Ierapetra, Petra Mare Hotel Review

Overall Rating

Everything

No disabled toilet. Shower in the bath

This was our first holiday in three years since my husband had become disabled and we were worried that the travelling would prove to be a huge problem. We normally travel with Olympic Holidays and as this was our first holiday with First Choice we were not sure what to expect
We booked this holiday to relax and unwind and that's exactly what we did. We don't usually return to the same hotel but we are already looking at the prices for September at the Petra Mare
On arriving at Gatwick we Joined the enormous queue outside the terminal with Hubby in his wheelchair and me with the luggage trolley. Within seconds we were removed from the queue and whisked straight to premier check in even though we hadn't booked premier. So within 10 minutes of arriving at Gatwick we were sitting in the departure lounge.
We had booked assistance to get to the gate but I was happy to push hubby myself so we made our own way down. We were transferred to the plane which was on the tarmac in a disabled minibus and from there onto the ambulift and onto the plane. We had been given front seats on the plane right next to the toilet and these seats had extra legroom. On arrival in Crete we were met by the ambulift at the planes front exit by a nice Greek man who had hubbys wheelchair ready for him to get into. This lovely man also pushed hubby into the terminal as well.
After collecting our luggage we ventured outside to find the First Choice Rep waiting for us who helped us to the coach and we were given the front seats as we had requested. On arrival at the Petra Mare I was impressed with the fast check in. I have never seen anything like it. There are 3 lifts at the Petra Mare each with room for hubby in wheelchair and 2 large suitcase and me. Our room was on the 3rd floor it was spacious with loads of drawers and wardrobe space and a huge balcony with fantastic sea view (well worth paying extra for). The only down side of the room was the fact that the shower is in the bath and hubby couldn't have a shower the whole time we were there, having to make do with strip washes using the sink.
The Hotel staff are friendly and the cleaners are constantly cleaning and mopping floors (can get a bit slippery)
The Reps are extremely helpful and friendly
The inside restaurant is no smoking but nicer to eat outside anyway where you can smoke if you want to. The food is fantastic plenty of choice don't just dump everything in site on your plate daily and you wont get bored with it. I put on 10lb on this holiday and enjoyed everything I ate. Most lunches by the second week were salads from the snack bar washed down with a pint or two of wine
Meals in the restaurant consisted of
Breakfast =choice of cereals, Greek yoghurt's, cakes, biscuits, doughnuts, salad cold meats and cheese bacon, eggs fried scrambled boiled, sausages, beans, tomatoes, fried potatoes, French toast(not what I would call continental)
Lunch + evening meal=brilliant choice of salads, soup, chips, mashed roast jacket potatoes, at least 3 different veg, pork, chicken, lamb, rabbit, burgers, fish,chicken nuggets, fishfingers, meatballs, mousaka, stuffed aubergines, stuffed vine leaves, stuffed tomatoes lots more but cant remember them all. Puddings to die for with a huge choice and I never ate the same one twice.
The Snack Bar food and drinks from 10 am until midnight. Bread, Rolls, Ham, Chopped Pork, Salad, Pasta, Pizza, Hotdog Sausages, Chips and 3 different cakes. Soft drinks,Water,Lager, Red and White Wine.
All other spirits available not self service though
The Greek night was really good lasting an hour. This was the only time we went out to the pool area for the entertainment but whenever I passed by the kids seemed to be having a really great time
Accessibility
3 lifts
Easy access to inside and outside restaurants
Ramp to outside pool area
Ramp to snack bar exceptionally steep needing 2 people to push wheelchair up it
Ramp to outside piano bar ( long way round via the pool area)
very steep but just about managed to push wheelchair up myself
Public toilets are all in the basement via lift bit difficult to access with wheelchair so just as easy to return to room for toilet which was a bit of a pain
The Promenade from hotel to town centre is so well paved and flat that I was able to push wheelchair one-handed and smoke with the other hand. There are lots of benches to sit and rest if needed.
Problems arose when trying to go off the promenade onto the side streets as was expected with hubby having to get off wheelchair and use crutches to cross roads only to find that we couldn't get very far.
On our return journey the First Choice Rep made sure that the same front seats were reserved for us. She also phoned ahead to the airport to make sure that we were met at the coach. On arrival at the airport we were indeed met and one rep took one of the suitcases from me and another pushed my husband inside the terminal bypassing the huge queue outside. We were taken straight to check in and once again we were sitting in the departure lounge within 10 minutes of arrival at the airport. This time enjoying a cigarette as smoking is allowed in the designated areas.
Hubby was wheeled out to the ambulift by the same Greek man and we had again been given front row seats.
On arrival back to Gatwick hubbys wheelchair was waiting at the plane door but unfortunately had been given to someone else to use even though it was labelled with our name. The confusion was sorted straight away but if I hadn't left hubby and got off the plane when I did I think we would have said Tata to his wheelchair.
Tips
Alpha Bank no charge for cashing travellers cheques
Defiantly take your own plastic cups and glasses and tray
Buy your bottles of water from the little supermarket outside the hotel. They were only 2 euros for 6 bottles but in hotel shop it was 4.20.