Giannoulis – Cavo Spada Luxury Sports & Leisure Resort & Spa

We are just about to end a wonderful stay at Cavo Spada and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough! From the moment we arrived, the staff were absolutely fantastic – warm, friendly, and always going out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed. Their positive approach really made a huge difference the whole experience. This is a smaller hotel than we’ve typically chosen in the past, but that actually turned out to be one of its biggest strengths. It meant everything felt more personal and peaceful, and while we did entertain ourselves a little more during the day, the setting made it so easy to unwind. We had a private pool, which was a real treat, and for the first time ever on holiday, there was no stress over sun loungers! There were always plenty available, with loads of space around – no early morning towel dashes from other guests I have seen in the past. Honestly, I’ve never experienced that level of relaxation around the pool area before. The hotel offers three restaurants, all serving delicious food with top-notch service. Again the staff are amazing! While the beach right next to the hotel is pebble, it’s still a lovely spot to sit and watch the waves, and there are plenty of excursions available nearby, with Chania just a short journey away. We found that there was plenty to explore both in and out of the hotel. For those into fitness, the gym is excellent – clean, well-equipped, and better than many hotel gyms we’ve seen before. Overall, my family and I absolutely loved our time at Cavo Spada. It’s a peaceful, well-run, and welcoming place – perfect for a relaxing holiday. But what really does make it stand out are the staff! We’ll definitely be recommending it to friends and family, and would happily return ourselves!

Excellent and quiet hotel, great staff (thank you Antonis!), good food and great service. Very happy with our stay. The room was clean and the location near the beach was very nice. The only minus was the 20-30 minute car distance to Chania. Everything else was great :)

This hotel is so luxurious and spacious and the staff cannot do enough for you. The big clean pool is next to the beach and sun beds in the grass make a perfect combination. Plenty of space to sit and relax. The sports facilities are more than I have ever seen with a wellness retreat here making the most of them all. The spa has a nice indoor pool and I had an excellent massage. The food has plenty of choice and the dining areas are lovely including an Al la carte and a beach bar. The rooms are cleaned twice a day and products replaced and good quality. Hotel rooms are all with balcony and big and no more than 3 stories high. There are pool side rooms and more private ones with private pools. The bars all make good cocktails and all have nice coffee and plenty of staff and never a wait. Staff also remember what you normally order.

We had a lovely time here at this hotel! It was very relaxing being next to the poolside and having a very short walk to the beach. The food was great and offered good selections especially as I am a vegetarian. The staff were really accommodating and welcoming.

We booked the Ultra All Inclusive package, which meant we could try all the à la carte restaurants and special meals. That said, even without it, we would have happily spent 7 nights enjoying the main buffet — the food was excellent. The UAI package also included a complimentary 45-minute spa treatment each, which was a real treat. We both had a scrub and massage and loved it. We ended up using the spa several more times — it’s gorgeous. Although the hotel was apparently at full capacity, it never felt crowded. The huge lagoon pool rarely had more than 10 people in it at once. Yes, the beach is rocky — but just bring beach shoes and embrace not getting covered in sand. For us, it was perfect. The staff are outstanding. Every single person we met was warm, friendly, and nothing was too much trouble. Vasilia in Guest Relations deserves a special mention — she seemed to be everywhere at once and is such an asset to the hotel — but honestly, all the staff are a credit to the place. We took the local bus into Chania one day. It was less than €4 each way (and you can pay by card). Really straightforward and well worth doing. Vasilia mentioned she welcomes constructive criticism, so we thought hard… the only thing we could suggest was a faster toaster at breakfast! That said, I ended up having some nice chats while waiting for my toast, so hardly a hardship. Tip: bring a game for the evenings. The bar area was lively, with lots of people playing cards and board games, and the hotel had some available to borrow too.

Just to be clear we had a very nice 11 nights. In general, the hotel and its staff are great but there are issues and perhaps some responsibility lies with the tour operator, in our case Tui. The hotel is clean and well laid out but it doesn't hit the 5 star luxury mark. The bathroom in our room was tired especially the shower and the drainage was poor. The spa looked like it needed a bit of TLC to. The wifi is poor when it works, very frustrating. The food was very good (the ice cream isn't), limited in options especially around the pool area and strangely for the kids. Kids love pizza! Gyros was available daily as long as you paid 12 euros for it! You also get non-branded cola, fanta etc around the pool and in the main bar at night, really?! Luxury?! We ate out quite a few times locally which is well worth doing. The bus service is excellent, taxis are pricy! I would advise against the theme nights. We did the BBQ night, food was excellent but the surcharge (22 euros per person) is not good value. The entertainment was limited but very good when on. The problem is it finishes at 10.30!! Apparently guests don't like noise and need to sleep so they are fresh for activities. 10.30 is far too early. Charging for everything in the mini bar except 2 bottles of water unless you pay extra, luxury?! I don't think so. Surely some soft drinks and beer should be free, ridiculous. After a while you realise if you want the luxury elements you have to pay more, pretty much everything is chargeable. If you are undecided read the reviews and make your own mind up. There are much better alternatives in Spain and Turkey, I'm sure in Crete to. Will definitely return to Crete but not to this hotel.