Jo An Beach Hotel

My husband and I had an amazing two weeks staying at Jo-Ann Beach Hotel. The staff are some of the most friendly, welcoming and attentive people we have ever had the pleasure to meet whilst on holiday. Nothing was too much trouble. Our room could probably do with a bit of an update, however it was clean, very functionable and the bed was more comfortable than our one at home! A hairdryer was provided. The housekeeping lady did a wonderful job every day. I lost count of the number of times our sheets and towels were changed. The food was amazing. Breakfast consisted of cold meats, yoghurt, a wide selection of fruit, bread and croissants, along with a large array of hot food, plus tea, coffee, hot chocolate and juices. Lunch and dinner included beautiful salads, soup, a wide variety of cuisine to choose from for a main course, as well as a number of desserts and fruit. All tastes are very well catered for. Children are particularly well looked after by the wide variety of food on offer. No one will go hungry. The hotel itself and surrounding areas were very clean and well kept. The two bars offer a well stocked list of wines, beer, spirits and cocktails. There are two swimming pools, both with a small cordoned off area for young children. Whilst the pools are not particularly big, they are very clean. The hotel sits right on the sandy beach where you can pay 2.50 Euros for a sun lounger. Sun loungers by the pools are free. Beach towels are available for 2.50 Euros for the course of your stay. The biggest assets to this hotel are the staff and food (as mentioned above) and also the location. There are plenty of shops and supermarkets within walking distance, and also restaurants if you fancy a change. The public bus stop to Rethymno is a one minute walk from the hotel and costs 1.20 Euros per trip regardless of how far you are travelling. We booked all our trips through Klados who have a branch (bright orange) just two minutes from the hotel. They offer a wide range of trips and we could not fault their service and standard of coaches. They are very prompt and be warned, they do not wait for latecomers. If you are not at the pick-up point at the stated time, they will leave without you (having tried to call you first). We had a wonderful holiday and will definitely be returning.

I would not recommend this hotel, everything was a disappointment. This is definitely not a 4 star hotel, a maxim 3. Room was very old, bathroom with mould, no bed sheet change during the stay, no proper cleaning service, food was almost the same every day and awful.

Unfortunately, overal one of the worst hotels we stayed at. Quite disorganised and with mediocre service, which makes this a 2 stars max. Not a 4 for sure. At arrival we found 2 glasses and two coffee mugs, which were never replaced, instead they were washed under the sink in the toilet, and put back. How do I know? They were upside down on the table leaking, with coffee stains still on them. Bedsheets were never replaced, and we even had to ask once for someone to come clean the room, despite us leaving the card on the door in the morning. The pools were small, and seemingly not clean. They were secluded, which did not invite us to jump in even once during the whole stay. You had to push the toilet button at least 4 times before any water came out to flush. But the greatest disappointment was the food. The restaurant was really too small for an hotel offering an all inclusive solution: that made for long queues in the morning, as well as at lunch and dinner. All proteins, aside from lamb, and all was badly prepared. No taste, chewy, overcooked or dry. The two safest options would have been bread and boiled vegetables, but both smelled and tasted old. We had the feeling that they were trying to save money on all levels so to deliberately stop people from eating. After a couple of days we decided to never eat at the hotel anymore, except for coffee in the morning: this was a challenge in itself, given that during service the coffee machines would stop working, creating queues once more. The only plus point, were the lovely cats walking around the whole place.

Jo-An Beach Hotel is a really nice and family place with a friendly atmosphere. Great location, the beach is nice and tidy and the garden is amazing. The beach bar and restaurant make sure that we don't lack for anything. The staff working on the beach are very kind and helpful, and the bartender "DIMITRIS" is attentive and good humored, putting everyone in a good mood. The rooms were clean and the housekeeping did a great job. The food was delicious. Every night was different and a variety of food. The staff throughout the hotel were friendly and helpful. I definitely recommend this cozy hotel with a family atmosphere.