Hesperia Presidente

"We booked a bungalow ON THE BEACH sea view, but they gave us just a bungalow sea view.(There is a big difference) Reception keep saying for us to come back the following day, as guests will be departing then. We are currently still in the same outdated room 2 weeks later. Georgious the Manager has just mentioned that we are in our booked room which he says, is on the beach, which it is clearly not. Staff have told us that we are correct and in the wrong room and that the manager is wrong. The room is more like a 3 star(don't believe the website photos - see my genuine ones attached). The beach is overcrowded with noisy, crying babies constantly, making it impossible to relax(the frustration on people's faces was sad to witness) On top of that, the service in the room is disappointing, no bottled water replenishment(have to keep requesting), though I did pop back to the room to collect something and caught the cleaner, cleaning our room with one hand whilst face timing her friend. I actually seen her family friend, as she kept talking to her in between me asking her about the water bottle replenishment. For the price, I would have expected professionalism, care, and at least a basic level of guest experience. Pro's... Great, if you have babies or children. Great, if you have never stayed in a hotel above a 3 star rating. Great, if you like to eat in a restaurant that resembles a kindergarten. Great, if you like the feel of a 1970's room with only one English channel on the tv, which is Sky political news channel(all the rest are in German) Con's... Reception and manager will not act on any requests and don't keep to their word. Not one bit of personal touch has been represented in the room since we have arrived that you would expect from a 5 star hotel... No fruit, no cake, no fresh juice, nothing!! Not one member of staff in the 10th day that we have been here have asked if we are enjoying our holiday. We are half board, though we have only eaten one evening meal in our time here as the main restaurant was so noisy, We usually eat out in local restaurants anyway. Breakfast: The bacon is not proper bacon, but is fried ham, Don't expect nice omelette's made by the chef as he only does fried eggs. Breakfast is always cold by the time you get to your table. Orange juice is not proper orange juice, but a branded watered down version from a machine. No milk supplied in room at all. This is NOT a hotel for couples, even though it states that it is. The Pilot Resort hotel has all the trappings of a maternity hotel. So now you know!!"

"Location is good. Bungalow is spacious and looks new. The Staffs are nice and helpful. Itu is clean. Beach towels are free and can be renewed. A complimentary bottle of Water every day. Children can eat and Drink free at anytime even if you don’t Book all inclusive. The private Beach part is nice and free. This is something to mind in Crete. However, I don‘t think the hotel should be rated as 5 Stars. I‘m sorry to say this. The Food is also something to improve a lot if you want to call the hotel a 5 Stars. We have stayed in a lot of 5 Stars Hotels so we know how they should Look Like. It is worth the Price to stay here but do not expect a 5 Stars."

"Stunning location. Lovely views. We stayed in a ground floor beach front sea view bungalow (2031) which was very comfortable, spacious and had all we needed. Lovely welcoming touch of fruit, macaroons and wine in our room. We had a large deck area from which we could step down directly on to the beach. Couldn’t ask for a nicer spot. The deck itself didn’t get much sun after about 10 am but having shade wasn’t a bad thing and we just left our sun beds on the sand in front of our room where the sun was all day. For food we tended to stay beach side (complex is split by a road but there is a tunnel between sides so it really isn’t an issue) and we ate at the beach restaurant for most evening meals or lunches. Super staff looked after us very well. Lots of choice and hot! We had the all inclusive package. We did visit another restaurant on site during our stay - Kronos which was ok. We attended two Cretan Nights during our stay and had a great time learning the dances. The roses were a lovely touch 🌹. We visited several local local Tavernas in Georgipoulis too. A walk along the beach to get to the village and then a taxi back. Super! Minor niggles - our bathroom shower drain smelt very unpleasant when we arrived - reported and it was cleared straight away. Our bathroom tap was wobbly and the sink drain leaked and it wasn’t properly fixed (fitting design issue not the maintenance guys fault) so we just kept a towel to catch the drips. There were some other minor maintenance issues during our stay which were addressed once reported although it took a long time for our beach brolly to be replaced with one in good condition (it was very battered and bruised and very difficult to open). I am particularly picky because I work in Facilities Management mind you! Really was not keen on wooden teaspoons rather than metal spoons given to you for your room refreshments. We found that the replenishment of our room refreshments was a bit hit and miss but loved that fact that we could WhatsApp to request what our fridge was topped up with (soft drinks, beers and wine etc). If you caught the lovely house keepers they happily left what you asked for. Last niggle was the height of our deck gave a high drop down to the sand (and meant a tricky climb back up) which was quite difficult to navigate (probably caused by the sands naturally shifting). The other rooms in our block didn’t have the same issue we were just unlucky with that. Our package included bottled water but weirdly I got told off when I collected one from the beach bar fridge before 10am? I found it irritating that some drinks were not included in the all inclusive package and of course, typically, the cocktails I wanted to try weren’t on the list! This is area the hotel could change that would really make a difference to how the hotel is perceived. We received a small gift when we checked out too which was a nice touch (won’t spoil the surprise by saying what it was). I’ve given you a very honest appraisal of our two week stay. Would we go back? Absolutely we would - in a heartbeat. Midway through our stay, friends arrived and they have returned to Pilot Beach more times than I can remember! Georgios and his team made us very welcome - thank you. Enjoy your stay!"