The Cactus Beach - Crete very unfriendly reception staff but lovely restaurant and tavera staff. Catering mostly for Germans and full of Germans no chance of a sun lounger at the pool. Be very careful to ask for an apartment without a Spiral Staircase - these could be deadly to small children and also dangerous even to adults. Our first night was spent in one even through they had been forwarned that my 6 year old was in a cast over the bottom half of her leg. We complained next day after a very restless night and were moved. The apartment we were moved to was like day to night although up a flight of stairs the apartment itself was level inside and had a nice view - very clean and tidy and just so different from the one down a narrow alley near the back of the complex. The food was average - we booked all inclusive but will not do that again here as you can eat cheap out and the drinks package was no good unless you like Raki or Ouzo. Soft drinks were included but not diet drinks which cost 2 euros a small bottle - Vodka etc was around 4.5 euros so a vodka and diet was around 6.5 euros!! Sunbeds and shades on "their" beach were also extra at 2-3 euros each and as there was no chance of a lounger at the pool you were also out of pocket for drinks/food at the beach taverna whihc does not operate under their AI package. To sum up - Very unfriendly reception staff, average food, terrible AI package, good base, all other staff were very friendly especially Georgious the Head Waiter, Stephanos and Eleni. Has a small onsite supermarket and the girls there were just lovely.

I have just returned from my holiday in Stalis...the hotel was okay but some of the staff were very rude and unhelpful.
This hotel caters mostly for the Germans and Austrians. the evening entertainment one night was showing a video of Crete and the 1st video was suppose to be in German and the 2nd in English we waited for the 2nd one to betold that they hadn't got it in English.
I travelled with 2 kids and there is suppose to be a kids club but it wasn't open .It did open on the last day of our holiday but we were asked to pay for it.

One more thing if you are travelling with kids ask them not to put you in the rooms with the spiral stairs as its very unsafe for the kids.

I will definately not be going there again.

My holiday was ruined the staff were the most unfriendly bunch I have ever come across and treated members of my party like second class citizens, the hotel catered for the germans, the lady by the pool bar actually attacked an american child for a minor accident, there is so much more to complain about I will be writing to Thomas Cook.

unfriendly staff+ poor service (maids change towels every 3 days!!!) + poor food