Paralos Irini Mare

The staff and food at this hotel make the whole experience. From beginning to end, the ladies at the reception were calm, friendly and professional; special thanks to Ria and Debbie. The calm amosphere at the hotel translates itself into calmer guests; I ever heard shouting, rudeness or witnessed obnoxious behaviour. The food is, quite simply, excellent. Cretan recipes, ingredients sourced locally and all prepared in a delicious manner. Unlike other hotels, the food is allowed to shine here and there is sufficient variety to ensure you are never bored. No one overpiles their plate. Those looking for cheap food and quantity over quality are in the wrong place. Cleaning lady was lovely and always remembered the correct strength of the nespresso capsules. Private pool was large enough to swim a few strokes in. Fitness trainer, Christos, always gave so much of his time with tips and demos of extra exercises: it was a pleasure getting an advice from such a pro A few small gripes: an espresso sadly never had the strength of a proper espresso; the new junior suite is really rather bare and the shower invariably ends up spilling water onto the floor (better construction would have been possible); little storage space in the bathroom (some drawers under the wash basin would have been appreciated). There is no pool in which one can swim laps; children end up playing in both. I ended up going to the sea ( a few minutes walk) to get away. That was my biggest issue as I really like to be able to swim without being on the lookout. Unusually, the hotel doesn't have an adult pool apart from the 'quiet' one that you can't swim in as it's essentially shallow. All in all, a great stay

We thoroughly enjoyed our honeymoon in this beautiful, well-kept and clean hotel. The staff is extremely helpful and very friendly. The buffet is rich and the quality is very high. It offers home-grown regional Greek cuisine. The gorgeous saltwater pools and jacuzzis of the complex offer a great alternative to the beach which is not overcrowded, the water is clean and clear and not far from the port of Agia Galini with its nice bars, small shops and recommended restaurants. We will definitely visit this hotel again next year!

We stayed at the Irini Mare for a week in July '23 and it's one of the best hotels we've ever visited. The hotel is beautifully designed and thought out, with low-level architecture that reflects local buildings and works really well with the landscape. Inside, reception areas and individual rooms are beautifully done, with simple, clean lines and high quality fixtures and fittings - the chosen colour scheme is tranquil and reflects the mediterranean setting without resorting to nautical cliches. Service is universally excellent - all the reception staff appear to be at least tri-lingual and everyone else speaks excellent English, which is so helpful for those of us who don't speak Greek! Everyone is imbued with a "go the extra mile" ethos which is marvellous. We were lucky enough to have a suite with a private pool and it was utter heaven! Most of the guests during our stay were from Germany, with many small children, but everyone was charming, courteous and thoughtful. We ate breakfast and lunch at the restaurant and it was delicious, with a wide variety to choose from and a nice, contemporary interpretation of traditional Greek fare. We ate most of our evening meals in Agia Galini, which is lovely village with a very relaxed vibe, lots of good places to eat and drink and friendly, helpful local people. We also visited Matala which is definitely worth a trip for its great, 1960s hippy vibe, lovely beach and good choice of places to eat and drink. All in all, we had a marvellous time and look forward to visiting again next year. Thanks to the whole team at Irini Mare!

This is a lovely modern hotel with nice large rooms and a lovely setting. Staff were friendly and attentive. There are a couple of pools and some lovely shady areas to lounge about. The bar offers great views to the sea. The restaurant is self service buffet for breakfast and dinner and it offers nice food. It seems a little confusing when approaching the restaurant and looking for a table as there is no one to greet you and guide you to a table. It's merely find a table and sit! Restaurant staff are usually quick to re-lay a table if it wasn't set up. The hotel is very close to the main town of Agia Galini (10 minute walk) where there are loads of other restaurants and bars. The walk in to town passes other beach front restaurants and bars too, so there's plenty of choice and makes a change from staying in the hotel. We thoroughly enjoyed this hotel. It was very relaxing and peaceful and made a great start to our Crete holiday. The friendly staff made the stay very pleasant indeed.

Second stay at this wonderful hotel. Great location, plenty of sunbeds by the pool and other areas, rooms are impeccably clean and maintained. Staff are very friendly and helpful. Buffet food is excellent, plenty of tavernas a short walk to the beach and in Agia Galini. Quite a distance from Heraklion airport (c E100 by taxi) but worth it. Very few English tourists in the hotel and town, mainly German and Dutch. Will definitely visit again.