Evalia Apartments

Evalia apartments were an excellent accommodation for us as first time visitors to Crete. The location was perfect as a quiet place to stay accessible by cab anywhere on the island such as beautiful beaches, quaint villages, and historical sites. Hersonissos with an array of bars and restaurants is 2.5 mi away. The international airport of Heraklion is 12 mi away. It is a short walk to the beach. It is not “downtown” or near the “party/bar/club” scene. It’s quiet and lovely. I’ve read reviews from 2022 and I can say for sure the issues discussed then are not there now. The rooms were clean and bright. The linens and towels clean and in good state. Our bed and pillows were super comfortable. We booked directly with Eva. We rented the “penthouse” apartment for the week to get the maximum views, and it was well worth it! The views were stunning, especially the sunsets. Our room came with a large kitchen area, which we didn’t use much of. The windows all came with blackout curtains which we needed in the morning and at night. The breeze was spectacular and the room comes with a private jacuzzi. Our room was well appointed and everything worked well, including the wifi, air conditioning and plenty of hot water in the shower. Eva arranged transport to and from the airport (we do not travel lightly, with 4 large bags). Eva also arranged for 4 days of SCUBA diving for us in three different parts of Crete. Most evenings, we spent in the outdoor bar talking with Eva and other guests. We enjoyed the super relaxed atmosphere of the ‘resort.’ The pool is incredible. Clean and swept every day to remove the Sahara dust, as were all the deck chairs. Did I mention the sunset views? I found the bar an excellent location for an evening cigar after dinner! We had several breakfasts and one large dinner with Eva, her husband Harry and other guests. I thought the meals were wonderful, especially dinner which she crafted just for our dietary needs. The breakfasts were almost too much delicious fresh food! The outdoor bar was ideal and Eva had a great selection of local Creten and Greek wines, including Roki! Eva is a wonderful hostess who strived to make every moment of our stay a delight – and she more than succeeded! From our welcome upon arrival until we left for the airport (very early in the morning to catch the first flight to Athens). If we had any needs or questions, Eva was there to help. She speaks wonderful English and has the knowledge of a tour guide of Crete (and seems to know everyone!) The hotel and grounds are immaculate and safe. We found ourselves leaving our door unlocked for most of the week. Linens changed only once per week, daily room service except Sunday and Wednesday which we were told in advance. .She provided bathroom towels and beach towels. There was plenty of space in the room, but we found we spent most of our time at the bar around the pool when we were at the hotel.

My wife and I booked a two week stay in August direct with the owner, Eva. We had made the decision on the understanding of the great reviews seen on various sites. However, on arrival we were surprised and disturbed by our findings and where the so called “good reviews” had come from. I believe in writing a honest and frank review because people do read them and make decisions accordingly. I emailed Eva and asked if we could book direct and she agreed this could be done. The deal was for 65 euros per night which includes WiFi and aircon. The only other fee was for an extra 65 euros for a ‘unit clean’ when we left. I asked if Eva would arrange a taxi company to collect us from the airport, and again, she agreed to do so. I then received an email to state we was going to be collected by an elderly gentleman named Harry. The shuttle fee was 40 euros. (Later found out that Harry was her husband). I hope for future reference customers check if he is insured to carry passengers and is a registered taxi company? On arrival we was greeted with a glass of cordial and to be informed that the 65 euros for a ‘unit clean’ was indeed to clean the aircon after we leave. I questioned this purely because I had never heard of such a thing anywhere on our travels. “We have the aircon cleaned every time someone leaves because of Covid” That leads to further questions, does Crete have a Covid issue, why are no other Covid cleans carried out in public areas, if a person stays for one night do they have to pay this fee???? The apartments are completely isolated. Don’t believe what you are told or read concerning distance to beach and Lidl. We have walked it we know. Maps might show they are 800 metres and a km respectively but that may be in a direct line and even then i would question it. We walked to Lidl and it takes 20 minutes which is relatively downhill and over 30 minutes back up hill. The same can be said for the beach. With the sun beating down it takes a toll on the body. Evalia apartments sell water at 4 euros and the same product is 1.5 euros anywhere else. Nice to know you pay over double for the convenience. Evalia apts are self catering. To make your stay more comfortable Eva offers a menu with over inflated prices. Eva also states that not everything is on the menu so it’s best if you order in the morning to receive for dinner. So I ordered a vegetarian option and my wife ordered lamb. We ordered a bottle of water too for my wife. We was told “dinner will be ready at 6pm". At 6pm we went downstairs for our food. I was told my dinner was ready and my wives would take another twenty minutes. I asked that we would like both to eat at the same time. Forty five minutes later our food arrived and what we believed was a side salad that we had not ordered. My food was cold, which was a potato and zucchini dish, and I pointed this out and she asked if I wanted it in the microwave. The dish was covered in olive oil and was disgusting so I refused the