A sunny welcome at Cretan Malia Park

We had the chance to visit the Cretan Malia Park, a wonderful hotel right next to the beach. Here is our guided tour with Charlotte, executive sales manager of the hotel!

At dawn, we took the plane in the Charleroi Airport, in Belgium, under a grey sky which soon let rain fall. We were heading to Heraklion, for a sunny landing. Our rental car was waiting for us and we immediately hit the road to reach the superb Cretan Malia Park. Once parked, a member of the hotel staff heartily greeted us and unloaded our luggage from the car trunk to bring them to the lobby of the hotel. We then met with Charlotte, sales manager, who kindly welcomed us while our check-in was quickly made, a fast and efficient check-in.

The front part of the hotel shows a white colour that is typical of Greece decorated with wooden touches and vegetation. The main hall leads the way with a subtle blend of white, light brown and soft green, which gives off an earthy atmosphere and that deviates from the usual decorations that can be found in many Greek hotels. Refreshing.

We were taken on a hotel tour by our host Charlotte, sales manager, a walk that also allowed us to discover the general atmosphere of the hotel, a very jovial one. We saw different categories of rooms, and precisely the family rooms that provide with a very large space and a separate sleeping area for children where they may squabble to know who will first win the upper bed! Moreover, it offers a large bathroom and a terrace with a view on the sea which conquered our hearts. A perfect place for two parents with two children.

We then reached our own rooms after a delicious meal at the Italian restaurant. Located at the ground-floor level, these accommodations offer a terrace opening onto the sharing pool. A large King-size bed, welcoming gifts (raki, Greek biscuits), a flat screen TV, a mini fridge, tea and coffee amenities, bathrobes, slippers, a bathroom and a large sliding window door opening onto the sharing pool, not to mention the sofa that can be used as a bed for a child. Regarding the decoration, we found a warm interior, refined, with wooden notes, warm and earthy colours, long story short, a place where you would almost feel at home.

The clock showed 2 P.M. We were invited to the Almyra restaurant where Italian specialities were waiting for us to be eaten. As a starter, we were served a selection of sea fruits, grilled octopus, a variety of seasoned vegetables, all of this in a Greek style: everyone could pick on the table everything they liked. The main course was served in an identical way, and each of us could choose from the freshly made pizza, a delicious beef tartare, a roasted chicken with its sauce and a sole filet.

All the products were fresh, and the wine that accompanied the dishes was nicely chosen. Yet, we noticed a relatively long waiting time between the starter and the main course, while only two other tables were occupied in the whole restaurant. On a side note, we found that the music volume was a slightly too high to our taste.

At dawn, we dined at the Mouriès, a typically Cretan restaurant, an à la carte taverna with exceptional flavours led by the deft hands of chef Iliadis Lefteris. We were simply left in awe from the beginning till the end. Our culinary experience was perfect: fresh, flavourful, refined and beautifully laid out products, thanks to the cooking team in the open kitchen. Dishes that we will hardly forget. A special note to the wine choice that simply was divine, and the general atmosphere that almost is bewildering. Greece within Greece.

Everything is thought as to welcome families in the best conditions, parents and children: restaurants with tasty and unforgettable dishes and which atmosphere genuinely makes the guests feel delighted, large green spaces edged with wonderful flowers, rose trees and trees that blend incredibly well with the buildings, an easy and fast access to the beach, and last but not least, a very joyful kids-club for your children. Missing a hotel with such standards would be a true pity: contact our Little Concierge teams and they will happily organise your whole trip and stay at the Cretan Malia Park!

Thank you very much Little Guest, see you soon!