Knossos Studios

Great family hotel with welcoming English speaking owners and staff. Cleaned daily and linen change twice a week. Pool is small but enough for the number of studios and there is a small kiddies pool. Quiet bar which closes around 9.00p.m. so early nights for kids are possible. The pool is shady in the afternoon when the sun is at it's hottest. Well stocked Supermarket nest door. Basic but most adequate two rings and fridge for catering. Value for money restaraunt "Minos". Classiest bar is "Ziggo's" but a bit pricy compared to the ordinary bars. El Greco is a good restaraunt but pricy and service slow because of it's popularity. Great Chinese next to the town church and square and good value too.

There is street noise everywhere in Greece so do take earplugs if your a light sleeper. Also close the roadside doors and have quiet-side windows or door ajar. If it's not traffic it could be roosters, mules and goats.

Whole complex is spotless with fresh towels and linen changed frequently. The maid does her job to perfection. Owner is very friendly and helpful We stayed at these apartments in 2006 and 2007 and found them ideal, with plenty of space for a studio. The only minus point is that it can be quite noisy with the bin lorries early in the morning, my husband and I solved that by using earplugs.

Knossos apartments are situated on a side road between the main through road and the Stalis-Mali beach road in Crete. The apartments consist of a single block, with ground floor, and two further stories, with approximately 15 rooms. The small pool is situated behind the apartments, with a small bar.

The pictures of the Knossos apartments on the hotel search site http://www.hotelesearch.com/property-6172.html are pretty accurate.

The lady who owns and runs the apartments speaks brilliant English, and is very helpful. We arrived in the middle of the night, so the bottle of water in the fridge was a nice touch, and well received. These apartments are a good base for a beach holiday, but if you want a lounge around the pool holiday, then look elsewhere. The pool is small, with limited sun loungers around it, and it is not in the sun all day, but it is clean and well maintained. The pool bar is small, friendly, and reasonably priced, but it is very quiet, and frequented by the guests only. This is not 18 - 30 territory, and all the better for it. Nice place to stay and explore the quieter, and the lively areas. (We may be 40, but we're not dead lol). I would Certainly recommend Knossos, and would consider going back.

The studios are close to the beach, and it is only about a 3 minute slow stroll away. The main restaurants and bars road is about a 2 minute slow stroll away. The beach is reasonably clean with fine yellow sand, and loads of sunbeds (prices range from 3 - 6 Euros). The sea can be a bit choppy, so keep an eye on the safety flags if you have little ones.

The ground floor apartments open onto a shared area at the front, and are at the rear to the pool. Upper stories have small individual balconies overlooking the street, and the shared entrance walkway overlooks the pool.

The room we stayed in was approx 4m x 4m. It was basic but clean, and well cared for. The entrance door was central, and looking into the room from there, the bathroom was immediately on the right, and approximately the size of a standard double bed. To the left was a sink, fridge, cupboard, and a 2 ring 'stove'. Beyond the bathroom on the right, were 2 single beds separated by a table and a wall mirror. To the left was a small table, 2 chairs and a wardrobe. Directly in front was a sliding door to the balcony, with table, chairs, and a clothes airier. The apartment was cleaned 6 days a week, with toilet paper provided (a luxury in Greek apartments), a kettle (as toilet paper), and all equipment was in good condition. The only downside were the mattresses, which were a bit passed their best, and the road noise late at night. The latter is not Knossos fault, but is worth noting.

There is plenty of choice in Stalis for food and drink. If you want the standard chips with everything, then it's available, but there are plenty of places to get real Greek food (or at least a better facsimile than the local English Kebab shop). We managed to eat Greek food every night, and never had a bad meal.

Mythos, on the beach is quite romantic, but make sure it's not too windy, or you could get a bit sand blasted.

Artemis has a very extensive menu, and the food is very good. The best food was by far at Yannis Golden Heart. His homemade Garlic butter is to die for, and you will gain pounds every meal with the portion sizes. This is not however quantity over quality, but quality first and foremost with vfm in very large measures. Whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner the food was outstanding.