TUI MAGIC LIFE Candia Maris

We are on our last day at this resort. This is my review of it. Mostly Germans so do not expect alot of English company, we were lucky to meet a lovely couple from Scotland so we had company after dinner. The food is of a high standard with plenty of choice and the 2 a la carte restaurants are well worth a visit. These need to be booked by the desk near reception. The entertainment is below average, the dancing is good but they have a female singer that just can’t sing that well and ruined the thriller night. She needs replacing because people left as soon as she started singing. The silent disco was a laugh and worth a visit. BBQ night is on wednesday which means all other eateries are shut but get there early to get a decent table. All the staff are friendly and greet you with a smile and are super efficient clearing plates etc. The activities on offer are good if you feel energetic. Hubby tried the archery. Would we go back? I think it is over priced for what you get as a 5 star adults only so probably not

My wife and I recently stayed for 11 nights at this lovely hotel. We were immediately taken by the friendliness of the staff, who clearly wanted to ensure that we had a good time. We booked a superior room which was on the ground floor, and so we had a beautiful room with our own terrace overlooking the sea and pool, and only a 30 second walk from the pool bar! The clientele are mainly Germans, but we all mixed in well, and thankfully their English was better than my German! The entertainment team were probably the hardest working I have ever seen. They worked tirelessly through the day and into the evening, but if you didn’t want to be involved in the activities then there was no pressure ( we preferred to watch). That said, as I am now in my 60th year, I never thought I would be joining in a silent disco, but We did, and it was great fun. Food has been mentioned in most reviews, and I agree that the choice and standard is exceptional. I particularly enjoyed the small starters - such amazing flavours. There was never a problem getting a sun bed, but the prime location ones tended to be reserved by 9am. We had a spot quite close the the pool bar, and I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw that they have a serve yourself beer tap - I thought I had died and gone to heaven! The evening entertainment was ok, and a better standard than you see at most AI complexes ( special mention for Nicole, our neighbour from Ruislip!). So all in all, we had a great holiday, and would definitely recommend and hopefully we will return one day. A few points below, firstly for the hotel, and then for potential visitors.... Hotel: - Whilst the food was very good, we did have a few occasions when it was tepid or even cold. Additionally, we were later eaters in the evening, at around 20:30, and quite often, some of the dishes had run out. This was particularly so, when we went to both BBQ’s, which was a shame. -On our first night we decided to take a drink back to the room, and when we advised the staff that it was a takeaway, our drinks were put into paper coffee cups - not really suitable for a beer and Baileys, and not what I would expect from a five star hotel. For other nights, we always took the glasses to our room, but returned them the next morning. Potential Visitors - There are a few rocks in the sea, so sea shoes are advisable ( the sea is lovely) - Hopefully you won’t need one, but there is a very good doctor who visits each morning, or can be called out. My wife was ill for a couple of days, and he fixed her pretty quickly. - There is a Spa on site. They are quite expensive compared to the UK, but my wife and I both had the 1 hour body message, and it was the best we have ever had ( special mention to Georgia and Marios) .If you enjoy a pamper, then I strongly recommend a visit to this Spa. - There are a few bars and restaurants if you turn right outside the hotel, but nothing special and they overlook the main road. We opted to stay in the hotel and enjoy the stunning views from the terrace bar. - There is a very nice jewellers in the hotel and if you give them enough time, they will make something for you, and the prices are reasonable. My wife came back with a lovely pearl necklace and matching earrings. - We didn’t really make use of the Tui rep, but she is a very nice lady, English, but has lived in Crete for many years, and is a font of knowledge and very keen to help. - Finally, Heraklion Airport is a bit of a dump, and chaos rules. We paid out for the VIP check-in and lounge, and it was the best thing we did and I would strongly recommend. The rep can book them for you and they were 80 euros for the two of us. That’s about it. If you decide to go, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Well it's definitely in the eating, and there is more than ample opportunity to do that here. Candia Maris is an all inclusive resort where food seems to be available at almost anytime. Apart from the three restaurants there is the poolside pizza hut, open most of the day until about 5:00pm, the Taverna does snacks during the afternoon until 4:00pm,then there is coffee and cake on the upper terrace at 4:00. I think they also cater for those with the midnight munchies! The main restaurant is called Magic, it is here you eat your main meals, the choice was rather overwhelming on each occasion. One tip here is to find a table, leave something to indicate it is taken - sunglasses or a hat maybe - before you collect your food and drink. We would take it in turns to get a drink, coffee in the morning or wine/beer later in the day. Staff are very attentive, removing plates etc almost as soon as you finish. I could go on longer about the Magic restaurant but I think you get my drift. My only complaint is that they don't do a good curry dinner, by the end of our week I was desperate for good curry and associated side dishes. There are two other special restaurants, Flavour and Taverna. These you can visit once a week but you must book. We did the Taverna and enjoyed a fixed menu taste of Greece with about 7 starters and main courses, desert is accompanied with Raki with honey and a glass of Ouzo. Wine is extra, from around €20 upwards, we had beers! We didn't try the Flavour but I believe that was a fixed menu restaurant. Wednesday is BBQ night at the Taverna, again plenty of choice and the addition of typical Greek entertainment, a folk group and dancers, probably the best evening for us. On the subject of entertainment, there is everything from poolside games around the main pool to the amphitheatre shows by the staff (a bit am dram but all the more entertaining because of it) 9:30-10:30, and usually something else in the party area from 10:30 until midnight at the latest. If you still have the energy there is a nightclub midnight until 2:00am! There is always bottled drinking water available, housekeeping always leave two bottles when they do your room each day. There are plenty of sports to join in with, as well as a fitness centre and classes. We enjoy spin classes, of which there are two per day, 10:00 and 17:00, outside under a roof and benefiting from the sea breeze as you are only a few metres from the beach. These classes are well run by young Colin, who will tell you he is from Germany and is 23 years old, he's also a very nice lad. Don't forget your spin shoes with spd cleats. If you prefer the real thing there are daily road rides and twice daily mtb rides, I was told they have flat and spd/sl pedals on the road bikes or bring your own. We stayed in the bungalows area where there is a separate pool, this is the quiet area, at least during the day because it is between the amphitheatre and party area. The apartment was comfortable with it's own balcony and about 100m from the shoreline, you could hear the waves on the beach. We found the staff very friendly and efficient, nothing seemed to be too much. We had three occasions to get technical service, usually because the A/C tripped, a call to reception and there was a knock on the door within minutes and problem solved. There are trips out, if you go to Crete I think Knossos is a must do with a visit to the museum in Heraklion. Not as big as Pompeii but historically and archeologicaly important in the local history. The local buses are cheap and regular if you fancy a bit of independent travel or hire a car or bike from the onsite MotorClub desk. One question often asked is about the VIP Lounge at the airport. Heraklion airport was recently voted third worst in Europe according to an article in the Telegraph a couple of weeks ago, although our arrival and passing through was quite smooth. It's the outbound journey that is the problem, so we opted to splash the cash and have the VIP treatment. Was it worth it? Yes we thought so, no queuing and air conditioned lounge with comfortable seating etc, fridges full of cold drinks from water to fizzy wine and food ranging from Smarties to sandwiches. When if was boarding time we were whisked through, embarrassingly being put through in front of folks who had been queuing for sometime, but hey, we were VIPs! So the big question, would we go back to this resort? I think the answer has to be yes, but I'll remember to take my cycling kit next time. The review above was written in 2017 and I posed the question would we go back to this resort? The answer was a definite yes because we recently returned from our third visit, and we have booked to go back next year! I took my cycling kit and went out for three organised rides with young Dario and Paulina. It was great to get off site and up into the surrounding hills. As a 3 time veteran I think I know the resort well enough to know what I like and, surprisingly, what I am not so keen on. All of the above is still true, especially about the food, after each holiday our first stop on the way home was to stop and pick up a curry! Please chef can you do a curry night once a week? Please? Once again Wednesday was our favourite dinner, BBQ and traditional Greek folk dancers and music. The usual entertainment in the Amphitheatre has become a must do for us, many of the entertainers are young Brits who love to talk to you, probably a bit homesick? These youngsters double up as keep fit/sports coaches during the day. Main pool area is the place to be for organised games during the day and of course the pool bar. So my negative review? We stay in the bungalows, the quiet area and pool, at least it is during the day. Night time entertainment is at this end of the resort. The Amphitheatre kicks off at 21.30 for an hour or so and then moves over to the Party Area next to the Taverna for disco or live music until 24.00. This is not every night but most nights, to loud and too late for this old insomniac, Those who go love it, I liked the silent disco as I couldn't hear it ;-) Anyway, everything considered we love Candia Maris so much we are going back again next year and taking our son and daughter in law. It's expensive yes, but we think you get what you pay for, and if you have a great time it's worth every penny. Oh just one thing, how come we only met the other token Brits on the last day?