What a lovely romantic place! When staying in Bali earlier September I had been dreaming of this drowned into flowers and tropical plants typical Village-Hotel overlooking the picturesque bay of Bali. I therefore caught my chance to spend a few days there in October.I had been sending a mail to ask for a nice room with a view & I definitely got it. Welcomed by Ivana who is kind of a an "orchestra lady " all by herself : reception, service at the restaurant, cleaning if needed, barmaid, tourist advisor etc...always kind and helpful while most people would go nuts in that sort of a situation : perhaps is it her Slovaquian nature! My room had a small but well equiped kitchen and a wonderful terrace overshadowed by vine-trees & such a view I never missed the rising of the sun...You sure 'd feel indulgent about the rest... I had to ask for matress protections and the shower curtain needs a change very badely...but the most discutable is definitely the restaurant : neon lights ruin the atmosphere and it sure is not convivial. Breakfast is O.K, even nice when the cook makes Blinis, except of these warm lemonade drinks, dreadful... since the machines are not on! But you may alays ask for a fresh orange juice at only 2,50 Euros, it's worth it. Now diner was a shock to be honest...I only had it twice during my stay : deep frozen fried Captain Igloo-like fish, tiny chicken wings ot bits...potatoes floating in oil...mixed vegies out of the tin or freezer and a boiled Tapioca cake for dessert...the salad buffet was acceptable though. Is it because the cook is obviousely not Cretan but very likely from east of Europe? Still I had not been eating so poor since my memorable trip to Albania...but who cares...half-board was so cheap anyway, I had enough left to enjoy the lovely beach Taverna at Evita Bay, or restaurant Panorama on the corniche overlooking the harbour or the family Taverna near by...all of them highly recommended.
The cleaning staff of Ormos Atalia would need smiling training very badely, especially when you take the bother to greet them in Greek...Apart of these few negative points, I had a charming stay. This is just a simple & romantic spot, don't expect luxury but take it as it is. If you go to Bali at the end of the season, be aware locals are getting a bit weary and many places are closed. The only Supermarket open ( close to Sofia Hotel ) is anyway the most cheerful one and don't miss the Bali Natura shop across Bali Beach Hotel : authentic Cretan products and very good prices all managed by a guy who is in love with his country : that helps!
P.S : Wi-Fi connection at Ormos Atalia is NOT quite reliable!

What a lovely romantic place! When staying in Bali earlier September I had been dreaming of this drowned into flowers and tropical plants typical Village-Hotel overlooking the picturesque bay of Bali. I therefore caught my chance to spend a few days there in October.I had been sending a mail to ask for a nice room with a view & I definitely got it. Welcomed by Ivana who is kind of a an "orchestra lady " all by herself : reception, service at the restaurant, cleaning if needed, barmaid, tourist advisor etc...always kind and helpful while most people would go nuts in that sort of a situation : perhaps is it her Slovaquian nature! My room had a small but well equiped kitchen and a wonderful terrace overshadowed by vine-trees & such a view I never missed the rising of the sun...You sure 'd feel indulgent about the rest... I had to ask for matress protections and the shower curtain needs a change very badely...but the most discutable is definitely the restaurant : neon lights ruin the atmosphere and it sure is not convivial. Breakfast is O.K, even nice when the cook makes Blinis, except of these warm lemonade drinks, dreadful... since the machines are not on! But you may alays ask for a fresh orange juice at only 2,50 Euros, it's worth it. Now diner was a shock to be honest...I only had it twice during my stay : deep frozen fried Captain Igloo-like fish, tiny chicken wings ot bits...potatoes floating in oil...mixed vegies out of the tin or freezer and a boiled Tapioca cake for dessert...the salad buffet was acceptable though. Is it because the cook is obviousely not Cretan but very likely from east of Europe? Still I had not been eating so poor since my memorable trip to Albania...but who cares...half-board was so cheap anyway, I had enough left to enjoy the lovely beach Taverna at Evita Bay, or restaurant Panorama on the corniche overlooking the harbour or the family Taverna near by...all of them highly recommended.
The cleaning staff of Ormos Atalia would need smiling training very badely, especially when you take the bother to greet them in Greek...Apart of these few negative points, I had a charming stay. This is just a simple & romantic spot, don't expect luxury but take it as it is. If you go to Bali at the end of the season, be aware locals are getting a bit weary and many places are closed. The only Supermarket open ( close to Sofia Hotel ) is anyway the most cheerful one and don't miss the Bali Natura shop across Bali Beach Hotel : authentic Cretan products and very good prices all managed by a guy who is in love with his country : that helps!
P.S : Wi-Fi connection at Ormos Atalia is NOT quite reliable!

I returned from the ormos about 4 weeks ago.
The Hotel..Location. The location of the hotel is excellent and a few hundred metres from two good beaches. We arrived about 10pm and were shown to our room. The room we were shown to was awful and to be honest probably the worst we had ever stayed in. We went to find the rather brusque receptionist/waitress had now gone home. We decided to sleep there the night and sort it out in the morning. We went to the bar and the barman asked if we had just arrived and made us up a salad as we had missed the evening meal which was a nice touch. The following morning we went to reception saw the manager and she immediately without question offered us another room. The second room was much better clean large with a small kitchenette. The hotel offers a commanding view over the bay and is in excellent position, a short walk from the beach and nearby bars/restaurants. I would say you need to be fit as the steps down are very steep. The pool is small but never crowded with a great view. The bar is located at the end of the pool. It was relaxed and informal.The grounds of the hotel are pleasant and well looked after.
The food…. Not so good. Breakfast is cereal/meat slice cheese etc. Hard boiled eggs.
The juice is watered down not nice. There is little deviation from this.
The evening meal varied from ok to not good at all. Sometimes the meat/fish was well overcooked and dry. I am not a fussy eater at all so I did manage to find something. We were there for a week but if it had been longer I would have ate out the second week. The antics of the waitress was hilarious as was said before she is a cross between basil fawlty and manuel from fawlty towers. We found out she was working about 12-14hrs a day 7 days a week which explained why her customer services skills were so poor.
Bali….We had a car and visited a few places in crete but I felt that bali was one of the most picturesque. The small tavernas are all pleasant we used the posto , owner and his wife(I think) were fantastic hosts. We also used the pirate bar on the side of the bay. The two girls that run the bar(from Poland and slovakia sorry forgot your names) are very friendly and throw in lots of free crisps, shots etc. We went last week in July expected it to be busy but it was very quiet. Another word of advice there is one cashpoint and I was told it is always broken it certainly never worked while I was there. There is a travel office a short distance away we managed to change there but they charge a fee. The hotel may change if you see the manager but we couldn’t find her gave up.
To sum up the hotel is fine if you get a decent room so ask to change if you don’t. If you want a cheap 1 week break its ok as we paid about the same as for self catering so you can just eat out if you don’t fancy the food. Bali is a lovely area and the location is why I have given this 3stars. If I went back to crete again I think I would stay in Bali, but maybe look at other hotels and only stay at the Ormos if I had to. Don’t let this put you off if you can get cheap deal here it is worth it but maybe eat out.

Magnificent location and views BUT arrived 0330, no reception - just a key left on a stool with no directions to find apartment in pitch dark (they have several blocks). When we did find it, 2 beds made for 2 adults, but the 3rd bed, for 6 year old not made - still in it's sofa form so child had to sleep on sofa. Air con not on, so sweltering, sleepless night. Next day asked for 3rd bed to be made up, no apology and still no bed made. Did get air con remote on 4th time of asking (paid extra, but this is not unusual). No maid service on 1st day and still no bed made in spite of numerous requests - 2nd night for child on sofa, 3rd night, having asked several times during course of day, finally had 2 sheets delivered at 11pm (way after child's bedtime) by barman, who was the only member of staff left on premises. Owner goes at 3.30pm and closes reception. Hardly any staff - 2 surly restaurant workers who seem to work all day every day and 2 cleaners who may or may not visit your room and may or may not clean it if they do. 3rd bed often unmade. Room stank of damp, with visible damp and paint peeling in kitchen, bathroom and stair cupboard. Kitchen cupboards unusable as anything you put in them (including crockery) smelt/tasted of damp. Had to pay full day rate to keep room on until 2100 (we needed to leave at 2330) and then they tried to stop us having evening meal (which was our board basis) even though we'd only had 6 due to early hours arrival. Most surly and unhelpful staff ever. Wouldn't recommend my dog to stay here!