Giannoulis – Cavo Spada Luxury Sports & Leisure Resort & Spa

Superb hotel set within its own grounds. If you need a quiet getaway without crowned pool or sea this is the place. Food service & quality is excellent. Hard working staff with an excellent positive attitude to help guests. Will be returning back in June 2026. A big thank you to all your hard working staff, most appreciated

We booked the Ultra All Inclusive package, which meant we could try all the à la carte restaurants and special meals. That said, even without it, we would have happily spent 7 nights enjoying the main buffet — the food was excellent. The UAI package also included a complimentary 45-minute spa treatment each, which was a real treat. We both had a scrub and massage and loved it. We ended up using the spa several more times — it’s gorgeous. Although the hotel was apparently at full capacity, it never felt crowded. The huge lagoon pool rarely had more than 10 people in it at once. Yes, the beach is rocky — but just bring beach shoes and embrace not getting covered in sand. For us, it was perfect. The staff are outstanding. Every single person we met was warm, friendly, and nothing was too much trouble. Vasilia in Guest Relations deserves a special mention — she seemed to be everywhere at once and is such an asset to the hotel — but honestly, all the staff are a credit to the place. We took the local bus into Chania one day. It was less than €4 each way (and you can pay by card). Really straightforward and well worth doing. Vasilia mentioned she welcomes constructive criticism, so we thought hard… the only thing we could suggest was a faster toaster at breakfast! That said, I ended up having some nice chats while waiting for my toast, so hardly a hardship. Tip: bring a game for the evenings. The bar area was lively, with lots of people playing cards and board games, and the hotel had some available to borrow too.

Just to be clear we had a very nice 11 nights. In general, the hotel and its staff are great but there are issues and perhaps some responsibility lies with the tour operator, in our case Tui. The hotel is clean and well laid out but it doesn't hit the 5 star luxury mark. The bathroom in our room was tired especially the shower and the drainage was poor. The spa looked like it needed a bit of TLC to. The wifi is poor when it works, very frustrating. The food was very good (the ice cream isn't), limited in options especially around the pool area and strangely for the kids. Kids love pizza! Gyros was available daily as long as you paid 12 euros for it! You also get non-branded cola, fanta etc around the pool and in the main bar at night, really?! Luxury?! We ate out quite a few times locally which is well worth doing. The bus service is excellent, taxis are pricy! I would advise against the theme nights. We did the BBQ night, food was excellent but the surcharge (22 euros per person) is not good value. The entertainment was limited but very good when on. The problem is it finishes at 10.30!! Apparently guests don't like noise and need to sleep so they are fresh for activities. 10.30 is far too early. Charging for everything in the mini bar except 2 bottles of water unless you pay extra, luxury?! I don't think so. Surely some soft drinks and beer should be free, ridiculous. After a while you realise if you want the luxury elements you have to pay more, pretty much everything is chargeable. If you are undecided read the reviews and make your own mind up. There are much better alternatives in Spain and Turkey, I'm sure in Crete to. Will definitely return to Crete but not to this hotel.

Just to be clear we had a very nice 11 nights. In general, the hotel and its staff are great but there are issues and perhaps some responsibility lies with the tour operator, in our case Tui. The hotel is clean and well laid out but it doesn't hit the 5 star luxury mark. The bathroom in our room was tired especially the shower and the drainage was poor. The spa looked like it needed a bit of TLC to. The wifi is poor when it works, very frustrating. The food was very good (the ice cream isn't), limited in options especially around the pool area and strangely for the kids. Kids love pizza! Gyros was available daily as long as you paid 12 euros for it! You also get non-branded cola, fanta etc around the pool and in the main bar at night, really?! Luxury?! We ate out quite a few times locally which is well worth doing. The bus service is excellent, taxis are pricy! I would advise against the theme nights. We did the BBQ night, food was excellent but the surcharge (22 euros per person) is not good value. The entertainment was limited but very good when on. The problem is it finishes at 10.30!! Apparently guests don't like noise and need to sleep so they are fresh for activities. 10.30 is far too early. Charging for everything in the bar except 2 bottles of water unless you pay extra, luxury?! I don't think so. Surely some soft drinks and beer should be free, ridiculous. After a while you realise if you want the luxury elements you have to pay more, pretty much everything is chargeable. If you are undecided read the reviews and make your own mind up. There are much better alternatives in Spain and Turkey, I'm sure in Crete to. Will definitely return to Crete but not to this hotel.

We stayed at Cavo Spada all-inclusive and the experience was exceptional: the professional attitude at reception who went out of their way to accommodate our vacation and accommodated our requests, the detailed explanations of the attractions in the area and the excellent room that catered to both meat eaters and vegetarians, the drinks at the bar, the design that makes you feel like you're alone at the beautiful end of the world, the large rooms, the excellent beds, the sweet dining room, the peace and quiet. Thanks to the staff and especially to Antonis, Aliki, Mqnos, Panagiotis, Silver and Georgia and all the bartenders at the indoor bar. Please note that the hotel is about an hour's bus ride from the center of Chania and half an hour by car or taxi. Bring board games for the nights - there is a super special atmosphere in the lobby.

Our family (M, D, 12 & 15yo) experience of this hotel was extremely good. Not having been on a package holiday for many years we specifically chose a hotel that was smaller and calmer than others. The hotel matched up to this description and the reviews we read. We went in 'peak, start of the school summer holidays' time and the hotel was at capacity (see later, how we got to know the manager). That said on our flight it was just us and one other couple dropped off and the majority of the customers were Scandinavian. A word of warning on the transfer - TUI suggested 45mins on the website, but it actually takes 90mins plus from Chania airport. We opted to get a taxi back (65Euros) for the return journey! Another plus, for us, was that there was no TUI rep welcome meeting etc. So if it wasn't for playing the organised Beach Volley ball social, which the manager joins in on, you wouldn't have noticed it was at 100% occupancy. We were able to be seated at the restaurant every meal time, with ample amounts of food on the buffet. We could walk down to the pool at 1030am and still find 4 sun loungers and parasol / tree shade with ease. The pool is as big as it looks in the pictures and is a constant depth of 1.1M, not heated (as far as we can make out), but as it was the middle of the summer there was no need! 5 of 7 days there is aqua aerobics for 25mins, beware of the midday sun and being in the water! I also played tennis on two separate occasions at 6pm, whilst it was still in the mid-30s. The rental of equipment was 10Euro and was of poor quality, both rackets and balls. If you are serious about playing tennis, bring your own. The courts (all weather astro!) were bumpy and lines not straight, but then it gets a lot of beating by the sun. We saw, but didn't partake in, the beach yoga and the outdoors gym, both of which seemed to be well run (and stocked in the case of the gym). There is a padel court that we wanted to have a go on, but unfortunately the 'social padel' didn't get enough people in our week. The sea was warm, and for most of the time it was calm enough to snorkel, with the last few days being a yellow, then red flagged. Snorkelling wise the depth drops to a few meters within a 5m of the beach and is then pretty flat with sandy bottom with rocks. There are fish, not massive, but colourful and if you dive down you get to see them up close. It's not the Red Sea, Maldives or the Great Barrier Reef but kept me going back in day after day. Food was plentiful and varied, with very little overlap from meal to meal and day to day, just the staple of spaghetti bolognaise (meat and veggie) and ice cream! There was a lot of choice for veggie, vegan and gluten free diets. Alongside the varied options for each meal there was also more plain foods so you great for more fussy eaters. One highlight of how well the hotel looks after their guests was when we overheard a family asking for meals with very low sugar for their daughter. The res