Petra Mare in Ierapetra

Petra Mare is a very good place for a relaxing family holiday. The food quality is above average, and although it’s prepared in small batches (which sometimes means a short wait), everything is fresh and tasty. The dessert bar is a bit limited, but the salad and side dish options are very good.

The restaurant is well organized — there are always available tables, and the staff are friendly, polite, and helpful. The rooms are cozy, comfortable, and cleaned daily with care.

The beach is sandy and perfect for children, with a seabed that gradually deepens — safe and ideal for young swimmers, though the water can be a little cold at times. The children’s pool is also well designed, with many fun attractions and activities that keep kids entertained for hours.

The animation program for kids is excellent — one of the best we’ve seen. The animators are cheerful, energetic, and create a great atmosphere every day.

Overall, Petra Mare is a great choice for families looking for comfort, fun, and relaxation.

I can’t speak positively enough about this hotel. We came as a family of 4 with a 4 year old and a 20 month old and everything about the hotel is so carefully thought about and children are really really well considered. The pools are lovely with the main pool being big enough to swim lengths etc and have plenty of room when it’s busy and the children’s pool was fantastic for our girls and I’d imagine children up to at least 10-12. There’s a mini Astro to play football on and the steps down to the beach right next to the pools. On the beach there’s a dedicated play space with a climbing frame. The kids club was fab, indoor and outdoor space one for babies and then one for 4-12 year olds. Our little girl did crafts, had face paint and made mini pizzas as well as playing games. She’s very very shy and they were so gentle and kind with her that she wanted to go back again and again. The food was phenomenal, lots of choice at each meal and rotation of meals - no evening or lunch was the same twice in a row. I can’t speak highly enough of the staff. Every single staff member, whether they worked behind the desk or cleaned or worked in the restaurant or the kids club etc greeted us with a smile and had a chat etc and showed a lot of patience towards our children. Plenty of indoor and outdoor space - you never feel like you’re on top of other guests. The whole hotel is spotlessly clean indoor and outdoor. I did read another review which said the Mountain View isn’t great. To be honest, it’s not - it overlooks a car park with the mountains behind however we didn’t pay extra for this and could’ve paid extra if we wanted a sea view. We didn’t travel to sit in our room though so really didn’t mind about the view! All in all, we loved our stay in this superb hotel, would rate it 10/10 and will return.

Hotel is great, food is amazing, staff is very kind and helpful. Pool is great and sea is clean and many free sunbeds with umbrellas. Drinks at bars are good and strong. Only downside for me are kids. I don’t mind kids, but in dining area was like 30 kids screaming all at once it’s crazy, similar problem is loud rooms.i would make 1 hour eating time only for adults. Otherwise everything about hotel is on the peak.

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Cocktails are so sweet or sour, only drink that taste great was aperol if you wait for ice to get melt. So overall cocktails are not refreshing.

We had a wonderful stay there. Everything was perfect! The beautiful location by the sea offered fantastic swimming pools for both children and adults. The food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner was amazing, and the kids' room provided engaging activities every day. The staff was incredibly kind and welcoming. Highly recommend!

A true gem!
Petra Mare is an absolute treasure. Its location is simply breathtaking, right by the sea, making you feel surrounded by the beauty of the water. The rooms are spotless, perfectly maintained, and very comfortable. The buffet is outstanding, offering a wide variety of options to suit every taste.

The pools are wonderful, especially the infinity pool at sunset – it is truly magical. If you prefer peace and quiet away from children’s laughter, you can easily retreat to the nearby adults-only beach for total relaxation. The spa is also fantastic, offering a perfect way to unwind.

Overall, everything exceeded our expectations. We enjoyed a wonderful two-day stay, felt incredibly well taken care of, and left feeling like royalty. Highly recommended!

We really enjoyed our stay at Hotel Petra Mare and the hotel met our expectations. We travelled as a couple without children and appreciated the separate dining area for adults only. We didn’t join the animation programs, but the animators were friendly and not pushy.

Beach & Pool
The beach is right in front of the hotel, sandy with a gradual entrance to the sea. Most of the time sunbeds were available; only twice we didn’t find any (but we got up very late). At the pool there were always enough sunbeds. The pool water was a bit chilly for our taste, but still fine.

Accommodation
The rooms looked just like in the pictures. Cleaning was done daily, towels were changed every day and beach towels every second day. On arrival our toilet was leaking, but maintenance came within half an hour and fixed it. Bottled water was replenished daily.

Food & Drinks
The food selection was sufficient – not as huge as in some 5* hotels, but everything we tried was delicious. There was also a snack bar by the pool with a smaller choice. The only thing we didn’t enjoy was the ice cream.
Drinks at the beach bar were mostly local alcohol and quite sweet, but for example Gordon’s gin & tonic was perfectly fine. In the evening (18:00–24:00) the main bar offered international alcohol, so the quality of basic drinks was better. Premium drinks were available for an extra charge.

Other services & location
There are two small shops in the hotel, open until about 11 pm. The town center is about 10 minutes on foot – lovely, with many shops and bars coming alive in the evening. The only drawback was the long transfer from the airport – we were among the last to be dropped off, so the ride took almost 2.5 hours.

Staff
All staff were very friendly and helpful.

Overall
A great holiday with only a few minor downsides. We definitely recommend Hotel Petra Mare.

So we stayed here for 7 nights in August as a family of 15, age ranges 2-78 and wow did it cater for all of us. We arrived late at night and was quickly checked in, food available in the restaurant. The hotel was so clean and modern, great sized room for one adult and two teenage boys with a divider door. The food was probably the best I’ve ever had at an all inclusive. Great variety and small portions cooked fresh. It may mean that you may have to wait a few minutes as massive portions wasn’t always put out. Cocktails were also lovely and fairly strong, even aperol spritz included. Pool areas again very clean and the splash pool was great for the little ones. Water polo takes place in the pool in the afternoons. Always plenty of sunbeds available although we did get there early as there was a big group of us. The beach which was attached to the hotel was lovely. Again lots of sunbeds and umbrellas at no extra charge. A beach bar on the beach which you could use as part of the all inclusive. The sea was so calm and clear and would definitely recommend taking snorkels as there were lots of fish. Paddleboards and jet skis available at extra cost. I can’t really comment on the kids clubs or evening entertainment as we didn’t use this and preferred to sit outside and play games/cards. There was always lots of areas to sit in the evenings. We ate at the seaview restaurant one night which again was lovely, would definitely recommend the lamb. We checked out late in the evening so used the courtesy rooms to shower. Again lovely and clean and no extra charge. Overall we had a lovely time and would 100% recommend. If I had to be really picky and find a negative it would be : *transfer time is quite long (80minutes) *drinks wasn’t included in the themed restaurants (I’ve never known this before) *the view from the Mountain View room was awful….. take from that what you will x

Huge thank you to Petra Mare Hotel for making my 40th celebrations so special . Special mention to Maria on reception for liaising with my Husband to order a cake, balloons and flowers. The set up was absolutely lovely on the evening of my birthday . We had a lovely stay. Would highly recommend for families. Rooms and clean and tidy and the food is ample. Also a special mention to the Captain and his beautiful Niece for all the amazing water sports available and at such a reasonable price. We loved it all. Crete is beautiful, we hope to return to explore more of this beautiful island 🩵 xxx

We spent our holiday at Hotel Petra Mare in Ierapetra, Crete, in July 2025, and it exceeded all expectations. ✅ The hotel has truly earned its stars. ✅ Everything from the overall atmosphere to the smallest details is designed for customer satisfaction. ✅ Friendly and helpful staff made us feel welcome throughout our stay. ✅ The restaurant offers a rich and varied selection. ✅ The private beach is clean, well-maintained, and equipped with excellent services. Thank you for the unforgettable experience – we will definitely return!

We spent our all-inclusive vacation at this hotel in Crete, and overall, it left a good impression, though there were a few issues worth mentioning.

First of all, the cleanliness was excellent – both the rooms and the common areas were very well maintained. Housekeeping did a great job every day, which we really appreciated. The food was tasty, but unfortunately quite repetitive – after a few days it felt like we were eating the same dishes with slight variations. On the bright side, the drinks were very good and freshly made, which made relaxing by the bar much more enjoyable.

The pool area with water slides for kids was definitely a highlight – our children loved it and spent most of their time there. However, I have to mention a very concerning incident that occurred during our stay. One of the parasols detached from its base and flew straight into the children's pool area – it was a miracle that no one was hurt. This was extremely alarming and we were shocked that such a safety issue could happen. The hotel absolutely needs to ensure that all equipment around the pool is properly secured to prevent accidents like this.

As for the rooms – they were clean and comfortable, but unfortunately not well soundproofed. We could hear everything from the hallway and the room above us, which made it hard to fully relax, especially at night.

All in all, it’s a hotel with potential, good service, and enjoyable facilities, but it definitely needs to improve some areas, especially in terms of guest safety.