Name: Avra Imperial Hotel
Price range: from £0pp (7 nights includes flights and transfers)

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Pool

Myself and my parents were very excited about staying in this hotel after seeing everything it had to offer with being a five star hotel, we were soon hit with the reality...

The building and pools are very impressive to look at but that`s  as far as the luxury goes. Firstly we paid extra for a shared swim up pool, well we only used this once as it was absolutely freezing and we`re used to swimming in the north sea in the uk!

Our first morning we were made aware that no bars or facilities apart from breakfast was open until 10am, so the whole place was shut up until then. So there`s no such thing as an early start here. The staff were absolutely miserable in every part of the hotel we went into apart from the spa. Bar and restaurant staff almost seemed annoyed and put out if they had to do anything. Usually on holiday you build a bit of a relationship with the hotel staff etc but there was no social side at all.

The pools as I mentioned previously were all freezing, yes the main pool looks inviting but it was painful, and to top it off none of them were cleaned! In the 10 days of our stay we not once saw the pool being cleaned, there was no smell of chlorine and every pool even the inside spa pool had algae all around.

The spa was a death trap, the floor was highly polished shiny wood which made it extremely dangerous, it was literally like walking on ice. The indoor pool was also supposed to be heated, well they only heated it the one time so the rest of the time it wasn`t relaxing at all. Also tiles were falling off and a marble slab was loose.

The ala carte restaurants which are usually stunning meals were appalling. The blue dong restaurant had one server to serve everyone, it took half an hour to even receive a drink. Most of the food options were frozen, when we finally got our main course it was mediocre, we waited half an hour then left without anyone even checking if we had enjoyed the food. The poolside restaurant was just as bad, started off with nice service which surprised us, the starter was mainly frozen, the fillet steak for main was terrible, the dessert which was half decent took 40 minutes to get to us! the staff finished, cleared up the tables and poked their heads around from the kitchen to see if we`d left! Appalling service.

The staff were overall very rude and grumpy, we waited numerous times for drinks or to be served, if you went to the bar to get a drink yourself you were told to sit down and they`d come to you. Drinks took on average 15-20 minutes for you to receive, which for a 5 star all inclusive is unacceptable I think.

The food in the buffet restaurants was always cold or at best mildly warm, even if you got in there first when it had just opened, so none of the "hot" food was ever really inviting, we ate better once we got back to England! One night we decided to use room service to get some hot food and it took and hour and a half to get to us!

The entertainment did not exist. We were aware it was coming to the end of the season but on the hotels page and promotions it showed that certain entertainment was still on offer, afterall its a 5 star all inclusive hotel. Well there was nothing, one lady every other night playing piano in a dimly lit bar lacking in any atmosphere.

The hotel may have been built as a 5 star, but the staff, food, pools and quality of service severely lack! I would honestly rate this a two star complex at best.

2 Star Posing as a 5! Terrible all around! Severely lacking!!! Disappointing after seeing all the stunning photography!

This hotel is beautiful, it’s spotless and the staff work very hard to keep it that way. We upgraded to a room with a pool and if you can afford it, it’s definitely worth the money! The rooms are spacious and nicely decorated. There was ample supplies of toiletries and fresh towels provided everyday. There is no entertainment so we took some games etc with us and with our own pool it was fine. The drinks are all branded and the cocktails are incredible, there is a good choice of buffet food. The specialty restaurants are amazing definitely book them we had no problem doing this. You do need to get up early to reserve beds but never had a problem finding one. The beach bar is lovely and right on the sea, be careful with children as it gets deep quickly. We enjoyed snorkelling there. About a 5-10 min walk is the marina it has a few restaurants there and boat trips but is small. We used the bus to go to other nearby beaches and Chania it was very reliable and cheap they come often and there are lots of stops to jump on and off. We had a lovely week, the staff are all lovely and friendly. This is one of the best hotels we’ve stayed at, can’t fault anything about it.

Beautiful hotel

This hotel is great if you want to relax and eat amazing food. We had a great time and the weather was fantastic. The all inclusive package is amazing! Well worth the money. It was also very easy to get Sunbeds even if you went down to the pool at 10. However, I do have a few negatives. 
The buffet restaurant doesn’t offer a wide range on food so if you’re a picky eater like me you might find yourself over at the kids section. 
There is NO entertainment and I mean none. There’s no music around the pool during the day which you do notice. At night time we would often find ourselves just going to bed as we were quite bored in the evenings. 
The location isn’t bad. You can stroll down to a local harbour however besides a few restaurants there isn’t a great deal to do there. You’re best off catching the local bus to Chania for something to do.
All that aside, we had a fantastic time all the staff are so friendly and are willing to do anything to ensure you have a great time!
Ps visit Elafonisi Beach- you will not be disappointed!

Worth the money if you like to chill

Me and my girlfriend spent a week at Avra Imperial Hotel half board last July, we have been to Greece and Crete several times before but never stayed at this hotel before. We really enjoyed our week here in the beautiful town of Kolymbari, we found the location of the hotel to be great since it was remote enough from major cities to enjoy the peaceful beaches and beautiful views onto the mountains that the town has to offer, yet it was relatively close to Chania allowing for a pretty quick transfer from the airport to our hotel as well as convenient commutes to the city using the public bus. There were lots of great restaurants such as Edem and Palio Arhontiko located close to the hotel (5 minute walk) allowing us to have a great A La Carte dinner and a sunset walk each evening we spent there. There were quite a few nice sightseeing opportunities close to the hotel such as the Byzantine monastery located just up on the hill (20 min walk) with beautiful views of the island and sea. Upon arrival we were pleasantly surprised by a sea view room despite opting for a garden view room. There was a supermarket located a short walk away from the hotel allowing us to stock up on essential items our trip as well as local gifts for our friend s and family back home.

The rooms were clean, modern and renovated when we arrived. The rooms were designed beautifully and practically for a couple’s retreat, fridge was kept empty according to our request, the air-conditioning while not adjustable was set to a good temperature which allowed us to escape Greece’s July heatwave during the peak afternoon hours. All the necessary appliances and additional garments such as a safe, vanity mirror, fridge, bathrobes, slippers, mugs and glasses as well a corkscrew were found in the room as additional items were provided to us upon request. One little feature of the room which did annoy us was the matte glass window found in the bathroom leading to the hallway which we found quite unnecessary and let in excessive noise during the night from the hallway. The balcony of the room was large and provided adequate privacy from our neighbours, one thing we missed was drying rack for all the wet bathing suits we anted to dry after the pool.

The food found at the buffets was very good and there was a wide selection. It was a well rounded mix of international as well as local dishes. The breakfast service (specifically coffee ) took quite a while yet nothing out of the ordinary and the restaurant staff were generally friendly and helpful. The opening times of the restaurants were adequate and even after a delayed afternoon cruise we managed to grab to get a lunch with most of the options still available. There was a wide selection of international and local drinks, wines, beers and cocktails at the bars and restaurants of the hotel (averaging at about 10 Euro per cocktail).

The pools, spa and beach of the hotel far outmatched our initial expectations, with several pools too chose form we were not disappointed (one of which is accessible to teenagers and adults only). The spa had a wide selection of of treatments, massages and an indoor pool (even though those are somewhat redundant in Greece it was nice to have the option). The beach mostly consisted of pebbles rather than sand which is quite typical for most Cretan beaches yet might scare off some visitors was equipped in sufficient sun loungers and a bar for guests of the hotel (we mostly stuck to visiting the beach between 16:00-19:00 and there were plenty of sun beds to choose from). We were able to rent a tennis court as well as equipment for free.

The majority of the staff at the reception, concierge, restaurants and bars were friendly and spoke English very well.
A few members of staff (3-5%) seemed less enthusiastic about their work which is understandable, we ourselves faced a few rude and entitled guest during our visit. The day before our departure we requested an early breakfast on the following day and were offered a well stocked breakfast box by the staff which we picked up from the reception whole paying our checkout bill,

That being said we were disappointed by constant reminders and offers by staff to tip, as Europeans we used to a fairly discrete tipping culture where we’re not continuously reminded to leave a tip at any and all opportunities the staff gets to request one. We usually tend to leave a discrete tip of 5% when the service reached our expectation, 10% if the service was very good and 20% if the service and staff were extraordinarily attentive, kind and helpful, At Avra we felt very pressured to leave a tip any time we requested anything that was not included in our half board offer. Personally we believe we shouldn’t receive a bill with a blank space for a tip every time we order a drink or water on the room. Additionally I believe that the behaviour of the receptionist checking us out of the hotel was unprofessional by playing on our emotions in order to coerce a 15% tip on our entire checkout bill from us.

Peaceful, well located, leisure resort

We actually travelled in August 2023 but I felt it imporant to leave my review.
This is NOT a 5* star hotel. I will list the issues we had:

- First room we were given was one of the noisiest I have ever stayed in. We had arrived late from our flight so had no choice but to sleep that first night, but having a 4 year old the noise was awful. It was close to the courtyard and people were screaming shouting and banging doors gone midnight. They eventually moved our room which took some reminding constantly and had to be put in a completely separate complex to our family which we had not choice but to accept.
- the new room albeit, quieter, kept having flooding issues in the bathroom which was smelly and rank. People kept coming to fix it but it kept happening.
- If you don't call and book the kids club in advance (like, really in advance) it won't happen.  My 4 year old also did not enjoy it - found it quite boring so we only did 2 half day sessions. 
- they say you can use your vouchers for the a la carte restaurants but again, don't leave this until you arrive otherwise you will not have a chance.
- the breakfast is MAD - expect to queue for ages.
- sunbeds. Like most other all inclusives this is standard. however we followed the rules (at the start) and did not get up early to reserve beds.  But it CONSTANTLY happened. We then worked out if we went when some of us were eating breakfast it was fine, but the staff removed our items and dumped them - yet there were hundreds of other people who had done it and nothing was moved?!
- housekeeping. if you have children, DO NOT leave sentimental soft toys/items, even in an obvious safe place in your room. Our daughter's toy she had had since birth and could not sleep without got taken by housekeeping. The hotel reassured us it would be recovered but nothing. We had literally left it out (not wrapped up in sheets) and it was likely binned. It was such an awful end of the stay. The staff really did not do anything to attempt to sort this for us. We were even happy to go to the external laundry people to look ourselves. It never was retrieved.

I found there was inconsistency with service, the food (apart from the Asian restaurant) was really basic. For the price, we were really disappointed.

Don't bother - not 5*

Surrounded by lush fragrant gardens, the luxury hotel enjoys a privileged position in Kolymbari, only 100 metres away from the beautiful sand and pebble beach, picturesque Venetian harbour is 23 km away. The international airport is at a distance of 39 km. The hotel has a pool landscape of fantastic water sports facilities, a top-class spa with fitness and wellness centre, a world-class conference centre, a business centre, three gourmet restaurants and pubs. Simply the ultimate in luxury accommodation in Crete. The magnificent hotel offers luxuriously appointed rooms and suites, many of them with a shared or private pool. Features include individual air-conditioning and heating, internet connection, appliances and a bathroom.

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Avra Imperial Hotel