Maybe my standards are higher than the other reviewers as I have stayed throughout Crete now for several years and this ranked as the worst hotel we have stayed in both due to our experience, the management, the room and the beach.

I chose Stella as we would be arriving late en route to our final destination of Matala. I paid in advance for a room with a sea view. Our flight was delayed so we arrived after the cutoff checking time of 11.00 by 45 minutes but I did send a message ahead when we departed four hours earlier so we appreciate the owner waiting.

When we did arrive late, we found that the room we booked and paid for in advance with the sea view was not available but we were never notified. Instead we had a dark ground floor apartment opening onto the courtyard entrance with a dirty washing bucket next to the front door. The owner was very grumpy saying he had waited for us 45 minutes which of course we appreciated, but then it was only when we pushed him that he agreed to give us Eur 5 back and then I see now, went and changed the booking.com booking to reflect a lower cost room. This is not though what we wanted. I paid extra to get the room with the sea view. Not a ground floor apartment with all the noise and lack of privacy that entails. The room was just OK and certainly not worth the rates

In the morning the key stuck in the door but the owner was not in the office even though it was well past the advertised opening times so I had to call booking.com to track him down. When he arrived, he was very grumpy again. In all, I would not recommend staying here.

The beach is not representative of Crete. The water is not clear and I am not sure how clean it is. Most of the beach is not cleaned and there is a lot of seaweed on the beach. There are very few places to eat and many houses are dilapidated with broken cars etc. I would never stay here again.

I visited Stella apartments July 2016 and I had a lovely time there. I wanted somewhere that was big enough to go self catering and was right on the beach. The apartments where very spacious, kept very clean I was there 10 days and every second day the cleaner came. The amenities are basic and fit for the purpose, we cooked most meals there, everything worked as it should. The air con works, and another bonus is being by the sea there is a nice breeze (good for temperature control and to blow away some mosquitoes). All in all the apartments where fantastic value for money.

For me the best thing about this holiday was how laid back it was, the owners of the apartments where very friendly and there for any need you may have, they really could not be more helpful! however they really allow you to just get on with your holiday, they dont disturb or pester you, I felt like I was a resident of an apartment block rather than a tourist. And that I loved, you have everything in very close proximity to live in Crete for your duration, the large supermarket is around 3 mins walk away. There are some nice restaurants and bars near by, allowing you to wine and dine on holiday, however its not too touristy, if you dont want it to be. The beach is very very close, with most apartments having a sea view. We often sat on the beach directly in front of the apartments and watched the amazing sunset, with a beer (from the supermarket). During the day there are options to go to several spots on the beachfront. To the left of Stella there are sun loungers on the beach to rent literally one min away from Stella . only 7 euro for the lounger and a coffee ! and i cant say enough as to how helpful and friendly the staff there are. Overall everyone is so laid back, while managing to be super attentive and helpful. I definitely preferred this location, to my previous visit to Gouves, in a more touristy location. Not that the tourist attractions aren't fun, however at Kokkini Hani you are in close proximity to the public bus so you can really tailor the perfect holiday to suit you, and this is the perfect base. Laid back, amazing scenery, great sized apartments with everything you need, friendly staff, very close to the airport, and central to lots of other locations in easy reach of the public bus (very good bus service and comfy air conditioned buses), great local amenities. All together the most relaxing holiday so far.

You have a nice basic apartment with a kitchenette, friendly owner who lives in the same property and a balcony (or two) facing the sea. On top of that the price is acceptable. What else do you need ? On the darker side, the beach ain't the best on the island but is clean and they built some stone water fence to protect part of the beach from the waves so it is safe even for the little ones.