We booked this fortnight's holiday for our family of four, kids were 12 and nearly 14, just two weeks before we went, so we did get a very good deal. The other major plus for us was the flight from Bournemouth.

The transfer time was only 15 minutes, which was great, and at the airport everything went very smoothly.

Our accommodation was just right: spacious, plenty of storage, clean, felt safe and secure (slept with our first floor balcony door open every night, no mosquitos and no need for air-conditioning). Whole complex kept clean and tidy. staff lovely, Great BBQ on Sunday afernoons. Taverna on site very nice.

Short walk to supermarkets, tavernas, beaches and bus stop. One km to Kokkini Hani with more places to eat, etc. Easy to hire a car here at good rates. Easy taxi to Watercity, 3km up the road - we walked home from there!

Golden Bay, Gournes, is a good location for exploring central and eastern Crete.

Perfect weather, enough to do locally, a truly relaxing holiday. Will definitely return to Crete.

Golden Bay is a lovely, quiet resort. The staff were excellent and extremely friendly. The rooms were very clean and cleaned daily. The towels and bedding were changed every 3 days. The pool area did get very crowded and it was difficult to get a sun bed. We found the food at the resort to be the best locally. The barman was brilliant entertainment and very informative with helpful knowledge of the Island. We stayed B&B and breakfast was served from 9am. This was a little late for us as we like to get away to explore the Island early. On our first morning it took 40 mins just for our toast, which they call continental breakfast, to arrive so did not bother with breakfast there after.

I would not recommend this resort if you have children as apart from the pool and beach ther was little to do. This resort is ideal for couples, like us, who want a quieter, more relaxing holiday and in our opinion the car was a godsend!

We hired a car for 12 days of our stay which cost £360, which was very resonable. Considering that the excursions fron First Choice averaged £55 we felt we had much better value with the car. The car enabled us to explore far more of the Island than any excursions could offer.

I would highly recommend visiting Elounda as the beaches were by far the best we found during our stay. Gouves beaches were also nicer than those at Gournes. It took us 40 mins at ambling pace to walk to Gouves, which was a really pleasant walk. I would also recommend the water park for a fun day out. You must try the Gyros Pitter from Gyros Corner while in Gouves!

I would recommend this resort for anyone wanting a quiet, peaceful stay.

We have just returned from a lovely week in Gournes, Golden Bay. There have been some slating reviews about this site, but I have stayed in many different resorts around Greece, and this was one of the nicest.

Good points - Family oriented site, great for kids, the Taverna has a GOOD choice of really nice food and the staff are really friendly and helfull. This is a quiet resort, perfect for relaxation and recharging the batteries. The accommodation is clean and spacious, with everything you need, including cots if required.

Bad points - Airconditioning is extra, not really a lot of shops, a bit isolated from all the major attractions.

I will be going back, because I found it a very relaxing place to spend a week with the kids. It is a safe environment and the children are always in view.

In the main we enjoyed our holiday because we always make the best of any situation. There was little to do in Gournes by the sea apart from go to a bar during the night or visit one of the nearby beaches. It is of concern that the local economy seems to be based on the bars especially as there appears to be no waste management and rubbish like plastic bottles etc are strewn along the coast/beachline. If I had the resources I would love to take Gournes on as a development project, especially as there are too many empty properties both business and residential. With regard to Golden Bay I hope they `pull their socks up' as this is in no way a three or four star establishment in my opinion.

Very friendly staff at the Golden Bay, Gournes. Extremely clean apartments. A quiet complex with lots of relaxation. Walk to the bus stop about 15 minutes. Beach 10 minutes. Local food in supermarkets very expensive. Would definitely go back. The food in the taverna was very good.

We have been going to Gourness for 6 years now and it has been getting noticably quieter in the last two years but still a favourite with us.

Golden Bay apartments are gorgeous. The people working there are lovely and friendly, you can enjoy a conversation in the bar, or in the minimarket.

The resort, gournes is lovely, and very scenic, and I recommend the Taverna Medusa, especially the banana split. The beach near kokkini hani is also lovely, although slightly crowded, because it's one of the only big beaches around Gournes.