Jut returned after 14 days at the Panorama Chania.Hotel could do with some work on it this is to be done in the winter. The food was good qaulity could have done with a bit more fish .Staff brilliant could not do enough for you and rooms very clean.Location 20 mins from Chania by bus whichstops outside the hotel. Last but not least young DEBS brilliant job in animation best of luck for next year. Would we return OH YES

We have just returned from a week at The Panorama.
After reading some reviews on here, I was a little concerned we would be disappointed but our fears were quickly put to rest once we got there.

Rooms....
We had room 344 which had views across the harbour and down to coast to Chania town. The air conditioning isn't the strongest...but it may have been turned down all over the hotel as it was September and therefore past the hottest part of the season.
The room was cleaned every day. The beach towels were left in our room....and when we queried about changing them we were told to leave them on the bathroom floor and we would get clean ones....but that would have meant we had nothing to lie on that day. So we took matters into our own hands and took clean ones from a maid's cart! The beds were quite hard but they didn't stop us from sleeping!

Pool....
The pool area is lovely. The views across the bay are breathtaking. The pool was clean and cool (to the person who mentioned they got an ear infection....this has nothing to do with the pool otherwise everyone who used it would be ill. It's because you got water in your inner ear which mixes with ear wax and melts and hardens due to change of temperature....cool air conditioning inside and warm humid weather outside! I used to be a Holiday Rep and this was a common problem amongst holiday makers in all hotels. The pool cleanliness is checked regularly. It's a Health and Safety condition)
The only downside to the pool was there seemed a lot of small tiles missing which did give it a bit of a scruffy appearance.
There were plenty of beds but not as many umbrellas. The pool bar serves drinks all day until approx 6pm and that's where you get the ice cream and nuts if you are on All Inclusive basis. Also breakfast is served there and lunch (chargeable if you are AI)

Food...
Although we were on AI, we only had dinner at the hotel once as we like going out in the evening. We did eat breakfast and lunch there every day though and found the selection of food quite adequate and quickly replenished. There is a coffee machine for those caffeine addicts.
Lunch...some days we waited a while to be served drinks. The staff were friendly and polite and dirty plates were cleaned away quickly. Lots of salads and cheese and fresh fruit for dessert...including delicious baklava :) The hot food was always piping. I am vegetarian and there didn't seem a lot of choice...but I eat fish as well so there was always something. If you are vegan you may struggle more.

Hotel ammenities....
The gym was really hot....28 degrees and no air con! We met people who had massages and who thoroughly recommended them. There is free internet access in the reception area. there are only 2 computers though and one was broken so the best time to use them is during the day when everyone is sunbathing. There are plenty of places to sit inside and out on the terrace.

Entertainment....
We ate out every evening so didn't have to suffer the entertainment. We were unlucky enough to catch the end of karaoke night....but decided to save our bleeding ears and had an early night! At the weekend, the hotel held a function for a local baptism which was lovely to watch. There was Greek dancing etc.. in the evenings if that is your cup of tea. During the day there were a young couple who organised darts, pool aerobics, volleyball, kids painting etc.. which went down well. There was music round the pool but it was at a low volume so didn't interfere if you wanted to read/nap etc..

Out and About....
The hotel is situated up a steep drive which may cause problems if you have walking difficulties.
In front of the hotel is a small pebble beach with a few sunloungers on for guests. The sea is clear and clean but is very pebbly if you are trying to get in for a swim. You really need diving shoes on to climb over the rocks. The better beach is about a 15 minute walk turning left at the bottom of the drive. Walk along the road (there are some pavemented areas but be careful if you have children) and round the headland and the beach stretches right along as far as you can see. We walked along and found tavernas that offered free sunloungers if yuo had lunch and spent a lovely day in the sea. The beach has a Blue Flag award and the sea is really clean. If you walk to the right out of the hotel, you come to Kalamaki beach. We didn't stop there as it was a small beach but it looked fine.
The No 21 bus runs every 20 minutes in Chania Town from right outside the hotel. It costs 3euros return PP if you buy tickets from the Hotel Reception. The last bus back from Chania Town is 11pm. There are plenty of taxis though (just check as they were on strike quite a lot while we were there protesting about fuel prices) Chania Town is just gorgeous. The harbour area is very pretty. We ate out there every night and the choice of restaurants is great. The menus are all displayed outside and we were never hassled (we avoided the actual harbour front as we were hassled there!) Lots of little tavernas tucked away down little winding alleys....lovely :) We tried lots of Cretan cuisine. My partner had rabbit, snails, cuttlefish, octopus etc.. and all was delicious and cooked to perfections. Plenty of veggie choices as well. Prices were reasonable. We had beer, water, a starter each and a main and the cost varied from 30 to 50 euros between us. You get complentary raki and fruit/desserts with the bill in most places.
The bus to Platanias runs less frequently and the bus stop is to the left and a little further down the road on the opposite side.
If you take a right, there are a few bars/restaurants on the main road in walking distance. There are also car hire/supermarkets etc.. (whoever said there is nothing nearby clearly didn't look very far!)

The hotel is not maintained very well, like missing mozaik of swimming pool.
Rooms are clean but we booked family room which is in fact a normal room with extra beds.

First impressions of the hotel were excellent, as the staff were very welcoming on our arrival. Throughout the holiday we found the vast majority of the staff extremely polite and friendly. Whenever we had any questions they were happy to help us.

The room was clean, spacious and had plenty of storage space. Throughout the maid service was daily and always left our room immaculate. Tea and coffee making facilities are available at 3 euros a day but the safe is free(as long as you don't loose the key! as there is a reasonably high charge).

We stayed All inclusive and found the selection of food and drinks to be of a good standard. This is probably the best all-inclusive hotel we have stayed in to date, there is always something for everyone. Each week there are a number of themed evening meals including a Greek, Italian and world food nights.

The entertainment was provided by the hotels animation team that were always enthusiastic and a laugh. Offering karaoke, quiz, poker, disco and other events. One night a week there is a Cretan night with traditional dancing by locals, which is very entertaining.

The hotel is located on the hillside above a reasonably busy road (not pedestrian friendly). The beach is found across the road and has few sunbeds and is extremely pebbly. However there are nicer beaches 5 minutes walk in either direction. Next door to the hotel is a Go-Kart track that looked like it would be good fun although we did not go. There are a few restaurants and shops close by, but for a more lively night out, we would recommend Platanias that is only a 10 euro taxi ride away.

Overall this was a very enjoyable holiday and we do intend to return at some point in the near future. Note: we do not normally return to hotels!