Sol Marina Beach Crete

Ioanna and Selina in the spa are amazing. We booked children’s massages for our 7 and 4 year olds and they gave them such a lovely experience. Would definitely recommend.

A Fantastic All-Inclusive Hotel with Brilliant Staff

We had a lovely week at Sol Marina Beach Hotel in Gouves, staying near the far pool with the swim-up bar (on the quieer side), and overall had a really enjoyable holiday.

Rooms

The rooms were simple but clean, functional and well maintained. Daily cleaning, fresh towels and replenished drinking water were provided throughout our stay. Nothing overly fancy, but everything we needed, and we were very impressed.

Food and Drinks

The food was great, with a huge selection at breakfast, lunch and dinner. There was plenty of variety, and the overall quality was very good. The snack bar near the main pool was also a welcome addition, offering lighter bites away from the busier main restaurant.

The drinks were equally impressive, with a wide selection of cocktails, as well as local beers and wines that were all very enjoyable. I've read alot of reviews about the coffee not being up to scratch but I'm assuming they are expecting barista style coffee for a full and busy hotel which is not efficient and imagine the queues at breakfast!? The coffee machines were more than adequate and took literally seconds to get your tipple and move on. I am an avid coffee drinker and had no issues with it as i understand what the hotel is about and that speed and efficiency of the coffee supercedes higher quality at the cost of waiting in line for a while. Bring your own machine next time if you are that fussy.

A special mention to Niki at the pool bar, who was fantastic. She was always polite, welcoming and accommodating, and quickly got to know my usual drink. It was lovely to see someone making that extra effort to ensure guests felt welcome.

Staff and Service

The staff really were brilliant throughout our stay. Everyone we encountered was polite, friendly and willing to go the extra mile to meet our needs.

Elena at reception deserves a special mention. She was our first point of contact when we arrived late, and from that first interaction onwards, she always made us feel welcome.

I'd also particularly like to thank Fanny and the lifeguards. My son unfortunately bumped his head in the indoor pool (his own fault, I might add!), and they took the incident very seriously. They made a genuine effort to check on him repeatedly and even offered to arrange a doctor's visit if necessary. Their care and attention were reassuring to see, and it gave us real confidence that the team genuinely looks after its guests. Thank you for going above and beyond.

Entertainment and Activities

The animation team were great, and John was absolutely hilarious, carrying his music speaker around and lifting everyone's spirits. He certainly brought plenty of energy and fun to the holiday!

My son particularly enjoyed the football sessions. There seemed to be additional sessions around 21:15 due to the amount of interest, which was great to see. The evening entertainment was enjoyable, and the kids' club activities at night offered plenty of fun and variety. I would say that the astro turf pitch, which also had tennis available to play also needs attention as was very run down and some areas were muddy and slippery. However, this was after some really nad weather and near the end of the season so would be great if this gets an upgrade for next year.

There were also lots of additional activities available, including darts, bowls and archery, as well as a reasonably well-equipped gym which I took full use of a few times.

Pools and Facilities

The pools were lovely. Yes, they were on the cold side, but after spending hours in the boiling sunshine, they were absolutely refreshing and very welcome! No complaints from us, and if the pool isn't for you, there's always the beach nearby. The kids splash area was a hit and great fun on the slides and we took use of the indoor pool as our first few days were nit great weather so plenty of pools to choose from.

The hotel also has a small indoor supermarket with a surprisingly large selection of stock, although prices are understandably a little higher than elsewhere. There's an ATM on the corner outside the hotel and also along the beachfront super markets. The hotel also benefits with a small games area featuring arcade games and a pool table which our kids loved.

We visited towards the end of the season, but you honestly wouldn't have known it. Everything felt as though it was still in full swing, with plenty going on and no noticeable drop in service or atmosphere.

The hotel does have a strong tie with German and French clientele and alot of the entertainment was in multiple languages which was great to see. Learnt a few new words as most seemes to speak some English. Everyone we encountered were respectful and pleasant and although there were alot of language barriers with the guests, we appreciated a few jokes and friendly conversations with our European neighbours and they treated us with respect and welcoming. This was evident during the football matches my son played in and everyone got on so well. Can be daunting playing with complete strangers but adding the language differences really was a life lesson for my son and one he will not forget how football can bring people together.

Location and Things to Do The hotel is conveniently located around 20 minutes' transfer from the airport, which is a real bonus when travelling with young children.

There is a small tourist train that travels up and down the coast on a hop-on, hop-off basis. It's a nice enough way to explore the immediate area, although there isn't a huge amount to see along the route.

Gouves itself is around a 15-minute walk away and offers some lovely tavernas if you fancy a change of scenery and a taste of more traditional local cuisine. We'd particularly recommend Knossos Family Taverna for its atmosphere, dancing and plate smashing on certain days. Great fun and well worth experiencing for a change of scenery.

The surrounding area is perhaps a little tired and not the most picturesque part of Crete, but there are still some lovely sea views and interesting spots to discover.

Would We Return? Yes if the all inclusive is our thing, but we as a family have decided we like the smaller style hotels and prefer a bed and breakfast style holiday rather than the all inclusive as we just felt we don't take advantage of this as much as we would like and may consider it later on when our kids are grown and the all inclusive option feels more up our street. With that said though, if you're looking for a good-quality all-inclusive hotel with excellent food and drinks, brilliant staff, plenty of activities and entertainment, and a convenient location close to the airport, then Sol Marina Beach Hotel is well worth considering.

Final Thoughts

We genuinely cannot fault the hotel. From the food and facilities to the entertainment and, above all, the fantastic staff, we had a really good time.

The care shown by the team, particularly when my son had his accident, really stood out and made us feel that we were in good hands.

A huge thank you to everyone at Sol Marina Beach Hotel who helped make our holiday so enjoyable and memorable. You should all be proud of the experience you provide your guests!

We just returned from a weeks stay here and we were so sad to be leaving. This hotel is excellent and well suited for families. There is really nothing that we could complain about.

Staff are friendly and always willing to help. Hotel is in an excellent location. Plenty of things to entertain everyone in our party.

The room was on the smaller side but clean and housekeeping was in everyday. The hotel grounds were spotless. Pool and bar areas clean.

The beach is right across the road and no need to pay for sun loungers as it belongs to the hotel.

Food was excellent and there was always something great to eat.

We would absolutely return to this hotel and are already considering trying others elsewhere within the same brand.