May Beach Hotel

Lovely, quiet family run hotel. Fantastic helpful staff especially at reception. They could not have been more helpful telling us about buses and where to go. There is music at the bars, but it is not loud and you can easily find a really quiet spot in the lovely shady garden around the pool. Tasty food and plenty of variety. Five minutes walk to the beach. We were really sorry to leave

A small oasis in the hot July Crete. Lovely gardens, pool just the right size. Room spacious. Every room with small balcony and Aircon units. Staff amazing. Nothing too much. Kind, attentive and efficient. The hotel Manager is present every night to greet guests in the dining room. She has a keen eye for tidy counters and immaculate presentation. I really liked that and made the experience even better. Great choice of food and plenty of salads and watermelon to cool you down. Husband loved the ice-cream available all day from 10 to 6 at the pool bar Stayed for 10nights all inclusive. Never had the same main course twice. Staff very accomodating with my husband's new dietary requirements of no cow milk - almond milk always available upon request at breakfast and afternoon tea. Total relaxation is guaranteed as no activities are organised around the pool like I experienced in bigger hotel chains. I liked it this way very much! The sea is a stroll away ( 10mins) and the there are pebbles on the shore so if you like waking on the beach bring sea shoes. They are also sold in every supermarket if you forget them. Rethimno beach is mainly sandy if you prefer. We went for the day. It was great fun! If you like to exercise like me there is an outdoor gym. It has a few equipments and free weights. You have the view of the overgrown vegetable garden planted with potatoes but I had peace, quiet and lots of sparrows and local birds keeping me company while I did my zumba after 6.30am every morning.

We made an excellent choice with May Beach Hotel. Travelling with a rental car, the location is great as a base for discovering the Western Part of Crete (Chania, Rethymnon and most of the Heraklion Area). The staff was very welcoming and helpful, and the cleanliness and decor of the Hotel is exemplary. The well-kept garden with the pool area has a very relaxed and calm atmosphere where we could unwind after the trips of the day. We had half-board and dinner was fine with a wide selection of greek and european dishes. However, around the hotel there is not much going on in terms of traditional tavernas apart from the facilities in Platanes which seem very tourist-oriented, and the beach area behind the hotel is kinda mediocre if you know other beaches on Crete. We visited beaches in the south (Plakias and Frangokastello area, 1hr drive, great) and Phalasarna on the West Coast (2hr drive, extraordinary) which more than make up for this. Nevertheless, due to the main island road (New Road) being close you are able to reach many locations no time. The bus stop to Rethymnon is 100m away, and the trip is just 1 € and takes about 15 minutes. If you are prepared to travel a bit for your experience or are fine with hanging out at the pool the whole day, this hotel is perfect! My only major issue is that the rooms towards the front close to the residential road are very loud due to motorized traffic. I am normally not a big complainer in this regard but there are A LOT of very loud motorcycles passing through there especially later in the evening and also during the night. Also the windows and balcony door have only simple single-layer glass and are not sound-proofed. The hotel could really improve here. We asked for and got granted with no fuzz a room towards the back which was way quieter. All in all we had a very nice and relaxing holidays there and would come back. We recommend this to all travelers looking for a calm retreat in the center of the island with plans for regular forays into the countryside or the cities.