Anissaras, Villa Marina Review

Click here if this is your business
Anissaras, Villa Marina
★★★★☆
4.0
85.0% of users recommend this

jacwar58's review of Anissaras, Villa Marina

“I have just returned from a 2 week stay at the Villa...”

★★★☆☆

written by jacwar58 on 18/09/2007

Good Points
Please see general comments.

Bad Points
Please see general comments.

General Comments
I have just returned from a 2 week stay at the Villa Marina in Anissaras just outside Hersonissos. Before I went I found very few reviews so I hope what I am about to write will help you should you wish to stay here. This is by no means a slagging off review but I will just state the facts, positive and negative.

The Villa Marina was marketed in the Olympic brochure as being in a quiet location amongst beautiful gardens. It certainly is set in very attractive gardens with an abundance of different fruit trees ready for the picking. The location is very rural and you literally are in the middle of no-where with wonderful views and sunsets over Anissaras. However, what they fail to tell you is it is situated on the very busy main coastal road between Heraklion and Hersonissos and under the flight path for the airport! Sitting by the pool is like sunbathing on the hard shoulder of the M25. The aircraft noise during the day isn't so bad but as most flights into Crete are during the night it could cause a few disturbances.

The Villa Marina is run by lovely couple and various family members. They cook very good traditional Greek food and do a different daily special which is reasonably priced. There is also a weekly BBQ. They take pride in giving away plates of his home grown fruit and grapes from the vines. There is guest book to write in and most people there have commented how good the food is.

The rooms are comfortable and have curtains/quilts that match the colours of the bedside cabinets and dressing table. There is also a reasonable sized table and chairs to eat inside if you so wish, as well as the table and chairs on the balcony. There was the usual 2 ring hotplates to cook on and they also provided a kettle. The shower was surprisingly good by Greek standards and didn't flood the bathroom. Another good feature was the clothes drier and pegs on the balcony so you didn't have to dangle your towels over the rails to dry them. On a negative, the doors of the wardrobe and cupboards could do with a revamp as they never closed properly and were close to falling off. The cutlery also needed replacing as it was beginning to get rusty and also the towels had seen better days. They were very thin and at times stained and full of holes. I wasn't impressed by the cleaning either which was virtually non existent. There was only one cleaner for the entire property so I guess she didn't have the time to put in.

I usually like to spend a lot of the time at the pool and swim a lot but I have to say I was bitterly disappointed with that area. The pool, in my opinion is located in a poor position and has seen better days. Ithink it could do with some maintenance. It was when I was there quite dirty and the graduated steps to walk into it were covered in rust, which could be quite dangerous if you stepped on them. As the pool graduates deeper you seemed to be halfway in it before it became deep enough to swim in. Therefore, if you like to swim on holidays it is impossible to do so as you only have a few feet deep enough. My opinion is it is nothing more than to plunge in. The pool area is set behind a very high wall separating the property from the main road. As a result it is in the shade. At any one given time of the day, only one part of the pool area is in sunshine. There is a patio area slightly away from the pool that gets the sun from mid morning until late afternoon if you could get a bed there. Some people used to start off on the sunny side of the pool first thing in the morning whilst selfishly reserving a bed on the patio for the afternoon stint in the sun! Having said that, there were plenty of sun loungers around the pool so perhaps if it's too hot you may welcome lying in the shade.

The nearest supermarket is a 15 minute walk away and situated down on the beach front. You can get your basics there but bear in mind that getting there is downhill so getting your shopping back to the apartment is a long slog. That hill certainly is steep on the way back up and takes longer! There is only one traditional taverna on the beach front in Anissaras plus another place which is quite modern and also does food. We found it was better to walk for ten minutes longer and visit the village of Anilipsi which had far more choice and was very picturesque in the old part of the village. I would say however that if you have any mobility problems at all then Anissaras and Villa Marina is not the place to stay. Likewise, if you do not want to be in such a rural location then either hire a car or don't stay here. It suited me because I don't mind walking and the Villa Marina would have been fine if it wasn't on the main road and noisy.

All in all, I felt my holiday wasn't the best in Villa Marina due to the poor pool area and the noise. That's not to say you won't enjoy it.

Would I go to Anissaras again? Maybe.

Would I stay in Villa Marina? Probably not.

  • Value For Money

If you are commenting on behalf of the company that has been reviewed, please consider upgrading to Official Business Response for higher impact replies.
Was this review helpful? 0 0