Alai, Crete, a Tribute Portfolio Resort

I visited Alai Hotel with my boyfriend September 2024. We booked with Jet2 and had a super easy flight and transfer here. Weather was lovely with only 1 afternoon of rain so don’t be put off from going away in September:) The hotel was amazing fantastic facilities and even lovelier staff. We had a standard room which had plenty of storage, lots of clothes hangers, great bathroom and a super comfy bed. The rooms were cleaned daily by a super friendly house keeping team, who also provided fresh water bottles daily. On arrival to the hotel we were greeted by a friendly receptionist who gave us a tour and took us to our room. My boyfriend had emailed the hotel to tell them it was our anniversary so we were upgraded to a sea view room and the room was beautifully decorated which was such a lovely surprise for me!! We only had bed and breakfast so I didn’t try any of the evening meals from the hotel. However the breakfast was delicious, best breakfast buffet I’ve ever had! The pool was lovely always clean as was the areas around the pool. You are given towels from the hotel for use by the pool and the beach which are really nice and fluffy. The hotel includes free use of the Sun loungers by the beach with drink/snack service to the sun loungers. There is a bus service near the hotel that is €2pp. I’d recommend going into Hersonissos (5 min bus trip) which has lots of restaurants and bars. I’d especially recommend the Cretan Blue Restaurant. (The last photos I uploaded) To conclude, me and my boyfriend had the best holiday here we couldn’t have asked for nicer staff and we will remember this special holiday forever. Thank you Alai team :) xx

The hotel is clean and well-maintained, both in the rooms and throughout the common areas. The staff, especially at the pool bar and in housekeeping, were very friendly and helpful. The nearby beach was beautiful and easily accessible, and the pool itself was nice, offering a pleasant place to relax – if you managed to get a pool bed! Unfortunately, towels were left on pool chairs for hours every day (sometimes up to three hours) to reserve spots, making it difficult for others to find a place. People would claim chairs early in the morning and then disappear to get ready, eat breakfast, and have a relaxing morning knowing their favorite pool spot was waiting for them. This went against hotel policy, but management did nothing, even after we raised the issue. This made mornings stressful for us, as we didn’t want to reserve chairs unfairly but still wanted to secure a place by the pool. The hotel seems to be expanding, adding more rooms, which might worsen the already overcrowded pool situation in the future. Happy hunting! :) Further, the hotel itself feels poorly designed and built, with some areas seeming unbalanced or awkwardly arranged. Our room lacked attention to detail; many things were crooked or improperly installed. The phone and TV didn’t work properly however they did fix the TV quickly after we mentioned it. There was also an issue of outside noise due to the lack of a door between the hallway and bedroom and at one point, the power was cut off without any notice, leaving us without electricity and water. It turned out to be planned maintenance and not an emergency, so advance notice would have been appreciated. Another major concern was the lack of understanding regarding dietary needs. There was confusion over vegan and vegetarian dishes – one menu labeled dishes as vegan, while another labeled them as vegetarian. When we asked the staff, they treated the two as the same thing. "Vegan, vegetarian? It's the same!" This is unacceptable, especially for guests with allergies, like those to dairy. Proper training for the staff is urgently needed to ensure the safety and comfort of all guests. The surrounding area is heavily touristy and lacks the authenticity one might expect from a more traditional Greek experience. It felt more like a typical charter destination than anything unique or local. In summary, while the hotel has some good qualities, such as its cleanliness, friendly staff, and proximity to a nice beach, several issues need to be addressed – particularly the staff’s understanding of dietary needs and the issue with reserving pool beds, as well as the lack of enough beds for all guests, especially with the upcoming expansion of the hotel. Sadly, we will not be returning.

Great hotel and location. Staff very friendly and welcoming. The rooms were excellent and very clean Pool snacks and drinks very expensive as is the resort. We stayed bed and breakfast. Breakfast there was plenty of choice. Beach front hotel with great views from our rooms We stayed in the same hotel last year and the renovations are amazing and clean This hotel will take some beating in my opinion

Lovely clean and friendly family run hotel in the middle of Stalis Crete. Staff were friendly and helpful and the room and pool area was clean fresh and comfortable. Breakfasts were great and I’d recommend to anyone interested in holidaying in Stalis. The one caveat I’d put on it is that we went at the end of the season when the hotel was not full and had one whole block of about say 20 rooms unoccupied and the main block was not full which gave us an upgrade to a sea view room. This meant breakfasts and sun loungers etc were not busy and the whole experience was very relaxing and pleasant. When full I would imagine a different outlook and some of the non seaview rooms overlook other hotels and the main road which would be busy and noisy in peak periods. Also the hotel was only opened following refurbishment in July 2024 so you’d expect it to be clean and spotless. If you put a critical eye over it from a builders perspective (which I did) some of the finishing is suspect and will age and look untidy quite quickly but for us at that time it was perfect.

I really can't think of any dissapointing issues with this hotel. Management and staff really do everything to make sure you enjoy your stay. This was the first time I stayed in this hotel (certainly not the last time!) and it felt like coming home. The hotel is situated in the small town of Stalida in the vicinity of several shops, bars and restaurants. The hotel serves great meals, the cook really is interested in the customer's opinion on the quality of his work; He's really proud of his kitchen. Rooms are being cleaned every day and towels are changed every two days. The reception offers free towel service. Receptionists speak several languages (English, Dutch). Sunbeds on the beach are excluded from all-in. If you desire a relaxed holiday, you really might consider this hotel!

We arrived at the hotel about midnight someone was there to greet us and a chap to take our bags to our room also ashed if we wanted a meal in the restaurant ,we were tired so we just went to our room which was compact but spotlessly clean and overlooked the pool area also a bottle of red wine and some fruit plus tea coffee and a kettle very important if your British ,we were on a half board basis breakfast was buffet style as all the meals were, plenty of choice if some what random for Brits had eggs bacon beans sausage mushrooms scrambled eggs and apple pie pastry with coffee and oj very good