Insula Alba Resort & Spa (Adults Only)

It is difficult to compare this hotel to other 5* hotels in Crete as it's our first visit but to us it did not come up to the 5* standards we have had elsewhere. Don't get me wrong it's a perfectly good hotel that ticks most of the boxes required. Food: not an awful lot of choice but everything was always hot and the desserts were delicious, maybe too nice as you could not just stop at trying just one!!! Room: felt very basic with no drawers at all only the large shelves in the wardrobe where you will find bath robes, iron and ironing board. The bed was large and very comfortable, unlike the bath towels which were so thin and small. We had upgraded to a swim up pool view room which was OK but as we were near the corner our sunbed was outside next doors balcony and we had our neighbours directly infront of us which gave us no privacy at all so we chose to get sun beds around the main pool, which infact were very comfortable. Entertainment: the evening entertainment is very low key around the pool. We never visited the piano bar so can't comment on that. We did enjoy the aquafit in the pool every morning even though the pool is 1.5m deep everywhere and I am 5ft2in and could not touch the bottom, they do provide a float to anyone who needs one. The area outside the hotel is pleasant with a nice stroll to the little church across the road and about 5 minutes further to a large supermarket. We did go on the little train that stops across from the hotel, a two hour round trip cost 16 euro per adult. Overall we did enjoy our holiday and had some lovely weather and witnessed some fantastic sunsets but we have had our 'Greece' experience and it will be back to Turkey for us in the future.

We are just back from a week in TUI Blue Insula Alba and had a fab time and highly recommend the swim up pool view room. The staff are a credit to the hotel, friendly, helpful and excellent english skills. The swim up pool view room was amazing, Food was lovely, lots of choice and many vegetarian options ( I am veggie).

Wow! We arrived late and from the start we felt welcome. No awful queuing to book in, they had a buffet laid on and we're told to relax while we got booked in. We were escorted to room 1208, very spacious and modern and had a fantastic views. Our house keeper Maria came every day to clean and change towels and linen. She arranged the towels as swans, butterfly, boat, lovely little touches. The hotel provided robes, slippers and beach towels. We were half board and the food was beautiful. Pool area had plenty of comfy loungers, pool was gorgeous though a bit deep for me at 1.5 metres. Outside if the hotel was the beach with lovely beach bars. My only criticism of this beautiful little town and the wonderful resort is some of the beach areas need a clean up. The areas that have been done look great.

Just got back from the Insula Alba Hotel, it was amazing. The resort is perfect for couples wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of every day life. The resort its self was just perfect, everything that you could possibly want and more. We stayed in a junior suite, it was so spacious, 2 bathrooms, 2 TV’s with English channels..even got to MUFC win the FA cup. The staff are so helpful, really can not do enough for you, all so very polite and well mannered. The buffet restaurant was lovely, food was always fresh and a really good selection ti choose from, waiting staff were fabulous, always on hand. There were always plenty of sun beds available, no need to rush down in a morning to put your towels out. The hotel is situated right across the road from the beach…some amazing views, the sunsets were breathtaking . The ***** is a stones throw away with a lovely Restaurant called Ocean view, you can have a meal then venture over to the seats on the beach, DJ provided, perfect lighting and quality spirits. I honestly could not fault any part of this vacation, hotel, staff and the locals. We will most definitely be returning. If you are thinking of booking, stop thinking and just book, you will not be disappointed. Ps… take mosquito repellent!

Insula Alba is a large comfortable hotel, within extensive grounds, with a main restaurant for breakfast and evening meals which is buffet only, there is also an a la carte restaurant known as the Culinarium, you can use this restaurant on a basis of one time during your stay, or more if you choose to pay, we chose not to eat there. The main buffet restaurant for breakfast and evening meal was sufficient for us, although we did find the service could be sporadic at times, incorrect drinks at breakfast, or served not at all, lukewarm coffee's and tea's, not served at all, in the end we sorted it out for ourselves bypassing the servers. Breakfast is good, plenty of choice for all tastes, from cooked breakfasts to cereals to continental breakfasts. Evening meals were good although a little repetitve, plenty for everyone, and a fair choice for vegatarians. Again, during our evening meals drinks service was hit and miss, we requested a glass of wine with our meal on our first night, to be told that they did not serve glasses of wine only bottles which for us would have been to much, not being big drinkers. Yet throughout our stay we noticed other diners asking for and receiving just a glass of wine not a bottle, I guess we had the wrong server at the wrong time, in the end we drank only water with our meals. Overall our dinning experience was good, although you have to book in a dinning time throughout the length of your stay for the main restaurant. We had a similar experience with the pool bar, ordered drinks which never arrived, by this stage we just supplied our own, which were far cheaper anyway. The pool area is good, lots of sunbeds with umbrellas etc..., pool was beautiful, a litle cold when you first get in, this was only May afterall, but you soon get used to it, by the end of the stay, my wife and I did not notice it at all. Our room was a swim up room, this was absolutely fantastic, again the pool a little cold at first, yet soon got used to it, although its not for serious swimming, it is really only a plunge pool, the terrece area has its own sun lounger plus a table and chairs, and from around 11 oclock is in full sun, perfect, by around early afternoon the temperature was around 25-26 degrees, lying out in the sun here in your own private area was great, and to top it off, the plunge pool, rest and relaxation. Our room was comfortable and clean, (our cleaner was an absolute treasure) with aircon, usual tea making facilities etc..., Analipsi itself is ok, where the hotels are it is not the viallge of Analipsi, it tends to be very tourist orientated, there isnt or at least we did not find any typically greek cultured restaurants, there are a couple of sandy beaches, where we understand the sun loungers are free or at a reasonable cost rate, although I do not know the rates, parts of the beach area is rocky/pebbles, at the furthest parts of the front there is a sandy beach, if that is what you want, for us we spent most of our ti

Writing this on the morning that I departed. This is a lovely Hotel which is kept immaculate throughout, if you want a relaxing holiday then look no further as it’s in a very good location. The beaches are not brilliant but walk about 15 minutes away and you’ll find some very nice quiet sandy one’s. The area is lovely, was so nice not to get hassled every time you walk past a Restaurant etc!. The food choices are very good and if you’re a chocoholic then you’ll be in heaven believe me, they also make there own bread which is delicious. Top praises go to Manos, poolside bar Manager, he’s brilliant, always smiling and so good at making cocktails 🍹. Also a mention to Manolas, Piano 🎹 bar Manager, he’s top class too, works on his own and again always smiling. So overall all the staff are excellent here so I’ve hesitation in recommending this lovely Hotel.

Arrived home yesterday from this very nice hotel. My swim up room was kept spotless by a lovely room attendant. Towels and bedding changed daily and slept well in a very comfortable bed. After only one day, the barman in the piano bar knew my room number better than I did. On my first night in the restaurant I forgot to pick up a spoon for my pudding, as I walked back for one a waiter met me halfway with a spoon on a tray. So he had obviously noticed. Very good service. I enjoyed the food . There was a good selection of vegetarian dishes which most nights I chose even though I’m not a vegetarian as they were so tasty. One thing to mention, although I hesitate to do so as it has no bearing on the hotel. At the first beach bar, to the right as you leave the hotel I was short changed twice by the waiter who stands outside the place and hustles people who are walking past. This was only by €1 each time but to me it seemed rather suspicious the way he counted out my change in small coins. After this I walked further along the seafront to the bar Athina where the lady “owner” ? was very pleasant. In all, I was very pleased with the hotel and the staff.

Stayed at this hotel 2nd to 12th May. Sadly the weather wasn't great. The first 4 days were sunny but very windy. We then had 3 warm days followed by rain and thunderstorms. We had booked a duplex room which was large but really lacking in any drawer space- even though there was plenty of room for them. We found the bed and pillows pretty uncomfortable. The towels in the bathroom were very thin and rough- not a 5* experience. The food was ok- nothing to really write home about but we never had a problem finding something to eat.. The staff were brilliant and worked very hard but they were clearly understaffed. Sometimes we would wait 10 minutes to get drinks at meal times. Annoyingly at every meal after the first 2 days I had to get a waiter to find me a spoon. The reason given for them not being on the tables was shortage of staff which seemed a poor excuse. More likely shortage of spoons! The wine in the restaurant was hit and miss- sometimes very drinkable and sometimes like vinegar. A special mention for Manos in the pool bar- he's a real character and full of fun. Also Manolos in the Piano bar who looked after us for pre-dinner drinks each evening. The entertainment here is pretty poor. 2 nights we had a pianist obviously in the piano bar- the first playing quite classical music- we could have done with Crocodile Rock to liven things up. Strangely they also had a Saxophonist at breakfast one morning but otherwise non-existent . The tourist tax in Greece cost us 100 euros which I think is excessive particularly when you are putting considerable funds already into the local economy. The whole hotel seemed to be designed for very tall people- which we're not. Two seats in the room converted into a sofa bed which we didn't need and they were extremely uncomfortable to sit on as was the rocking chair. The seats in the piano bar again had very deep seats and we pinched more cushions to sit comfortably. My wife also noted that the pool was 1.5 metres deep all round so it would have been impossible for her to do aqua-aerobics as she's only 5 feet tall. Some parts of this hotel just seemed badly designed. With upper floors there needed to be lifts to transport cases instead of winding staircases. Obviously if the weather had been better we would have enjoyed it more but I have to say that I don't consider the Insula Alba to be a 5* hotel. Frankly we've been to better 4* Tui couples hotels in Tenerife, Portugal. Croatia , Thasos and Kos. We just felt disappointed overall.