"We have recently just returned from a weeks holiday at Gouves Waterpark and we had a fantastic time. There were 6 of us in total, a family of 4 and 2 Grandparents.
This hotel is rated as 4 star on Jet 2 and I believe it is a 4 star rather than a 5 star.
We were on a night flight when arriving in Gouves. We didn't get to the hotel until around 1:30am. Upon arrival we were greeted by Zefan (I think this was his name) and he had a lovely sense of humour and made us all smile and feel very welcomed. There were sandwiches in reception for late arrivals as all the food areas were closed. The Grandparents of the trip both took one and said they were tasty. The second we arrived, staff took our suitcases from us and insisted on helping with them. When taken to our room, they also took our suitcases directlt there for us. On the last day, I was wheeling my suitcases to the reception area and a member of staff spotted me and took them straight off me and took them to reception for me.
Towel cards are given at the start of the holiday and with these you are able to change your towels as often as you like. You do need your towels with you to make the exchange though.
There are many pools dotted around the resort but we sat round the splash park pool each day. There didn't appear to be sunbed wars because if you put a towel down and left your towel in the morning, a member of staff would then come and remove them. Meaning unless you were there with your towel, you would not be reserving a bed. We found this a great idea to be honest because it meant you didn't get those annoying people who reserve 6 beds at 3 am and then don't even turn up for the rest of the day! It could cause a little conflict between other holidaymakers as they aren't aware the staff have moved them but it does nip the sunbed wars in the bud.
There are a selection of so many pools around the hotel. The main pool where the activities take place is at the main bar and seems way too small for the pool activities. However, this was welcomed for us as it got busy round there and we appreciated being in a slightly quieter pool. Our favourite pool was the one next to the splash park. There is also a baby splash park a little further down the resort. Then there are other pools just dotted all around the resort. It really is like a mini village. There is also an indoor pool but the water is soooo cold. The temperature of the outdoor pools were perfect. However, we visited in August in hot weather and on the one cloudy day we had, we did notice the pool was a lot cooler than the hot days, so this may differ throughout the year.
The water slides are great. There are 4 different slides and 2 of those you are able to go down on rubber rings if you wish. We used our rubber rings daily but found the pools a tad too small for a lilo. A lot of people use inflatables but we didn't see any lilos so I imagine people felt the same. The main lifeguard at the top of the slides (wore black instead of the yellow uniform) had a great sense of humour with the kids. We would also see him highfiving the children around the resort. Little things like this add to the overall warm feeling of the holiday.
For our family room, the hotel provided 4 bottles of water every 2 days, this was a nice addition and not something we were expecting. There was a fridge in the room to use free of charge. You were also provided with a safe to use free of charge too. We have stayed in many hotels previously where use of the safe is at a cost. There is a hairdryer in the bathroom. I heard they also provide irons in the premium rooms but this is not something that was available in our family room. However, we did hear that reception would provide one should you require one. Our family room had a TV in each of the bedrooms, although we never used these as we literally were only in our room for sleep and showers. We had a cleaner come to our room daily and if she ever caught us there she was extremely friendly. However, our parents cleaner only attended their 2 person room once the whole holiday. They are supposed to clean daily unless you put the do not disturb sign on your door.
Our family room was brilliant. It had a lovely modern bathroom. There were two single beds in between the master bedroom the bathroom. The master bedroom had a huge Queensized bed which led out on to the balcony. The balcony only has 2 chairs though so there isn't really space for sitting as a family and playing cards on an evening etc but they are still lovely balconies none the less. The 2 separate bedrooms is great for if you have teenagers who need their own space. There isn't really enough storage for 4 people's things in the family rooms. There is one wardrobe for 4 people. 3 bedside tables which also only has 1 little drawer each. The rooms are plenty big enough for a set of drawers to be added in each room. I would say this is the only thing that let the room for us as it looked messy leaving things out on the side. Extra storage does need to be considered by the hotel. However, in our parents room, they had a modern interior and there was plenty of storage in their room, although their room was a lot, lot smaller. Our family room decor did look a tad dated compared to our parents room but in all honesty, I actually liked this as the room felt more rustic and greek! The air con in the rooms were a godsend. We actually would not have managed without air-conditioning as it was so hot whilst we were there.
The whole resort is well looked after. There is not a spot of rubbish to be seen. Everywhere you turn you see staff cleaning and removing cups from tables etc. It is a lovely and clean resort, very well looked after. It is beautifully built and all the buildings look stunning and modern, leaving you feeling like you are in paradise.
Meal times - first of all there was always a member of staff on the door at meal times to greet you in the restaurant. There was an excellent variety of food throughout all meal times, even if you are a fussy eater, there is something for everyone. There is a pizza section at the evening meal and there are children's basics like spaghetti bolognaise, chips, chicken etc. I have to say, this isn't the tastiest all inclusive food we have ever eaten, but there is nothing wrong with it and it is still nice food. We, personally, have just had better. I do commend them on the huge variety they have though.
The snack bar food is delicious though, they do gyros, burgers, pizzas, chips and ice-cream. All the food at the snack bar is made fresh in front of you and is so tasty. This is open 11am-6pm daily. The restaurant gets very busy and a little cramped at times. It's understandable as it does have to cater for over 1,000 people but at times, moving around the dessert area is a bit bedlam. The large amount of people takes away from the dining experience and gives a little but of a free for all feeling, but in all honesty, unless you are snobby, it takes nothing away from the holiday. This hotel is not ideal for those with allergies as the allergies are not listed anywhere and it is very easy for cross contamination. There is a Greek restaurant and an Asian restaurant that you are able to book into but I would suggest booking as soon as you arrive as they book up straight away. We were unable to get a booking at the Asian restaurant which we heard was amazing from friends we made on holiday. We managed to get booked in to the Greek restaurant. There is ALOT of food. We were a table of 6 and we had to ask for desserts not to be brought out as we were so full. There isn't a menu you select from, instead they bring you out selections of starters and main meals which are to feed 6 per portion. So there is ALOT of food. In all honesty, we didn't enjoy the Greek restaurant but I think this was more because the food didn't suit our palettes rather than evening and restaurant itself. The presentation of the food was beautiful but 3 of our party were picky eaters, therefore, a lot of food was left and it felt such a waste. We would have been better choosing from a menu.
There is a shop on site that provides everything you may need. If you require anything further, there are shops just a few minutes walk away. In all honesty, I can not comment on these as we only left the resort once so didn't visit any of these shops and bars. However, people we spoke to went out on an evening to different bars and recommended it. Our child is autistic so we preferred to stay at the bar at the hotel and play card games etc. There is also jewellery shop near the bar. The gentleman who runs this store is so lovely and so grateful for any custom. He thanked us for visiting Crete and told us the country needs people visiting. He seemed extremely grateful and the shop is of high quality content.
We weren't too keen on the beach. If you turn out of the resort at the very end it is a longer walk to the beach, however, if you leave from the baby pool it is a much quicker walk and only takes a few minutes to reach the beach. The beach looked a little grubby to us and the sea was very choppy. You have to pay for sunbeds Also. We didn't return to the beach after our first visit as the hotel seemed a much better option due to the cleanliness etc. There are watersports at the beach such as jet skis, banana boats etc. These are quite pricey, for example, jet skis were €65.00 for 20 minutes and €90 for 30 minutes.
You are able to book a late checkout if your room is available. We were quoted €150.00 for a late checkout on our family room which seemed an insane amount of money for 7 hours as, even with a late checkout, you are only allowed to keep the room till 6pm. Without the late checkout you have to be out of the room by 11am. There are showers and a changing room for those with don't wish to pay for a late checkout and a place to leave your cases. We didn't pay for the late checkout and we didn't leave the hotel till 10pm. As someone who suffers with anxiety, this was not an issue at this hotel. This would usually make me very anxious not having a safe space but there are many different areas where you can find some calm space to yourself as the resort is large. We sat in the order pool area for a while once we were dressed as it was nice and cool in there and then played cards in reception whilst waiting for our transfer.
If you are someone who relies heavily on air conditioning then this hotel is not for you. The only place you could find real coolness was the indoor pool, your room and reception. The air-conditioning everywhere else was pretty poor. We found the bar area and the restaurant warm. When it's so hot outside, you want some respite when going for meals or sitting at the bar (inside, obviously not expected outside) but it didn't come unless you went back to your room. There is air conditioning in the restaurant but it isn't strong enough for the amount of bodies that are in the room at one time.
I wouldn't recommend this hotel to people with mobility issues. There are no lifts to rooms above the ground floor so you have to lug your heavy suitcases up the stairs. There are also some large steps around the resort and the ramps/slopes are VERY steep. I can not imagine this being an easy feat for someone with a walking stick etc. There is also no ramps in to pools, just stairs and no disability hoist in any of the pools.
There are arcade games around the resort. These are near the main pool/snack bar, in the bar area and then a designated arcade room which also has a pool.table and air hockey table. You require tokens to use these games. I will say, alot of children did win things from the claw machines, my own children included, and these prizes were good prizes such as funko pops.
If you are allergic to cats, don't come here 🤣 luckily we adore cats. There are ALOT of cats around the resort. You only really see them in the evening due to the heat and they, understandably, gather around the restaurant area as children feed them haha. My kids loved seeing them all. If you're a softie like me, prepare yourself for googling how to rescue them haha.
We had a room near the main bar. If you are near here, you will not sleep when it is the DJ night and Rock band night as it goes on till late and is very loud. This didn't bother us as it's what you go on holiday for after all. We only attended the acrobat as we had heard the rest of the entertainment was poor. The acrobats were very good but the amphitheatre is not big enough and it was packed. There was not enough seating for the amount of people attending and a lot of people were left standing at the sides. They could do with investing in a bigger and better area for the evening entertainment.
There are 2 people stood outside the restaurant to discuss the spa and they constantly try to grab you. I don't really agree with this as you can't really avoid them. They also come.around the sunbeds but as soon as you say no thank you, they do leave you alone straight away. We didn't use the spa or the gym so we can not comment on these facilities.
It's worth noting Heraklion airport is horrific. They are building a new airport which will be ready in 2028 but the current airport is terrible and not a pleasant experience at all. I would not return until the new airport is ready.
Did we have a good holiday? Absolutely, we had an amazing time.
Would we return? 100% but not until the new airport has been built.
Is the hotel a 5*? No, we would say it is a 4* maximum.
Please be aware this review comes from a complete holiday snob and we would not hesitate to return here. We had a fantastic week away."
