Iberostar Waves Creta Panorama & Mare

This review is from people travelling as a couple aged 28 and 30. We arrived very early morning to the hotel and we were checked in by a man who went through what felt like every piece of information he had to offer. We also got slapped with 100 euro payment for room tax, now we're novices when it comes to going away and knew we would have to pay something but didn't expect 100 euro for 2 weeks. Upon arriving at the room we had a bungalow, which faced the sea. The view was lovely and they were easily accessible. The room was very clean and tidy, and the bathroom was very spacious. Very good shower, and couldn't fault this. The fridge was stocked with drinks (however this isn't ever refilled). Towels are supplied daily and beds are changed when you leave the card on the bed. One day we lost ours, went to reception they contacted house keeping and this was done with no issues. They also brought us another card for the rest of our stay. Beds are comfortable and love that you get two pillows each- also fluffy pillows I may add. Food & restaurants are good! When we checked in we were told to book the bbq a few days in advance which we did and it was delicious. However we were not told that you could only go once a week, so we foolishly went twice in the first week then were only left with the main buffet. I find it odd that you need to book for this every day, but suppose it allows for numbers for catering purposes. There is a lot on offer, some nights are better than others but there is defo something for everyone. Zorbas near the pool is very nice for lunch time and we often went here most days. However a hidden gem is Star Cafe which is near the beach. Their sandwiches are unreal and unfortunately we found this near the end of our stay. Drinks round the pool are served in small plastic cups like most places. However, on a night in the bars thankfully they're in a glass and not made ridiculously strong, so can be enjoyed. (For someone nearing 30 having drinks served in plastic cups on a night is awful, give me a nice glass please) There is entertainment around the pool but the reps aren't pushy. They're actually lovely. The night time entertainment at the theatre can't be commented on as we didn't go to any. There was often singers and bands on at the main bar, which the seating is out on the terrace and had such a nice vibe we didn't leave it. There are multiple pools around the hotel and extra lounges on the grass area. There are lounges down at the beach. They do state that around the pool if you leave the bed unattended for longer than 45 mins they remove the towels. I don't know how true this is, but I hope this is enforced as nothing worse than bed hoggers, when they don't sit at them. 45 min is more than enough time to pop off for a drink, meal or even a little afternoon siesta. The grounds of the hotel are lovely and well maintained. Very clean and lovely views. Overall we had a fab time, and defo would consider coming back. It was a

We had a lovely stay at this hotel, travelling with elderly mums. Check in was long winded and after a long journey you could do without filling in forms. Surprised that the government tax is €7 per room per night and i think that paying for the safe is another cost which a four star hotel should include. The hotel grounds are lavish, we were disappointed that the Lavish restaurant was closed, this was not advertised on either the hotel website or the BA holiday website. The views were fabulous and the cleanliness of the grounds was very good. Preferred one of the quiet pools, rather than the main pool. The greek restaurant open for late breakfast or lunch was good, eating in the restaurant in the evening was very limited, with one main course to choose from plus a buffet. The snack bar on the beach done superb gyros and pizza slices. Many of the staff were extremely good, Maria by pool, John in restaurant, Sasha in the evening bar, all the above were brilliant and an assets to Iberostar. Room cleaning was okay, had much better, as glasses often not taken away. The buffet was good, lots of choice, however if the restaurant states 2130, they do not seem to replenish and often with a 2030 sitting, we missed out on dishes. The wine was horrible and we actually brought a white and a red, one night. The cocktails were good though! I would recommend this hotel.

This hotel has an absolutely wonderful staff team from the humblest new member of staff up to and including the hotel manager and in fact they simply are one team with the ethos of being helpful, friendly, welcoming and determined to ensure every customer has an excellent holiday experience. We have just completed our 14th visit and as a traveller with a disability and mobility issues I can only say that the staff showed great consideration and empathy in ensuring these issues were secondary to having a great holiday, for which I thank them. Our accommodation was lovely, clean and comfortable, well-maintained and with great views, which most rooms have. Food was very good with plenty of choice at breakfast and dinner and lunches were more than adequate whether in the main dining room, the main pool cafe/bar or even the snacks at the seafront Star Cafe, and all served with a smile, even if they are self service. All inclusive customers could also book Zorbas restaurant once per week and/or the barbeque at Lavri's on the same basis both of which are well worth a visit. During the day there are a number of mainly salt water pools to choose from, with a variety of activities around the main pool provided by a tireless Animation Team. There are plenty of sunbeds, now with 'reservation restrictions' around the pools plus many more around the site so you will always find one , if not quite where you want it. Each pool has a nearby cafe for soft drinks and limited alcohol during the day plus there are two artificial bays where there is safe swimming and sunbeds and beach space. One such bay is below the Star Cafe with its snacks, beverages and limited alcoholic drinks. The main bar is by the Lobby, with its external balcony seating, internalseating and experienced bar staff and waiter service. It serves a wide range of local alcoholic drinks as well as somepremium ones and beverages if required. There is entertainment most evenings either on the balcony area or indoors if necessary and is usually very good. The nearby Calypso Bar stays open for a further hour until 01.00 and provides beers and cocktails as well as music and a dance floor and like the main bar is staffed by fabulous and experienced staff who add to your enjoyment. The grounds are colourful, floral and well maintained throughout the year adding to the beauty of the place. On most evenings there is entertainment in the main outdoor theatre from either a professional act or more commonly from an Animation Team of great energy who may not be professional dancers or entertainers,butyou wouldnot notice at times as they put in so much effort to get it right. Overall you can expect a lot here and you will not be disappointed providing you make use of every opportunity and see everything in an open and holistic way.

We usually go to Greece at least once a year. Of all the 4 and 5 star hotels, this hotel is absolutely wonderful. The place is superb. The food is extremely good, it is fresh and they have different food every day. They have all kinds of seafood and the chefs make the food right in front of you. The staff is very kind and caring. The first hotel where the drinks are really real, they don't have water added like in other hotels. I don't usually leave reviews after vacations, but now I couldn't help but share this wonderful experience with you. We will come back here and next vacation, we are extremely satisfied. I also want to mention that they have concerts and activities for all ages. I enjoyed every moment there. 10 stars

Booked here for a week some time ago and after reading the reviews about the d&v bug I was really anxious about going, as far as we were aware no bug during our stay and thankfully we were all fine. Arrived 1.30am to a warm welcome of a glass of fizz and a rose for the girls, nice touch even when you just want to go to bed! One negative I have was our shower was really not very powerful and would suddenly go from really cold to scalding hot, only way to avoid it was to keep the shower on fairly cold, grout in the shower needs a good clean too, other than that rooms were clean, basic but comfortable, like others have said it would have been nice to have water supplied in the mini fridge. The shampoo etc provided was all very usable, lots of hangers in the wardrobes and hairdryer was pretty good too so no need to pack your own. Was a bit odd having just the one normal key for the room too on a big metal fob that we kept connected in the room then just took the little key off and out with us. I had read on some information that men had to wear long trousers for dinner, this is not the case, smart shorts are fine. Hotel has lovely well kept grounds with lots of different places to sit, we chose the grass areas near the main pool as could always get beds for the 4 of us, still hear music and were near to the pool bar, this area had really beautiful views and a lovely breeze…. Also we never smelt any sewage at all during our visit. The cove for swimming is perfect, lovely & calm, really enjoyed swimming here, sea shoes make the experience more comfortable too. Food in the main buffet was very good, lots of choice for the fussiest of eaters. We tended to have lunch either in the Star cafe by the beach, great burgers and baguettes with actually a nice glass of rose wine or we ate in zorba’s by the pool which was a nice small Greek buffet (rose wine in here was undrinkable in my opinion, but the AI white was fine). We booked the Lavris grill one night which is pretty much another meaty buffet outside, I expected it to be an actual restaurant and not get up & down all night for a change, in hindsight it was very underwhelming and we wished we’d stuck with the main buffet. Lobby bar of an evening is lovely to sit outside pre dinner with a drink and watch the sunset. Entertainment team are very enthusiastic and do a good job, all very friendly and work hard. We went on the bus from outside the hotel to Rethymno for the day, we just got our tickets on the bus and had no idea about pre booking them, this worked fine so don’t worry if you don’t pre book, worth a trip, Lovely old town area to wander round. Also got a cab to the lovely little local village Panormo once during the day then one night to eat, fabulous meal and a really great atmosphere in the evenings would recommend and a great price too. We had a lovely week so yes I would recommend a stay at this hotel, our week would have been perfect if we hadn’t been bitten alive by the mozzies, we