Ostria Resort and Spa

The place is beautiful but there is a major need for a shift in management style, especially down to the attitudes of staff.

Pro's

• The place looks beautiful and it's straight onto the beach.
• Always a bed on the beach and close to most of the amenities.
• Buffet food was some of the nicest I've had at an all inclusive, so props for that.
• Rooms were cleaned nicely and the whole place felt extremely clean. Dirty tables were not there for long.
• Special shout out to the ladies at the crepe stand, you were the friendliest on the whole resort and the sweet and savoury crepes were delicious.
• Extremely quiet and, even with the torrential rain, we didn't have to worry about anything coming in.

Cons

• The staff can be extremely aloof. Some warmed to us towards the end but they mostly felt cold towards us.
• Extremely catered to french clientele, this was also mentioned by our rep on site.
• Day beds by the pool go quickly, so we weren't able to enjoy the main pool.
• The "beach bar" was not open at all and we were never given a reason as to why. One of the main points for booking this place was for that. Although the pool bar isn't too far, it still felt like false advertising.
• It's "table service" for drinks in all restaurants but we were never offered drinks at the snack bar and had to grab our own from the pool bar if we wanted something more than juice and water. Also, had to ask more than one member of staff for a second drink, as only given 1? Maybe trying to rush the experience.
• The pools were not "heated", so didn't manage to stay in the adults only pool for long.
• Not much around, plus didn't fancy spending 1.5hrs on a bus to get into Ierapetra but this isn't really a fault of the hotel, more the location.
• Maps show an "open gym" but this never got finished, so unsure why this is still visible on all maps issues to guests.

The weather was extremely chaotic but this has nothing to do with the resort, apparently this is one of the worst storms they've had in years. So only managed to get 3 sunny days out of 7!

Didn't really involve ourselves with the animation team but they gravitated towards the French guests and had, from what I could see, little to do with others outside of this.

I wouldn't class this as a 5*, probably a 3* at best. Especially since you have to pay extra to use the gym? Never been to a resort where this has been a thing. I wouldn't say this is value for money.

Would I stay here again? Under the current management, no. If this was improved or changed, then probably.

The only thing that was not perfect during our stay was the way the guests were treated by the animation team.

The animators clearly had a strong preference for French-speaking guests and mostly interacted with them, while guests of other nationalities were often left out or simply ignored. This was particularly disappointing because the animation team is incredibly talented and puts on truly amazing shows.

Unfortunately, a large part of the daily activities and entertainment was conducted mainly in French, which made it difficult or even impossible for other guests to participate. This was especially noticeable during the rainy and stormy days of our stay, when the animation programme was one of the few entertainment options available at the hotel.

It is a shame because the animators have so much talent and clearly put a lot of effort into their performances. A more inclusive approach towards guests of all nationalities would have made our experience much better.

Apart from this, the rest of the staff were wonderful. The waiters and bartenders were incredibly friendly, helpful and welcoming, and we really appreciated their service.

We had a wonderful stay at Ostria whilst the sun was shining. The food and drinks were tasty and varied. We loved the different parts of the main restaurant where adults only could eat. The house wine served at meal times too was enjoyable if you didn’t want to purchase premium bottles. We had a swim up room which was very comfortable. The pool was lovely and had a great terrace with loungers etc. We liked to use the main pool too with the comfy loungers and access to drinks. This was away from the slightly smaller pool where the animation team did their bit. I prefer a relaxing atmosphere where I can read and chill. Having a choice was a bonus. The room AC was great for me as I prefer a cool environment at all times. However, we were here when the torrential storms and flooding appeared. Sadly our holiday was ruined after just 2 days but the hotel and staff did everything they could to improve moral. I felt so sorry for all of them as the conditions were unprecedented.