I reserved a night at Ontas through Orbitz. Unfortunately for me this hotel does NOT work with Orbitz. You could imagine that I was a little surprised considering Orbitz even 'confirmed' my reservation and reiterated as much when I called them.

The guy at Ontas was VERY helpful in helping me to figure out what was going on. He even let me use his computer and international phone card to call Orbitz and then directed me to an Internet cafe. I finally had to get a new place since Ontas was fully booked. So this review is for their service.

The place is in a so-so neighborhood an 8-10 minute walk to the Venetian waterfront. It is more of a bed and breakfast than a hotel. (Take heed that they refer to it as 'traditional') . Dont buy a phone card from the store across the street...they don't work.

Oh, and the guy at Ontas said they charge about €65/night, so that should be your target rate. Orbitz wanted to charge us €145. The guy at the hotel was amazed at this.

Where to start? That's easy - we loved this hotel.

It's in a great location, with all the hustle and bustle of the harbour around the corner. It was lovely to be able to wander to and from the hotel as it suited, taking in all the sights Chania has to offer.

We had the room at the top of the hotel, spread over 3 floors, with the entrance and bathroom on the first floor, a small number of steps up to the main area, with access to the balcony. Single bed, wardrobe, dressing table, futon, chairs, table, fridge. Another set of stairs led to the mezzanine with a lovely big double bed. The whole room was very well laid out, decorated and appointed, with plenty of windows to let light flood in.

The manager Vassili and his assistant (sorry, I didn't get your name) were brilliant. Nothing was too much trouble - even to the extent of buying a kettle for us after we'd enquired if there was one available! The complimentary raki in the fridge went down very well too!!

If there was a downside, it's that this room can be a little noisy as it's in the roof space and while the walls are nice and thick, the roof isn't. Didn't find it too much of an issue - the delights of the hotel and Chania far outweighed this.

I've noticed that some people have mentioned the cats - yes there are a few. Not a problem for us as we love cats. What I would say is that Vassili keeps the hotel spotless and the cats only wander in and out of the downstairs area. We didn't see them anywhere else within the hotel... despite my best efforts!!

The Ontas and Chania are well worth a visit - I certainly hope to get chance to go again.

Very much enjoyed our stay in a 4-person room at this great little hotel in the heart of Hania.

Air conditioning was vital, given the 40 degree C heat - much appreciated. Location perfect - in the Turkish quarter, full of character, but within walking distance of the bustling Venetian harbour. Found space to park out rental car within half a block of the hotel even on busy days. Nice little balcony!

Some busy bars within 20 metres of the front door, but surprisingly quiet with the shutters closed.

Manager was very friendly. Little store directly across the road for drinks, snacks etc.

One of the beds was a little bit small / narrow, and the lack of shower curtain meant the bathroom floor was always wet, but these were very minor issues.

Would definitely stay there again!

My wife and I stayed in Hania for a couple of days in May 2008 at the Traditional Hotel ONTAS. The ONTAS is located in the old section of Hania, not far from the major sights, but nearer to the eastern end of the harbour where there are fewer crowds and clubs. Consequently, we had no issues with noise, though we also didn't have much of a view.

The building is old, but renovated. Our suite was large, very pleasantly decorated, and clean, despite the presence of cats in the foyer on the lowest level of the hotel. The shower had no curtain, which meant we made a mess every time, but by that point in our trip this no longer fazed us. Breakfast was not included in the fair but unexceptional price of the room. We found plenty of reasonable restaurants and bakeries nearby.

We had just returned our rental car, so we had no need to park near the hotel. Judging from what we saw, parking would have been a challenge, but not impossible, given the hotel's location off the main tourist thoroughfares.

On the whole, the ONTAS proved a very pleasant base from which to explore Hania.