Petradi Beach

This Hotel is a great little place for a totally relaxing holiday, and I would definitely recommend a stay there. It is not in the usual “Tourist” part of town - a lot of the surrounding area is quite run down and there is a lack of the familiar shops / supermarkets ( this adds to the character of the area) but there are a good number of local restaurants within 5 minutes walking distance. The area strikes me as being totally safe. Our stay was during the Covid19 pandemic and the hotel had undertaken special measures to cope. The coach journey from Airport to Hotel took 1 hour 45 minutes (including drop offs) which was much longer than anticipated. Booking in was a little stressful, having to complete this “Online”, scanning a QR code, filling in personal details on a mobile phone, adding a copy of a passport etc. Temperature testing was carried out and room key was supplied. There was a small charge for the room safe and the Greek tourist tax. The hotel has about 30 rooms & appears to have been built in sections at different times? Our room 310 was perfectly placed on the 1st floor at the back of the hotel, overlooking the Pool area and beach. The room was clean & basic and had been stripped of all non-essentials – the kitchen area was left with just 2 glasses. The bed was comfortable with crisp white bedding. Towels were provided and changed every other day when the rooms were serviced. There was an under counter fridge & a 2 ring hob in the kitchen area. The bathroom had been modernised; the shower cubicle was a little tight for space & the Shower head didn’t stay in place on its wall mount. Small bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel were provided. The hairdryer was under powered. Air conditioning was free. There was a small wall mounted TV with some English channels. There was a good sized wardrobe with hanging space but not enough drawers for other clothing and some items have to stay in your case. The room safe was the smallest I have ever seen – not big enough to fit a standard sized iPad. The balcony was great to sit on in the morning and evening. The pool area was small, but appropriate for this size “Boutique” hotel. There are 2 small pools, the main pool is very deep and, in most areas, too deep to stand in. The smaller “Children’s” pool is also quite deep and is definitely not a paddling pool. The water in both was lovely and warm. The surrounding area has a number of sun loungers and relaxing sofas. There is a pool bar which was open roughly from 11am onwards until midnight (ish). Drink prices were Draught Beer 4.5 euros, wine by the glass 4 euros and spirit + mixer 7 euros. The hotel is on the beach, there are about 15 pairs of sun loungers with parasols on the sand. The sand is a dark brown colour and is mixed with stones / pebbles. Entry to the sea is over a small strip of stones (wear rubber shoes) and the water is crystal clear and warm. Breakfast was provided daily from 7.30am in the basement restaurant area which was only being used as a servery. Entry was 1 couple at a time, food and drink was served by a member of the staff then placed on a tray to be carried out onto the restaurant / terrace area between pool and beach. There was a full range of choice for breakfast, tea / coffee / juice, cereals, fruit, yogurt, breads, meats, cheeses and a range of hot food – including a different type of egg each day. The plates used were far too small for a proper meal and unfortunately staff would load the plate with both sweet and savoury food. There was a full food / drink menu for during the day. Taking a seat in the outside restaurant area, food drink orders were taken at the table. Good value tasty lunches were provided, payment can be put on the room tab to be settled at the end of the holiday – credit cards being the preferred method of payment. There are also a number of comfy sofas between the pool area and restaurant – you are not allowed to eat food here; this is only for drinking. The hotel is situated quite a distance from Rethymnon Old Town / Port – possibly a 30 minute or more walk. Reception will call a Taxi for you; the price is only 5 euros each way. This area is very different from that around the hotel, it is vibrant, colourful, full of restaurants, bars, shops etc – much more of a tourist area. Coming out of the hotel and turning right, a short 5 minute walk will take you to the local restaurants - 5 or 6 good quality premises, some of which get very busy and a booking is essential especially at the weekend when the local community come out in numbers. Cash & credit card payments are accepted. I’m afraid that we didn’t find any local bars for a drink before / after dinner. In my opinion the hotel was great, the staff were friendly and helpful, and we were able to fully relax & unwind. Staff take COVID 19 threat seriously and hand sanitiser and masks were made available all around. Thank you, Petradi Beach Hotel, for a great holiday week.

This hotel is great if you're looking for somewhere basic to explore Crete from and don't need to spend much time in the room. The staff are really friendly and it is a really great welcome when you arrive with a really nice reception area. The room we were in was incredibly basic. No real decoration but the beds are comfortable, the room has AC and it was clean. The bathroom was clean and reasonably modern but very basic again with a very small shower and useless hairdryer. We had a room on the road, but we booked last minute and expected to be on the road side. The door onto balcony is pretty sound proof plus there is a shutter you can pull across to block out prying eyes and keep more sound out. The pool area is really lovely with loungers and chairs also overlooking the sea. The hotel has a private beach which was perfect for lounging in the sun. The bar by the pool and sea is lovely, with loads of outdoor sofas to sit and enjoy a drink while you look out at sea. The breakfast is pretty poor quality. There's lots of choice but it's all pretty low quality. The area to eat breakfast outside is lovely but the inside area is soulless. I did and wouldn't want to try dinner at the hotel. But if you're looking for a place to explore the area and spend limited time in your room then this hotel does the job. It's just outside of town so it's really easy to get on the main road and drive across the island. There are a couple of really nice restaurants about 5 minutes away from the hotel. It's about 25-30minute walk into old town or a 5minute/£5 taxi which the hotel can order for you.