Bella Beach Hotel, Crete (photo posted later in the article) - this large, upscale hotel for relaxation on the Mediterranean coast. It was built in 1994 and attracts couples and families with its all-inclusive offers and entertainment venues located right at the hotel. There are not many of them - two restaurants, several pools, as well as a small spa, but you can get into the clubs and restaurants of vibrant Hersonissos by taxi. True, many vacationers complained about the quality of food and wine, so it may be worth considering the option of paying only for accommodation.
Bella Beach Hotel 5 *: description
This quiet resort on the Anissaras Peninsula has access to one of the best sandy beaches in the region. Bella Beach Hotel 5 * is built in the style of its partner hotel Silva Beach. It is popular with families and older couples, most of whom come from Eastern Europe. The hotel has a spacious lobby with plenty of seating and several shops. It enters the territory of a large pool surrounded by freely broken lawns and flower beds, as well as brick facades several floors high.
The objects of the resort area, which are not crowded during the hours of heat, are usually filled by the end of the day. In two all-inclusive Pergola rooms, Greek and international dishes are served as a buffet. And from the slightly more exclusive à la carte restaurant, “Olive Tree,” which has a Mediterranean menu, it overlooks the pool, which is beautifully lit after sunset.
Location
Framed by the sandy beach of Anissara, Bella Beach Hotel 5 * Deluxe is located in the central part of the northern coast of Crete. It is a 10-minute (4 km) taxi ride from the shops, bars and restaurants of the vibrant Hersonissos resort and a half-hour drive from Heraklion International Airport (28 km). Nearby are several large water parks, as well as the island of Spinalonga, described in the best-selling book of Victoria Hislop. You can get there by boat from the nearby beach resort of Elounda. Other highlights within a 20-minute drive include the vibrant Mecca Malia and the legendary ruins of the ancient city of Knossos from the Minoan civilization.
For a few euros you can take a bus to Heraklion, a stop is 700 meters from the hotel. From there, you can take a train tour of Old Hersonissos and the port. Both trips are very pleasant and inexpensive, so you should not spend money on planned excursions to these places.
The hotel has excellent conditions, and it is located in a great location on the shores of the gentle warm sea.
Rooms
Around the main pool of the hotel there are eight two-story buildings of the hotel, the warm brick walls of which are braided with decorative curly plants. These buildings house 175 rooms of Bella Beach Hotel 5 *. There are standard rooms with sea, pool or garden views, as well as family rooms with two bedrooms and an interior door. The rooms are decorated in light ocher and green olives, the rooms are clean but in need of updating. Spacious balconies allow you to enjoy the sea, pool or garden. All rooms include a flat-screen satellite TV, telephone, DVD player, air conditioning, coffee or tea making facilities and a mini fridge. Elegant marble bathrooms are equipped with either a shower or bathtub, a hairdryer, slippers, bathrobes and beach towels. Safes are available for rent.
Housekeeping is provided daily and towels are changed. Bed linen is changed three times a week.
Guests who need a relaxed atmosphere should choose rooms in blocks 3 and 4, closest to the waterfront, but remote from the main animation areas of the hotel.
The room must be vacated on the day of departure until 12:00. By this time, it is also necessary to pay all bills. If you expect a late departure, then this should be reported to the registration desk no later than two days in advance. Extend your stay at the hotel for a fee, if there are available rooms. Extension of the all-inclusive system until 6 pm will cost 20 euros per person. At the same time, children under 12 years old are given a discount of 50%.
Features
Although the main pool of Bella Beach Hotel 5 * is popular during the daytime, the place where most guests bathe and sunbathe when the sea is calm is the beautiful sandy beach of this small resort. On cool days, the indoor pool with a sauna, jacuzzi, hammam and spa is full. Tennis courts and a gym are often crowded. Regarding the latter, it can be noted that the range and quantity of sports equipment must be increased.
Children tired of the beach can head to the grassy playground next to the hotel. There are swings and slides, as well as a small children's club where you can draw or play board games.
For lunch and dinner, vacationers head to the main restaurant "Pergola" with a buffet made up of Greek dishes and regular evening entertainment. For a more exclusive service, there is an a la carte restaurant "Olive Tree" with tables by candlelight, a menu and views of the pool. The all-inclusive option is criticized by guests for the quality of food and wine.
Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel and the business center, but its speed is poor. Quick Internet access is available at the reception.
Facilities
Key features: the hotel is located on the seafront, has a heated indoor pool and two open with fresh water. Vacationers can use free towels, umbrellas and sun loungers. It offers a fitness center, tennis courts, spa, amphitheater.
Hotel services: room service, conference rooms with 60 and 170 seats, a TV room, a doctor (for a fee), currency exchange, laundry and dry cleaning (for a fee), a mini market.
Family services: meals according to the selected menu, playground, pool, club, disco for children, nanny (for a fee).
Room Features: air conditioning, bedroom is separated from the living room.
Address: Bella Beach Hotel 5 *, Greece, Anissaras, Hersonissos 70014.
Staff
The staff of the Bella Beach Hotel 5 * (Crete) is sincerely friendly, talkative and always ready to help. Feels his service-oriented preparation. There is no language barrier; vacationers spoke only Russian.
According to many holidaymakers, the animation team here is the best of all that guests have ever seen. They can captivate everyone, whether an adult or a child, without showing excessive perseverance. Evening shows are filled with humor and alternate with performances by professional artists. Many tourists who have not previously taken part in such entertainment here first began to stay at the hotel to watch scheduled shows, which says a lot.
All employees of Bella Beach Hotel 5 *, who communicate with tourists, are struggling to please them. For example, according to the opinions of vacationers who accidentally left things in a hotel or restaurant, hotel employees delivered them to a room or another hotel, refusing to accept payment for their services.
According to the reviews of tourists who booked a room just 15 hours before arrival, they were immediately lodged exactly where they wanted to stay - on the first floor of the block with sea views.
Entertainment
The Bella Beach Hotel 5 * (Greece) has a team of animators. They are unobtrusive, but if someone wants to have an interesting time from 10:30 to 18:00, they can arrange it. According to vacationers, indoor soccer, beach volleyball and water polo have always been recruited by two full international teams. You can play darts and tennis. The hotel has two paved courts. Balls and rackets can be obtained on bail, and you will have to pay for evening lighting. Billiards, a gym and water sports are also paid.
Some vacationers have complaints about the state of volleyball and soccer balls, tennis rackets and iron balls for bocce.
Restaurant "Pergola"
According to most guests, the food at the Bella Beach Hotel 5 * (Greece, Crete, Heraklion) is excellent. The food is delicious, very varied and beautifully served. There is really a lot of choice for a vegetarian.
The all-inclusive restaurant is pretty good. From 7 to 10 in the morning served eggs and bacon, all kinds of fresh and sweet, and even champagne. According to tourists, lunch (12: 30-14: 30), afternoon tea and coffee with cakes, cookies, mini-sandwiches and mini rolls (from 16 to 18 hours) and dinner (from 19:00 to 21:30 ) delight with a variety of meat, fish and seafood. There are olive oil, dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables, and more. Home-made wine, liquors, draft beer, five types of alcoholic and two non-alcoholic cocktails, vodka, gin, whiskey, tequila, rum, soft drinks, water, tea and coffee are provided to choose from. Only one drink is given at a time. Moreover, an electronic hotel card is required.
Some complained about food and, on the contrary, found it monotonous.
Bars and Restaurant "Olive Tree"
In Bella Beach Hotel 5 * there are 3 bars. “Azalea” is located in the lobby (open until 1am), “Rotonda” - by the pool (open until six in the evening) and “Oasis” - on the beach (open from 12 to 8 pm in high season). There is ice cream everywhere and always from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Guests are advised to visit the Olive Tree Restaurant, open from 7 to 10 pm. For an additional fee, you can order, for example, huge lobsters. Many say that there will be no problems with delicious food at this hotel.
To stay in the public areas of the hotel after six in the evening, elegant casual clothes are required, and wearing shorts and slippers is not welcome at Pergola Restaurant.
Beach
The beach is beautiful, large, just 150 meters from the hotel. Tourists spend a lot of time sunbathing on sunbeds or diving. In the sea you can see some colorful reef fish. Sun loungers, umbrellas and towels are provided free of charge. Loss of beach towel is subject to a charge of 20 euros.
According to vacationers, the condition of the beach is good. The sand is clean, there are wooden footpaths, a volleyball court and a small passage to the sea from the hotel. The lifeguard is watching everything.
Not at all 5 stars
Some tourists believe that the Bella Beach Hotel 5 * (Crete) is not really a 5-star hotel. And they suggest considering the possibility of lowering its category to 4 stars or, possibly, even to 3, since it definitely does not reach 5. Five-star hotels provide an appropriate level of luxury and although they provide many services, Bella Beach Hotel simply does not provide the required level of comfort.
Restaurants, a bar, a pool and rooms are just too mediocre to be five-star. For example, a restaurant has a good selection, but a low level of food quality. Very mediocre “paddling pool” with several broken sunbeds. The gardens are average, and some areas are overgrown with weeds.
According to vacationers, the hotel rooms are a bit outdated and need updating, the restaurant has a lot of flies, the so-called orange fresh is something mixed with a lot of water, wine is served from a self-service tap, and red wine is especially terrible. The food is fresh but mediocre. Drinks are served in small plastic cups, while mojito, prosecco, coffee and frappe are not included in the all-inclusive package price.
pros
Bella Beach Hotel 5 * Guest reviews are positively rated for the following features:
- The hotel is in a country style and includes an area with lots of greenery.
- Convenient transport links, including taxis, to Hersonissos for shopping and visiting nightclubs.
- A long strip of sandy beach adjacent to the hotel; water activities are offered nearby.
- Many activities for children, including 16-hole minigolf, table tennis and a kids club.
- The hotel has several restaurants and bars.
- Regular entertainment and holidays.
- There are small spa and fitness centers.
- There are many pools, including indoor, outdoor and for children.
- The complex has facilities such as tennis courts and an open-air theater.
- Free parking and wifi.
Minuses
In Bella Beach Hotel 5 * (Crete), guest reviews highlight the following disadvantages:
- Some guests complained about the quality of food and wine.
- Wi-Fi in rooms may not be available in some places.
- Although the rooms are clean and have good balconies, some of them need a little redecoration.
- There were complaints about the lack of entertainment in the immediate vicinity of the hotel.
- Some guests complained of cold water in the shower rooms.
- The large territory of the hotel makes it difficult to move around.