Despina in Malia

Terrible experience! Total disaster. The stay was a total disappointment. The room was small, dirty and smelled of mold. We had booked a superior on the upper floors, but they gave us a small room on the ground floor. The towels were changed every 3/4 days. Shameful. We booked half board, but unfortunately you couldn't eat in this hotel. From the photos you could see the tables set and good food. Worse than a canteen and you even had to take your own cutlery. After the first day we didn't even have breakfast, which was poor and not inviting. And finally, the pool was paid. Absolutely to be avoided. Stay away. I hope Booking removes it from its offers.

The room isn't in the hotel itself, as it appears on the website, but in an adjacent building, which is rated 2 stars instead of 3 like the hotel it's affiliated with. The photos on the website, however, are from the hotel itself, which is located across the street. The room is quite sparse, though large. It has a musty, musty smell. It has all the amenities except a bidet, but everything is very neglected. Hot water comes on every other day... if it's okay... The fridge keeps turning off every time you unplug the key, so keeping things in the fridge is pointless if you're not in the room. The bathroom fan broke halfway through the stay, and no one ever bothered to fix it. Daily cleaning is a bit run-of-the-mill. The breakfast is varied and always well-stocked. Another good thing is that the apartment has a small balcony and garden facing the street. We definitely wouldn't recommend it, but be careful when booking. You think you're choosing a good 3-star property and end up in a tiny 2-star room.

Booked a “deluxe pool view” room at this property but found when we got in, the room was better described as “view of the garden wall separating the property from its neighbour and, perhaps, a glimpse of the edge of the pool if you turn yourself to look left”.

Then, we found that the room had temperamental water temperature! The cold water shower wasn’t very fun after a long, tiring day.

The rooms were acceptable and not the worst I have seen, but far from immaculate. Broken shower fixtures, only one toilet paper roll, pillow cases with some stains, cutlery and glasses not cleaned well...

Also there’s a table in the balcony/patio but no chairs? The pictures of the rooms indicates that there are chairs on balconies...

The staff made the stay quite unpleasant. On our first night we raised the pool view issue only to be told that if we could see the pool (barely) it counts as “pool view”. Furthermore, my guest was unwell on the second night and vomited in the bathroom (literally, in the sink, which was apparently grounds to be asked to leave from the hotel) and we were yelled at and told off by the manager. It was really embarrassing and unfair. Don’t spend your money here.

Would give it 0 stars if I could!