Star Beach Village and Waterpark

"Special thanks to Andrew and Nazar who made our stay extra fun!"

"We’ve just returned from a 7 night stay at Star Beach Village in Crete and overall we had a brilliant holiday. There is so much to like about this hotel, particularly for families, and we would definitely return. We arrived quite late, around 11.30pm, and the hotel had kindly put on a buffet for the late arrivals. Unfortunately, our small human had decided that only pizza would do! 😂 There is a 24-hour food place opposite the hotel, next to the Spar supermarket, which stays open until the early hours and does pizzas, nuggets etc. at really reasonable prices. Very handy to know if you arrive late or have a fussy eater in tow! 🛏️ The room We had a triple room with a double bed and a single bed. It was a good size with a TV, bathroom with shower, toiletries provided and a large balcony. We were towards the back of the hotel overlooking the Spa area. For the first few days everything was absolutely fine, but unfortunately we then developed an ant problem. We first noticed ants coming through a crack near the ceiling in the shower. We reported it to reception and housekeeping came and thoroughly cleaned the room. Unfortunately, the next day they appeared again through another crack and had completely infested my exfoliating gloves hanging over the shower door, which I had to throw away. We reported it again and were told someone would spray the area. The following day we then found ants coming in near the balcony door and heading towards where our suitcases were stored. At that point I asked if we could move rooms. But they couldn’t guarantee another room wouldn’t have the same issue. We were given bug spray to use ourselves. This was probably the biggest negative of the holiday. It didn’t ruin it, but it did put a bit of a dampener on things as we became paranoid about checking the room and our belongings for ants. 🏊 The pools – and NO 7am sunbed alarm! There are so many swimming pools around Star Beach Village. My biggest recommendation is to spend some time on your first day simply walking around and exploring the whole resort. We discovered a smaller pool near our apartment on the third day that we hadn’t even realised was there! But the absolute winner for me… YOU DON’T NEED TO GET UP AT STUPID O’CLOCK TO RESERVE A SUNBED! 🙌 I’ve been on so many holidays where people sharpen their elbows to fight for a sun bed down at 7am with their towels to claim beds for the day. I absolutely hate it. Here, we could turn up in the afternoon and still find sunbeds. Because there are so many pools and different areas around the village, everyone spreads out. This genuinely made such a difference to our holiday. The pools aren’t heated, but once you’ve got your shoulders under, they’re absolutely fine. By the afternoon some of the pools could look a little murky from sun cream, sand and loads of people being in and out of them, but I’ve found that’s fairly normal at busy holiday resorts. My only criticism of the pool areas would be the cleanliness around some of the sunbeds. They could definitely do with being swept and tidied more regularly. We returned to the same area on consecutive days and there was still half-eaten pizza underneath one of the beds – and, rather memorably, someone’s toenail! 🤢 A regular sweep around the sunbeds would make a big difference. 🛝 Water park The on-site water park is brilliant and gives you even more variety. We’d often spend the morning at one pool, pack everything up after lunch and head somewhere completely different for the afternoon. Between the different pools and slides, you don’t feel like you’re doing exactly the same thing every day. And did I mention you don’t have to fight for a sunbed?! 😂 🍽️ The food – absolutely brilliant The food was genuinely some of the best we’ve had at an all-inclusive hotel. There was a huge amount of choice at every meal, but what impressed us most was how much was being freshly cooked. Rather than seeing piles of meat sitting under heat lamps for hours, chicken, pork, beef, fish etc. were being cooked fresh. It meant the food tasted fresh and there didn’t appear to be huge amounts of unnecessary waste. There was loads of variety including fruit, salads, desserts and different dishes every day, with options catering for different dietary requirements including vegetarian and gluten-free. The restaurant staff also deserve a mention. They were incredibly attentive, clearing plates quickly and doing a great job of keeping everything clean despite the sheer number of people coming through the restaurants. For an all-inclusive, we thought the food was excellent. 🌍 Atmosphere & location Another thing we really liked was the mix of guests. There were lots of different nationalities and ages rather than the hotel being dominated by one particular group, which gave the resort a really nice atmosphere. It’s also worth leaving the hotel and exploring. Come out of the hotel, turn right and walk along the seafront for around 15–20 minutes. There are loads of restaurants, bars and places to stop and it has a really lovely atmosphere in the evening. There are also plenty of excursions available, including boat trips, island trips and other water parks, so there’s lots to do if you want a day away from the resort. ⭐ Overall We really enjoyed Star Beach Village. The huge choice of pools, brilliant water park, excellent food and the ability to find a sunbed at practically any time of day were massive positives for us. The ant problem in our room was disappointing, particularly as it continued after we’d reported it several times, and I’d like to see the areas around the sunbeds cleaned more regularly. But those things wouldn’t stop us returning. Would we go back? Absolutely. I’d just pack some ant powder next time… just in case! 😂🐜"

"Had a great break. Hotel staff are great Big shout out to Andrei for making us feel very welcome from day one to day ten 💥"