We spent a week at Kernos Beach at the end of September.

We were very meticulous when choosing the room and we definitely made the better choice possible - it was a Sea Front Bungalow with direct view to the sea and a green lane separating you from the beach. It was far enough from public places and it was really really very quiet.

The room itself was very stylish and modern, with pleasant match of colours and materials. The bathroom was rather spacios, with both walk-in shower and a bath-tub. We also had a cozy terrace (with an umbrella, two sunbeds, a table and a chair) separated from other rooms with thick and tall walls. So the main thing we were looking for we got it - the feeling of privacy and comfort.

The territory of the hotel is nice, well-kept and quiet. The beach is very decent and clean and pure transparent blue water is beyond compare. The swimming pool is enormous. The hotel management were wise enough not to make any animation in the hotel so it is really very calm.

And ending up with praises we should say that the reception staff were rather proffessional and helped us with the documents we needed to get visas.

Now in order to give you an unbiased picture I should speak about the inconveniences too.

There is neither minibar no room service provided so a simple bottle of water becomes a problem especially when the cafes are closed.

They do not change sheets regularly so provided that it is a beach resort you can imagine the amount of sand in your bed.

There are no shelves in the shower to put toiletries on - you need to open the shower door splashing the water all over the bathroom each time you take or put a shampoo. By the way you are given only one bottle of it for a week - so if you have long hair you have no chance to wash it more than once.

The swimming pool was inexcusably dirty. I understand that it is deep and must be not so easy to clean but still...

The website promises a great variety of restaurants on the territory of the hotel to eat in. Do not believe it - half of them are closed (is September considered out of season on Crete? - will never believe it) and others serve nothing but sandwiches, pizzas and omlettes. Thanks God Malia is near with a nice choice of tavernas.

Despite all these inconveniences the overall impression of the hotel was good and we are surprised to find out it is not so popular with Tripadvisor members.

Kernos Beach Hotel is a beautiful beach hotel with acres of lush gardens, restaurants and an enormous pool. The bungalows, seaview or seaside are beautifully appointed with lovely patios. The only negative thing I can say is that it doesn't have WiFi, which in 2009 is a disadvantage, but there is an internet cafe nearby.

We were always concerned about staying near to Malia as it does not have the best reputation in Crete but agreed to chance it at the Kernos Beach Hotel as it was listed by Thomas Cook as a 5* resort. I must start by saying that the minute we arrived we wanted for nothing and everyone and everything was excellent. The food is outstanding (we stayed half board), in fact you could never eat it all or even think about trying all the different options.. The bar was good , the pool was huge, the sea was next to you as the hotel has its own private stretch. we stayed in a bungalow with a sea view, huge rooms, very modern, bathroom to die for! All in all an excellent experience - I want to go back again :-)

We arrived in our rented car to a friendly reception desk after a long flight. When we were given our room assignment we realized that it was not a "sea view" as we had paid for. We were shown on the hotel map a room overlooking a noisy, ugly road. We were polite and explained it would be unsatisfactory. When they saw that we were really refusing to occupy the room and saw me on the phone calling my travel agent, they had us meet the manager. After careful explaination of our expectations and price level we paid, he gave us a "Bungalow" room for the day and night. The manager explained to us that we would have to move out the next day into a room on par for the price we paid for with a sea view. We could not stay in the "Bungalow" because it was rented the next day to "regulars". I must say that the "Bungalow" room would have made anyone happy to stay in, even Tom Cruise. It was newly refurbished with plasma TV, Marble floors and bath, private patio overlooking the ocean. Even the furnishings were made of top-grade leather. The next morning I looked at the room we were suposed to be relocated to. HELLO...a dirt floor in the closet, and ugly, ugly, ugly. I couldn't get myself to walk into the bathroom because I was so put off. It looked as ugly and old as the room from the hallway. Here goes another two hours of arguing with the manager. When I told him that I know he wants to open up the American market to the hotel and I could not give him a good review on the internet, he buckeled. The manager called his sister property fifteen minutes away in Sissi. He got us relocated to a "Family Suite" at the Kalimeri Kriti, a 5 star resort. The brochure he showed us on the Kalimeri Kriti looked impressive. The resort turned out to be even more impressive in person. We can now say that we really enjoyed our stay in Crete. (I will post my review about Kalimeri Kriti). But regarding Kernos Beach Hotel the propery looks good but not the rooms, except for the "Bungalows" which are very acceptable and recommended. The food was good and the beach/pool areas were as what we would have liked. The property seems to be in a reconstuction mode. I saw a lot of new stone walls being built along with rooms being rebuilt. One day it may be nice to stay at. The Kernos beach just is not ready for the American market. The majority of the guests were from Baveria and they seemed happy. I guess the Germans don't expect much from a 4 star resort. I would like to add that the area of Malia is full of loud 20 something bars and fast food restaurants. Be sure that is what you want if you walk off the property. A car in Crete makes life easier and your vacation a great adventure. I will thank Suzy, my travel agent, for her advise on renting a car in Crete.