Rizikas Vacations from $1,033

Beautiful Hotel in a Great Location, But Some Details Let It Down We recently stayed at Castello Boutique Suites in Sissi, Crete to celebrate our anniversary, and overall, we had a very good holiday. The hotel made a wonderful gesture by upgrading us to a larger suite with a private side pool, which felt so special and really set the tone for our stay. The suite itself was stylish and comfortable, the breakfast was excellent every morning, and the staff were consistently warm, welcoming, and genuinely kind. The location couldn’t be better — just a 2-minute walk from the charming port of Sissi, with plenty of tavernas and shops nearby. That said, as this is marketed as a five-star hotel, we were a little disappointed by some details. Positives: – Thoughtful anniversary upgrade to a suite with private pool. – Beautiful, modern, and spacious room. – Fantastic location (2 minutes from Sissi port). – Excellent breakfast with plenty of choice and quality. – Friendly, professional, and welcoming staff. – Relaxed, peaceful atmosphere throughout. Negatives: – Private pool jets and lights didn’t work; nothing was fixed during our stay. – Pool needed topping up and sides had algae. – No towel hooks in the bathroom; “do not disturb” system broken. – Daily housekeeping, but balcony wasn’t cleaned in 8 nights. – Cups and glasses not refreshed — had to wash them ourselves. No blinds/curtains: poolside window let in sun at 5am, back window was lit at night, affecting sleep and

This was one of the most disappointing hotel experiences I’ve had. The Hotels.com listing is misleading and materially inaccurate. Its advertised the hotel as being on a white sandy beach with an exclusive beach bar, complete with photos suggesting exactly that. In reality, there is no exclusive beach bar and the nearest beach is public, rocky and nothing like the images or description (it’s a vile beach). Had the listing been accurate, I would never have booked this hotel. The problems didn’t end there. The blonde concierge was extremely unhelpful and refused to assist with booking restaurants or beach clubs. The hot water remained lukewarm throughout our stay and the manager shrugged his shoulders and refused to investigate. Towels were stained, had holes in them and are used interchangeably for both the bathrooms and the beach. The patio door regularly got stuck creating a safety concern. Housekeeping removed bedding from our room and failed to replace it, and when we raised it with the manager, he accused us of stealing it. The plunge pools are also very misleading in the marketing photos. Rather than overlooking a luxury setting, ours looked directly onto a car park and supermarket/high street. The location itself was also a huge disappointment.