TUI SENSATORI Atlantica Caldera Palace

We had our first family Holiday here 2 years ago. We've been elsewhere since and whilst and holiday is nice. Nothing has compared to the time we had at The Atlantica Sensatori resort Crete. A truly unforgettable holiday. Loved the staff and especially the young man George at the pool side bar. Always had a smile on his face and was great with our son (who still talks about the holiday 3 years on). We only stayed for a week and we were almost in tears when we checked out. We were booked to go to Turkey in May 2020 but due to the Pandemic we had to re-book for 2021, which gave us time to save for something better. There was only ever going to be one destination. We've now booked for 27th May 2021 for 2 weeks at The Sensatori Resort Crete. And once again sir on that beach in the evenings to enjoy the Mediterranean Sunset again. My wife is a frontline nurse for the NHS and I'm a support worker for young homeless people so the Covid19 Pandemic has been a difficult time for us so I can't think of a better place to put it all behind us next year, Hopefully things will be back to normal soon.

This is quite a late review, however here goes... Me and my boyfriend booked 2 weeks here last May. We read a lot into the reviews and we’re quite worried about what we’d got ourselves into as some of them were terrible, saying food was bad, not a 5* etc. so I’ll try and make this as honest as I can. These reviews couldn’t have been more wrong in our eyes! Check in was nice and quick, we were met with a glass of fizz and got to the room quickly. The hotel had finished a full refurb when we arrived so all the rooms were brand new. We stayed in room 5102 which was a standard double room with a partial sea view. The room was huge! Had a gorgeous bathroom, minibar was stocked daily and the maids were in a couple of times a day to clean (and they were very clean) also the bed was massive! The view was perfect for us, it was overlooking the guru bar and got the sun from the afternoon onwards. We also got a decent view of the sunset. Food we thought was great. The buffet was really nice with different themes each day. Breakfast was our favourite (proper English bacon). The drinks service was a little on the slow side as well. It did get a bit repetitive towards the end of the holiday, but we tried a few of the other restaurants too which broke it up a bit. We went early may so the steak house wasn’t open unfortunately. We did manage to try the Asian and tex mex though which we loved (despite the bad reviews). Also with it being early season and a bit quieter, we didn’t have much issue booking these. Pools were lovely and clean, although we could only dip in as it wasn’t really warm enough to go for full dunk. Also people tend to leave their towels around, which I find really annoying, but that’s down to selfish people and not the hotel. Drinks wise, we thought it was a great selection. Some international branded spirits were included (Smirnoff, Bacardi, Jameson’s and a few more) plus local branded, you have to pay extra for top shelf but that was expected. Cocktails were pre-mixed and were quite sweet, but they were nice enough for us! One slight improvement, in our opinion, could be to have more international lagers available. The beach was really nice, and again, very clean! We had an area with sun loungers that was inclusive of the hotel. We had waiter service most days as well, it was a bit slow but they always arrived back with the correct orders and a smile. Entertainment was ok, not everything was to our taste, but we weren’t the only ones in the hotel so that was fine. We really enjoyed the comedy night, there was one Australian comedian called Grant Busé who was really good. There was stuff on a lot of nights though. We thought the lobby bar was a bit too small and crammed, there was a terrace outside though, but it was too cold for us to sit out there at night. It would probably be better when the weather became nicer so people can sit out more. The guru bar (adults only) was great though! There was also lots of activities going on for kids day and night, so it’s a decent place for families. There’s a great bar next to the hotel, called club cafe, which was great for sports fans (we’re big football fans) the owner, Yannis, was brilliant too. There’s a few other bars and restaurants around if you fancied a change of scenery, but if you’re looking for something lively you’d need to walk an hour or so, or get a taxi. There a little tractor run service that goes around the towns too. Lastly, I’ll get onto the staff and service. Apart from the slow drinks service at the buffet, we couldn’t fault anyone working there whatsoever! Everyone was so friendly and nothing was too much hassle for them. Any issues were quickly resolved. The maids did a great job and always with a smile. Bar staff were brilliant, our favourite was the older guy in the guru bar. Everyone was highly organised, especially with the check in/check out! So a massive thank you to all the staff for a stress free holiday! (Sorry I didn’t get any names) Overall, (although a few tiny details which weren’t really a big deal) we loved this hotel so much that we decided to book again for my 30th birthday in May 2020. Sadly though it was cancelled due to COVID-19 and we’ve decided to go elsewhere in December. We will definitely be returning at some point in the near future!!

We really enjoyed our stay at this hotel at the end of Summer last year. The swimming pools are well spaced out, and the pool service was regular and consistently good. All the meals were of a high standard, although not all restaurants were included in the "ALL" I inclusive. The section of beach belonging to the hotel was well maintained with plenty of sun loungers. The rooms were very modern and clean, and we were immediately upgraded on arrival. The view from our balcony overlooked the pools and sea. I recommend this hotel to anyone looking for excellent customer service and high standards.