lti Hotel Aquis Blue Sea Resort & Spa

Having stayed at several Aquis hotels in the past we knew roughly what to expect from this group. Last year we stayed at the Silva Beach and unfortunately this hotel was not as good as we had hoped although we had been told it was 5* I think it was probably more a 3-4*.

The Blue Sea, however, exceeded all our expectations. It was a beautiful hotel set in lovely gardens which were immaculately kept. All the staff were extremely friendly, helpful, polite and efficient - especially the hard working bar and dining room staff. Dimitri the Front of House Manager was especially helpful and although booking an inland view room we were lucky enough to be upgraded to a Junior Suite with a wet room (429) which was heavenly after a sticky day on the beach. The sheets and towels were changed every day and the apartment kept spotless by the cheerful maids. The air condition was a godsend during sticky nights.

The food was excellent although often lukewarm which seems to be the norm in Greece, despite the fact there were hot plates available. The salad bar can be a bit repetitive but there was only one night when I found it slightly difficult to choose something and I ended up with a chip butty and feta cheese salad so all was well with the world! The choice of bread makes me ashamed of the bread we sell in the UK.The vegetables, especially the potatoes done in various sauces, were very hard to resist and although not a vegetarian I hardly ate any meat at all during our two week stay.!

The only problem I had was that in the outside dining area people smoked and I found this very offensive as there were also babies and children around inhaling this smoke. The smokers were very inconsiderate puffing away while people were still eating. My husband smokes but every time he wanted a cigarette he went outside the restaurant as a consideration to myself and others.

The all inclusive drinks were fine, although I only drink wine and beer and never touch spirits. I was surprised to find that Martini was not included at this hotel. This was included at the Silva Beach last year and as this is a fortified wine I would have thought would be much cheaper than spirits. I found that quite bizarre and although charged five euros I had my usual pre-dinner Martini each night!.

We were the only English guests during our stay but this was not a problem for us. There were many Eastern Europeans and a delightful bunch of Dutch severely disabled people who seemed to enjoy themselves immensely. The facilities were excellent for disabled people and also people with prams with ramps etc.

The beach was just opposite the hotel and although people were putting their towels on the sunbeds on the grass outside the apartments there was always space on the beach where the charge was 6 euros for two sunbeds and an umbrella. The soft sandy beach was especially good for children.

Stailis itself is a lovely small town and an oasis between Hersinossos and Malia.

Overall we had a marvelous time.and despite the fact we never return to the same hotel twice are sorely tempted to return next year.