Blue Marine Resort and Spa Hotel

Came to Blue Marine mid June on a Jet2 package. Process was a smooth and plain sailing throughout, reps the other end to guide us to the right coach. Was around an hour and 40 min transfer which was what was predicted by Jet2 and well worth it to reach a quieter location in Crete with stunning views. Heraklion airport is on the other had not great, but that’s for another review. Upon arrival was greeted at the front desk by two lovely ladies on reception, who explained the whole process for the al a carte restaurants, gave us a guide for all the inclusive benefits and a QR code for there handy app. This was where you could book into restaurants and had all other information you needed on what was on each day and what different services were available, great touch. Room was stunning, whole hotel was immaculately clean so credit to the cleaners on that front. Modern layout in the room and was a bit quirky but adds to the experience I guess. Toilet is closed off, then have. Warbrobe and cupboards, next to a sink and mirror. Shower was then off the bedroom, but due to heat (was 32’c everyday we were there) getting out the shower and being hit with the air con was welcomed. We paid extra for the sea view room and wow, what a picturesque location it is, was lovely waking up to the beach view everyday and did a fair few Timelapse’s of the sunrise. We got towels for the room, along with pool towels and beach towels so had everything we could possibly need. The pool was lovely, fresh water so bit salty but two showers to rinse off after you get out, never struggled to get a sun lounger, all have a umbrella fixed into the ground so everyone can get out the sun if they need (and trust me sometimes you need to), pool and pool area was always clean. Pool bar was great, never had to wait long for a drink and the bar staff were friendly, various options for cocktails etc, fave of mine was the “Freddo Cappuccino” which is essentially an iced coffee, there were lovely in the morning. Also like to mention the young lad who walked the pool everyday collecting used glasses to return to the bar. Such a nice friendly lad, not pushy to talk to you but always gave a friendly ‘Hello’ and was an absolute credit to the team there, really set the tone of mood around the pool everyday. All I can say if let the poor lad jump in the pool every now and then, he must have been roasting during the day! Beach was lovely, sand was quite thick and hot so recommend sliders/flip flops to walk to the sea with. Loungers right side of the bar were quite difficult to get, this was the better area for the sea as the left side was mainly rocky into the sea. Crystal clear water was amazing, the rocky side of the beach was great for snorkelling as plenty of tropical fish floating around. Beach bar just like the pool bar was lovely, never that long a wait and had the addition of snacks, Pizza, burgers and hot dogs, so should you not want to leave the beach for lunch, you could quite easil

Stunning hotel, super clean and although fully booked never seemed busy or overrun. Staff friendly and accommodating. No need to set an alarm to find a sunbed in the morning. Food was delicious, the buffet was varied and all dishes very tasty. The a la carte’s were fantastic, especially liked the Italian. Beach bar/ snack bar at the beach was great, Anna and her staff are a credit to blue marine. Rooms are large and it’s definitely worth paying the upgrade to a sea view room. Would 100% come back here.

My daughter fell and het her head on the wet steps that had no wet sign. The manager was rude and unconcern. After we insisted that we spesk with him he question why didn't we go to the hospital insead of waiting for him. I asked for an insident report to be written up. He said he would have it ready the next day. After going to the hospital we asked to speak to him again to give him the paper work the doctor and the hospital gave us. He said the reciept and the after care instrutions was not proof we went to the hospital. He then refused to wtite an incident report. Being in an another country I could do nothing. Although the staff was wonderful I won't be visiting this resort again. To have a manager that has no concern for his guest is unacceptable.

Stayed for 5 nights on a girlie break away. Good points… Rooms are spacious. Spotlessly clean. Food was good, lots of choice. Location was perfect, beach was just over the road. Pool area has a nice chilled vibe. Lots of choice for drinks. Arrived late to a wrap in the fridge. Bar staff, reception and room cleaners very friendly. Bad points…. Unfortunately encountered some very rude staff in the restaurant. One lunch time I was shouted at for helping myself to cutlery from another table. Overall we had a fantastic time away and would recommend.

This resort is not up to a 5 star standard whatsoever. Our first complaint was the ‘mountain view’ room which I suppose is technically a correct description as we had no view at all other than a rock face an arms reach from the balcony. We actually couldn’t even tell what the weather was like when we woke up due to no light reaching our balcony due to being so close to the rock face. The drinks were all awful, the cocktails were not made with fresh fruits & juices as you’d expect from a 5 star but syrups and cordials. The wine tasted off at all bars. The buffet food was actually really nice - we were pleasantly surprised by this. There were plenty of options and everything that I tried wad really good. Our only complaint with the buffet was that there were 3 separate occasions when a food item was labelled as gluten free and when I questioned this due to being suspicious about the allergen label, I was told that the item was in fact not gluten free and the label was removed. This is so dangerous as I am coeliac and if I hadn’t have questioned this I could have been seriously ill. The food at the a la carte restaurants was honestly shocking - no where near as nice as the buffet which we were so shocked about. I have included a picture of my gluten free bruschetta which I was served in the Italian a la carte restaurant - this was awful and is no way a 5 star standard. There were a couple of occasions where food was left out in the hallway for over a day and attracted ants which was so unpleasant. We had to contact the reception to ask for this to be removed twice. We also had to request new beach and bath towels as these weren’t replaced with each turn down service. Overall I definitely wouldn’t be coming back after expecting a five star holiday and getting at best a 3 star holiday. I think there are much better holidays for less money.

Hotel room itself was really lovely, spacious and a great view of the sea. (Definitely worth paying extra, as those with Mountain View rooms were very much in the mountain. But it was only an extra £40 or so per person for a week for a sea view). Couldn’t get the fan to work but there was aircon so that’s fine. All the tv channels seem to be in French but we didn’t exactly spend much time in the room anyway. Food did get a bit repetitive, with more or less the same things our every day especially at breakfast but the staff were really lovely and always ready to top up your wine glass at dinner! Best night for food was the Friday night when they did sort of a Mexican special. Also once I’d asked, they had oat milk out every day at breakfast. Pool was lovely, plenty of sun loungers and a pool bar. Pool is salt water but that didn’t bother us at all. The real gem of this hotel is the beach. It’s more shale than sand, but the scenery is absolutely beautiful. Really comfy loungers available, but also day beds. You’ve gotta be quick to get the best one on the end or your sun gets blocked a bit! Beach bar with really lovely staff who would remember your drink order. Ultimately it was the beach that’s made us book this hotel again for the same week next year. One final note for anyone with accessibility issues - there are A LOT of stairs due to it being in a mountain. There are elevators that go everywhere, including the beach, but in some places there are also very steep ramps which I think are too steep to push wheelchairs up, certainly a steeper incline than anything built for accessibility in the UK. I think it would be absolutely fine for someone who can’t walk very far but could make a few stairs or a ramp here or there, but personally I know it wouldn’t be suitable for my sister (who’s in a wheelchair) at all.