Iolida Beach by Smile Hotels

I spent a wonderful week at the hotel. I highly recommend this hotel. It's not a hotel with tacky evening entertainment. It's more about relaxation and time with family at a table with a delicious drink. I highly recommend it.

The pool and pool area were excellent with plenty of sunbeds available for the time year we went. The cleanliness of the room and hotel were also excellent, and we had regular clean towels and bedding. The staff were mostly helpful and courteous. The bridge that adjoined the hotels over the busy road was also very useful. Where this hotel let itself down was the all-inclusive package and dining experience. . We are not a family of drinkers, but the tea, coffee and soft drinks were not always available due to being broken, no one availableto serve you or just closed. There was regularly no tea bags, cups or glasses and I had to ask for these on a regular daily basis. The coffee and soft drink machines were regularly broken down or being serviced. There was an earn for coffee, but unfortunately, it was of very poor quality and very weak. The good coffee machine was only available until 10.30 am??? Additionally, there was very little or no choice of non- alcoholic drinks, unless we paid extra, and these were very limited and expensive. There was only one unfridgerated water dispencer which was grubby - definitely not acceptable in an all- inclusive hotel. Our granddaughter struggles with loud open spaces and as the dining room was very noisy, we asked to be seated outside, which has never been an issue on previous holidays. Unfortunately, the only table they offered us was at the front of the hotel by a busy pathway and next to a very busy and noisy road with no shade. As I'm sure you would understand, this was not an option for my granddaughter that we could consider. This table would have sat 4 people at best and we are a family of 6. We asked if we could use the tables to the side of the hotel, which would of been far more suitable and easily accessible to the dining room, and in the shade, but we were told no. This did cause stress for our girl and spoilt our dining experience. We did not come on holiday to dine separately from our family. Although our room at 1st appeared to be fine, we soon found lots of irritating small things were broken. The doors to the kitchen area were badly fitted and scrapped along the floor making them difficult to open and access the fridge hard (I had to get my husband to open and close this door. The plug in the sink did not work, and we could not fill the sink to wash or shave. One of the main lights did not work, which left the room very dim in the evenings. They did have issues with the electrics and the light in the toilets poolside did not work for 2-3days, but I understand this was out of their control. As I have mentioned, we felt it was mainly the all-inclusive side that let this hotel down, with the odd maintenance problem. I do not like to complain, and after many years with Tui, I have never had to before, but felt the need to this time. One of the reasons we chose all-inclusive was so that our grandchildren could have access to soft drinks and icecreams throughout the day, but as I have said, this was regularly not possible. Additionally, as there was no Tui rep on site, it was difficult to relay our concerns, especially were our granddaughter was concerned.

Unfortunately, our stay at this hotel on Crete was a major disappointment. It is hard to understand how this property is rated as a 5-star hotel, given the numerous and significant shortcomings we experienced during our time here. Water Supply – A Critical and Unacceptable Deficiency: Perhaps the most frustrating and unacceptable aspect of the hotel was the extremely poor water provision. There are no bottles of water provided in the rooms — not even upon arrival or replenished daily, as one would reasonably expect. In the main restaurant and the snack area, there is no bottled or table water served either. Instead, guests are forced to use a single, heavily used and visibly dirty 5-liter water dispenser, which everyone has to touch to operate. This is particularly unhygienic, especially in warmer climates where hand sanitation should be a priority. Worse still, once the restaurant and snack station close (often in the afternoon or evening), guests have no access to drinking water at all — unless they are willing to pay extra to buy water in bottles. Considering the high temperatures (35°C and above), this is unacceptable and even dangerous. Access to clean, fresh water should be a basic right in any hotel — and certainly in one that markets itself as all-inclusive. Food & Beverage Quality: The food selection was underwhelming and repetitive. Lunch and dinner menus rarely changed, with minimal variety and a heavy focus on generic European dishes rather than showcasing authentic Greek cuisine. It felt like a missed opportunity, especially on Crete where local food culture is rich and renowned. Regarding drinks, guests receive beverages in plastic cups only — the hotel claims this is for safety reasons. However, if you’re willing to pay extra, drinks are suddenly served in proper glassware or porcelain cups. So apparently, safety is not a concern if you spend more. Similarly, proper coffee from a machine is only available in the morning during breakfast. Outside of breakfast hours, guests must settle for poor-quality instant coffee — unless, again, they pay extra. Cleanliness & Room Hygiene: The overall cleanliness of the room left much to be desired. The shower was moldy, with poor drainage that caused water to spill across the entire bathroom floor. The bathroom door couldn’t even be locked. Housekeeping placed visibly dirty towels in the bathroom and presented them as fresh. Even worse, the glasses provided in the room were simply rinsed by the cleaning staff in the bathroom sink — instead of being washed properly or replaced. That is simply unhygienic and unacceptable. Pool & Beach Areas: The pools were also poorly maintained. A cleaning fluid was added in the evenings, but the pools were never actually cleaned or scrubbed. Visible dirt remained in the water for days. As for the beach, guests must pay extra to use the sunbeds — only the loungers at the pool are free. However, these are typically all “reserved” by 7:00 AM with towels, and no one monitors this behavior. The overall experience was extremely disappointing. There are simply too many issues to overlook — broken infrastructure, health and safety concerns, poor food and beverage policies, and a constant push to upcharge guests for services that should be standard in a 5-star hotel. In reality, this hotel feels more like a 3-star resort, or a very poor 4-star at best. I would not recommend it to anyone, and I seriously question how it has earned its current star rating. Sadly, we will not be returning.