Kernos Beach Hotel

This hotel was an actual hidden gem…..after reading other reviews on here i really just decided to book and decide for myself. I’m really glad i did as it was a truly wonderful experience. The hotel is set on extensive landscaped grounds which are beautiful with a truly beautiful beach. The staff at the hotel where wonderful, every single member from front desk, restaurant and bar to our housekeeping ladies (every single team member was warm friendly and truly made our experience magical) there was so much food to choose from and things to do locally and literally a 10 minute walk from the old town where you can catch the bus across the island. We booked the seafront bungalow and the views were stunning with lots of room for two to share. We can’t wait to come back to the hotel again as it was such a beautiful and wonderful place with some truly great people.

We had a wonderful time. Beds are comfortable, bathroom looks nice and modern. Daily service of rooms by lovely cleaners. We only did breakfast and it was nice, we didn’t have to wait for tables, food replenished often, coffee offered at the table. Fresh omelette, crepes and waffles were great. We managed to find sun loungers by the pools and on the beach even late afternoon although Germans love to reserve them from sunrise even though they don’t use them … We didn’t get the sun loungers that supposed to be on the patio, only a table and two chairs. Not a big issue for us really as we spent the entire day out of the room. Overall recommend it and would definitely come back.

Great hotel with a beautiful location, but a few things could be improved We really enjoyed our stay at this hotel. Its main advantage is the incredible location. On one side there are mountains, and on the other a wide sandy beach with crystal clear and beautiful sea water. The territory is well maintained, there is a tennis court, and inside you can play table hockey. The food was very diverse. There were plenty of dishes with shrimp and salmon, delicious desserts, and fresh pastries. The staff were generally very friendly. The hotel also has a private parking area, which is very convenient if you rent a car. The atmosphere deserves special mention. Most of the guests were Europeans, mainly German visitors aged 50 and over. Because of that, the place was calm and quiet, which makes it perfect for a family vacation. However, there are a few points that need improvement. The first one is the organization of drinks. Tea was available only if you asked the waiter, but the waiters were often busy setting up the tables and could not serve guests quickly. As a result, the food you had already taken could get cold while waiting for your tea. Sometimes the tea arrived late, and once it was forgotten completely. It would be much more convenient to have a hot water dispenser and a box with tea bags so that guests could make their own tea. The same applies to cutlery. It would be faster and easier to take it yourself rather than wait for it to be brought to the table. It was clear that the staff were trying their best, but because of poor task organization they often did not have enough time to clean the tables promptly, which created a feeling of disorder in the restaurant. Another issue was the teapots. When you pour hot water from them, it spills everywhere except into the cup, so you need to be careful when using them. It is also worth mentioning that all drinks at dinner were paid separately. One Lipton tea bag with a cup of hot water cost 4 euros, which means 8 euros for two people. That was probably the most expensive and at the same time the least tasty tea we had on Crete. Another drawback was that the “Do not disturb” system did not work properly. The rooms do not have traditional door hangers. Instead, there is a button inside the room that turns on a small light outside the door. However, even when the light was on, the cleaning staff still entered the room and did the cleaning. This was unpleasant because we did not want our room to be cleaned that day. Overall, the hotel left a very positive impression thanks to its location, food, and peaceful atmosphere, but the restaurant service and cleaning system need some improvement. In the modern era of automation and self service, it would make sense to let guests handle simple things like tea, coffee, and cutlery by themselves, while the staff could focus on what really matters, keeping the place clean and comfortable.