We just returned from a week at the Santa Marina Plaza in Aghia Marina in Crete. We can only agree with everything said by the previous reviewer from September 2007. We also had a third floor sea view room which is very worthwhile though I am certain the other rooms are OK. The staff at the hotel, especially at the reception, are excellent. All the fixtures and fittings are of high standard - there is little sign of wear and tear anywhere. Considering we were there right at the end of the season, there was no sign of any of the hotel services starting to be "run down". This hotel is, as far as we can tell, probably mainly focused on German and Scandinavian customers, which is in my experience a good thing. However there were visitors from the UK, France and other countries too so there is a very pleasant cosmopolitan feeling about the place.. The main criticism we have, as did the previous reviewer, was concerning the food. None of it could be described as bad but it did lack imagination and variety. This is a real pity as with an improvement in catering the hotel would overall be hard to criticise. Sure you can eat out but to find decent restaurants you would have to travel to Chania (20-30 minutes by bus/taxi), then of course have to travel back afterwards. This brings me to the main reason why we would probably not go back to Crete. The northern coastal strip is frankly a mess, poorly developed and catering for the lower levels of tourism. The strip from Aghia Marina through to Platanias and beyond is terrible. Nothing but poor class bars and restaurants (you know the type, where the menu consists of faded pictures and strange translations), mainly aimed at self catering of which there is a large amount in this area. The beaches are generally fairly narrow and covered in beach chairs etc. I would imagine it would be unbearably busy in the season. The Santa Marina Plaza sits uncomfortably in this environment. True, it has the best bit of beach but it is squashed between a derelict site on one side and a (admittedly not bad) self catering place on the other. So overall an excellent hotel but we're not too sure about Crete. It has some beautiful countryside in the interior and is of course steeped in distant and recent history. But is it a "nice" place to stay? For us, no.

We have recently returned from this hotel and it was just lovely. All the rooms appear to have a sea view but we were fortunate to have one of the sea-front views, right on the beach, on the third floor. The staff couldn't do enough for us, they were so helpful - particularly the wonderful receptionist, who's name I cannot recall, and the cocktail waiter, Christopher, who is incredibly knowledgeable and makes a wonderful Brandy Sour! The restaurant for breakfast and dinner is well-located by the pool with a view of the sea. There is lots of choice for breakfast to satisfy every nationality. The dinners are okay but there is room for improvement - having said that, there is ample choice but the quality could be improved and it is certainly not 'a la carte'. The wines on offer at the restaurant were lovely, and not particularly expensive. We tried several restaurants in Chania which were recommended by some of the staff which were superp. Monasteri at the Old Harbour in Chania has a brilliant kitchen, truly authentic and overlooking the harbour is a bonus. You expect to pay more for the location but we had starters, a main course, half a litre of house wine (which was very nice). The bill came to 25 euros - plus they gave us free ice cream and fruit, followed by the obligatory raki! Thollos in Chania is also good, as is Taman - both not far from the Old Harbour. Ela is wonderful in the evening, with beautiful surroundings and music. In Platanias, I'd recommend Milos restaurant but you need to book at weekends as it does get busy. The Santa Marina Plaza is well located, although I had not appreciated how commercialised Ayia Marina and Platanias is. Having said that, we still had an excellent holiday and would definitely recommend this hotel. Note that you do have to pay for the sunbeds on the beach (2.5 euros each), but it was explained to us that this is a tax imposed on the hotel by the Government. The sunbeds on the beach are much more comfortable than the beds by the pool!

I stayed with my husband at the Santa Marina Plaza in June. We had a great time and were very happy with this small, friendly hotel. Our room was lovely. A sea view overlooking the beach, spacious and very, very clean. We were more than happy to spend our evenings sitting on the balcony watching the sea, the sunset and the lights across the bay in Chania. Linen and towels are changed daily. There were no extras, i.e. shower gel etc, after the initial arrival day. The evening food was not 5 star, adequate but overcooked although there was a choice and breakfast was consistently good. There are many tavernas and shops in the town. The hotel do charge 5 Euros each for sun beds on the beach, even to residents. We had a car, which is essential if you wish to see the island which is very beautiful. I would recommend this hotel to couples, although they do accommodate children. Although not 5 star by British standards I would give it 4 stars as only the food let it down. They attempt to cater for all nationalities and perhaps the food is not to everyone’s taste. I am very fussy where I stay and I could not fault this hotel on cleanliness and service. Chris, East Kent, England

Myself and my family stayed at the Santa Marina Hotel for 2 weeks in June and have just nicely returned. The hotel itself was very clean and the rooms were spotless with clean linen and towels daily. The food was very average buffet style which became somewhat boring, there was an option of three a la carte dishes which were over cooked and always arrived cold, the buffet always consisted of two types of pasta which were kept warm and there for were very chewy ! some sort of meat in a sauce some veg and always some sort of pie ! The meat was always a very cheap cut and quality( we ate out as often as we could) The hotel itself didn't have many facilities the gym which was very basic doubled as a massage room- my husband was told to leave whilst he was working out because they needed the room for a massage ! the hotel doesn't change money as we were told it doesn't have a licence so take euros with you ! The sunbeds round the pool got taken early and were very uncomfortable wooden bars underneath the canvas dug in to your back. The pool bar was ok the barman disappears for very long periods of time upto 1 1/2 hours we recorded one day so guests were left standing waiting for drinks or they had to go to reception to ask for staff, most guests went to the local supermarket and brought drinks back to drink round the pool ! The hotel itself was ok but not 5 star 3 star perhaps ! after staying in 5 star hotels around the world this is the worst it was lacking in basic things any 5 star would offer ! we stayed in a sea veiw room it was nice but the bathroom was very small and there were no little shower gels or shampoos on offer that you would expect from a 4/5 star ! Drinks were also expensive in the hotel

We have just returned from a 2 week stay at the Santa Marina Plaza in Agia Marina (Chania), Crete. My husband and I traveled with our three year old daughter and stayed in a Sea View Room. The view was fantastic, nothing between the private balcony and the beach. We were on the top floor which gave us sun all day long. Room was nice, clean, well maintained every day although a little smaller than it appears on the website. Bathrooms were fine, small but a full tub with shower. Lots of closet and storage space for suitcases etc. Breakfast selection was good, with lots of options for adults and picky kids. Beach bar was OK, but we ate at neighboring tavernas and visited small grocery stores regularly. Dinner menu was good, not fine dining, but good solid food, lots of selection. Only Cretean wine available in the restaurant which was a little disappointing. The pool was nice, although a little cool, but manageable. Chairs spoken for early in the day, so we had to get ourselves together early. Beach was nice for adults, you have to pay extra (5 EUR/day) for the chairs and umbrellas though. The beach was not the cleanest, lots of cigarette buts and some trash which wasn't great with a small child digging around. Staff were pleasant and helpful with one minor exception. A very relaxing, great holiday for us.