertainment, and the discotheques at Malia pumping out... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Plenty to do on site.
Disadvantages: Located up quite a steep hill.

...... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Swimming pool
Disadvantages: Rude manager, unclean apartments - see review!

...complaining to her about the water (and one girl had even got a rash from the swimming pool!) Anyway, things calmed down that day. The next night, we kept awake all night by a group of Dutch girls on our floor running up and down the corridor banging on doors until 7am which WE got the blame for! One night we didn't even return to the apartments but the manager blamed us for having a party on our floor - I couldn't believe it, we weren't even in Hersonissos that night!!! We were completely discriminated against and when we complained about the Dutch girls (as did the English parties), we were laughed at and told to shut up. We felt very threatened by the manager and had to sleep with things against our doors as he was very aggressive and walked into our rooms using his key TWICE when we were getting showered etc. In short - DO NOT stay here... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: nice outside the peak season
Disadvantages: can't imagine being there during the peak season

...or: Concrete Crete (meaning we went to see the island and I won't present abstract ideas here!) One week at the beginning of November last year to fill ourselves up with sunshine before the drab and dreary season starts in Germany, how could we know that Crete would greet us with a cool wind blowing dark clouds across the sky and the tourists away from the beaches? We chose the resort Hersónissos, 40 km east of Heraklion, the capital of Crete, because it's nearly in the middle of the north coast and we thought it would be a good starting point for excursions. Hersónissos is the busiest resort on Crete with the most hotels and an active night-life, we had read about it in a guide book and heard about it from a taxi-driver, we didn't notice it, though, as the tourist season ends at the beginning of November and the pavements were being... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Sun,sea,good food.
Disadvantages: Some AWFUL accomodation

...in quality. ****************What to do********************************** Apart from eat drink,shop,lay by the pool,lay on a beach and generally be lazy what else can you want from a holiday? For those of you who want to spend days on the beach an umbrella and 2 sun beds cost 6 euros for a day although some beachside bars have their own bit of beach which you can use for theprice of a drink at their bar. Jet boats and other watersports are available from the beach manned by hunky young men with suntans and rippling muscles in all the right places. (nothing wrong with a bit of window shopping you men do it all the time!) If nighttime entertainment is your idea of a perfect holiday it is possible to find bars where there is kareoke, bingo, quizzes, films and FOOTBALL on huge screens. For more lively nights Malia and Hersonissos are probably... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Close enough to nightlife to get there easily, but far enough away to be peaceful
Disadvantages: air con didn't work upstairs

...When my boyfriend and I started searching for a holiday earlier this year, I knew just what I wanted: a simple apartment in a small complex in a quiet location, but still close enough to shops and restaurants. I think I chose well! We booked for the last week in June (2007). It was a Thomson package deal, booked though www.thefirstresort.com. We were able to book online with a deposit and the phone to pay the outstanding amount at a later date. The apartments are situated in the village of Koutouloufari, which is 30mins by coach transfer from Heraklion airport. Koutouloufari is a hillside village, with the livelier Hersonissos being a 20 minute walk down the hill. This is also where you will find sandy beaches, watersports, lots of shops, and nightlife. We stayed in the Petra Village apartments which are on the edge of Koutouloufari...