"An unforgettable stay, made truly special by the amazing people at Atlantica Kalliston!
We have just returned from our stay at Atlantica Kalliston Resort Chania, and I genuinely felt that this hotel deserved a detailed review. Of course, the resort itself is beautiful, but what made our holiday so special was without a doubt the people working here.
From the moment we arrived, we felt incredibly welcome. There is such a warm atmosphere throughout the resort, and so many members of staff went above and beyond to make us feel looked after. By the end of our stay, some of them honestly felt more like familiar faces we were excited to see every day rather than simply hotel staff.
The resort:
The hotel itself is exceptionally clean and luxurious. We especially loved that there were many options for pools: one with a DJ, one more relaxed with jazzy sounds and the other one quiet. There is a beach right in front with access and amazing beds to enjoy your day there. Staff cleans and walks around the entire time.
Our room was the one with the swim out and was spacious and always clean. We got welcomed by the cutest two towel swans and rose petals. We asked if the room could get cleaned early in the morning and we even got to pick a specific time: it would always be clean by then with new fresh towels and bedding. We once had a request for just sheets instead of a duvet, so we asked at the reception. We returned to the room and it was already there! When we hung out at the pool, we saw staff take their time and meticulously clean, also making sure to sweep outside.
The entire resort was kept incredibly clean. It is possible to lunch at certain restaurants and in between they would mop. We noticed how much attention was given to the little details throughout our stay, as well as all the gardening personnel.
Food and restaurants:
One of the highlights of our holiday was definitely the food. I was honestly a little bit apprehensive to book an all inclusive, wondering if the quality of food would be good. But: we were entirely surprised! We ate at the Italian for lunch and dinner, but also the Greek. The last one has a salad bar and an amazing view of the sea. Every day there would be one extra fish and one meat special to choose from and it was always so fresh and delicious! You have an open view of the kitchen and a team of five to seven chefs working hard.
The Asian restaurant had the best sushi and amazing nigiri. If you ever wanted a snack, you could head out to the Comfort bar or the Grab and Go, where you can get anything your heart desires: poke bowls, fruit bowls, salads, pizza slices, wine. The bar besides it had fresh ice cream and patisserie!
What stood out even more than the food itself was the restaurant team. They worked incredibly hard while still taking the time to speak with guests, remember preferences and make every meal feel personal.
Nola — General Manager of all restaurants
Nola was one of the people who really stood out to us. We had booked the private wine cellar for our first dinner. We got six amazing dishes and she had such a good vibe from her: knowing just when we wanted more information on the dishes or wines but also left us in our honeymoon bubble. She was always warm, attentive and extremely kind and professional. We met her on our second day at the Asian restaurant. I jokingly asked if she was following us. She wasn’t, but always knew where we booked our dinners or lunches and made sure to check on us. She informs her personnel on their guests requests or any other information, so soon a lot of them knew we were on our honeymoon. Even without any reservations booked, Nola made sure to check up on us; how we were doing and always made a chat with us. Personnel calls her “momma Nola” so we started doing that as well. She has her day off on Thursday and we always missed her that day. It may seem like a small thing, but she made us feel welcome, remembered and genuinely cared for.
Robert — Breakfast and Comfort Lunch
We also have to mention Robert. Such a sunshine!! Always smiling, always genuinely asking how you are. While he is waiting tables, he always checks if you are good. Honestly the sweetest guy ever and will make sure you have everything you need and everything is perfect. On our last day, Robert surprised us with eclairs he had bought. It was his birthday! He went around to share while he himself was working in 31 degrees. Thank you, Robert, for making us smile every day and taking your time to care for us.
Natalia — Guest Experience Team
Natalia deserves a special mention as well. When I mailed two weeks in advance to book restaurants and mentioned it was our honeymoon, she and her team literally went out of the way to make it special. There were rose petals, complementary champagne, chocolates, baklava, wine and even more. She came and found us every day, no matter where we were, to check on us if everything was good or we needed something. The first night we had we had a reservation at the wine cellar. Natalia mentioned she would come pick us up and bring us there. That is just what the staff does: makes sure they are there whenever you need them but also even when you think you don’t need them. Natalia remembered everything and was always genuinely interested as well with such a big smile! She would call to the room to double check and remember our restaurant reservation times.
Evaggelia - Breakfast and Greek restaurant
What makes Evaggelia so special is her kindness, calmness and the way she takes care of the guests. She always walks around so professionally, scanning and smiling. She really makes you feel seen and welcomed. Thank you, Evaggelia, for making us feel so welcome and taken care of. You helped turn a beautiful holiday into one we will genuinely remember.
We would also like to thank August who handles the suitcases, as well as Emma, Maria, Maria and Julie from Guest Experience Team.
They were always incredibly helpful, attentive and happy. They made everything feel effortless and they would go out of their way to be of service.
Both Maria’s came to check in us daily and while they walked around with new guests, they would always smile enthusiastically and wave. Later they would come back for a small talk.
We also want to mention:
Nikos - Breakfast and Italian restaurant
Aleksandra - Grab and Go
Vasilikia - Greek restaurant
Marios - Italian restaurant
Dimitra - Asian restaurant
Georges - Greek restaurant
Iannis - Asian restaurant
All such amazing people and servers. They always made us feel welcome, took their time and were really professional. Everybody was so warm and in for a laugh. So much so, we even had little pranks between us.
There are probably even people whose names we unfortunately did not manage to remember, but please know that the friendliness of the entire team did not go unnoticed.
What makes Kalliston different: a beautiful hotel can give you a lovely holiday, but it is the people who make you want to return. We saw staff members working incredibly hard every day, yet so many of them still stopped to ask how our day was, made a joke, remember something we had told them previously, or simply greet us with a genuine smile. That personal connection from so many staff members is something you cannot manufacture, and it is probably the biggest compliment we can give this resort.
Swim out room: 10/10
Cleanliness: 10/10
Food from restaurants: 10/10
Drinks: 10/10 (amazing that they served an amazing list of only Greek wines! also so many cocktail options)
Pools: 10/10 for everybody there is a pool to choose. If you like a DJ with more vibes from 11:00 you can go to that one, the other one is more peaceful if you need more quiet. Every pool had their own life guards as well!
Beach: 10/10 clean, sandy, private cabanas, amazing comfy beds which were free and only available for guests. Bring your goggles: there are big fishes!
Service: 12/10
Atmosphere: 10/10
Location: 10/10
Would we return? Absolutely yes!!
Finally…
There are some people you meet on holiday who you know you will remember long after you have returned home, and the people we mentioned definitely made such a big impact. To the entire Atlantica Kalliston Chania team: thank you. Thank you for all the conversations, laughs, kindness and little moments throughout our holiday.
You may meet hundreds of guests every season, but please know that guests remember you too. We arrived expecting a beautiful holiday in Crete and left feeling genuinely sad to say goodbye. We hope to see you all again next year. If it is for our anniversary or maybe our ‘babymoon’. We cannot wait to come back.
Ray and Julia from 137."
