Cretan Mansion with Heated Swimming Pool

The Cretan Malia is an elegant beautifully designed hotel, set in a rural part of Crete - aprox 30 mins from the airport (the roads are good to get here). The hotel looks exactly as it does on the website, although the river pool is even better in real life - perhaps one of the best I’ve been to. The beach can be a bit choppy, not always ideal for kids. Rooms are standard, spacious and clean. They are definitely not soundproof, although you will sleep very well regardless. All the restaurants on site are superb and affordable, which is just as well because there really are very few options nearby. I would recommend the watermelon and feta at Mezza - such a shame they dont open in the evening for families. The main restaurant serves a wonderful breakfast, but the lunch menu is average - I wouldn't go full board. The hotel although lovely does have room for improvement. Its design sometimes gets in the way of functionality: like no steps into the main pool and in the other pool, steps leading down and then a huge 2ft drop. The walkways also have lots of breaks, which you can easily trip over, and the grass area for lounging gets muddy and unenjoyable. The surrounding area is quite remote, meaning there’s lots of dusty roads and annoying tourists on Quad bikes, making it hard to visit anywhere by foot. This was probably the biggest let down, as it meant we didn’t really get out of the hotel. That said, the immediate restaurant outside the hotel and ‘Port Malia’ are lovely and worth visiting. A mix of British, German and Italian guests here. Most let their kids run riot at night, which is highly annoying let alone unsafe by the beach, I dont know why you wouldnt keep a closer eye on your children. On a final note, the staff here are wonderful, especially Anna on reception who was very kind to help us out when there was a room mix up on arrival. Also, a big thanks to Marianne in guest relations who went out of her way to help us. Such lovely people.