Palaiochora Beach

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

Stayed as a family of 4 for 9 days in mid August 2025, 2 adults and 2 children. Positives: Remote hill top location in Old Town Malia (10/10). Villas with private 10m to 15m length pools (10/10). Overall the teams were very helpful and did their best to support. Amazing views of Malia from your balcony from the hill top location (10/10). Notable mentions; Alexia at the front desk, New lady in the restaurant from Romania, Male supervisor / manager who helped us after we got locked out of the villa with 2 keys at night. Private pool chemical level being checked. Met the new owner at dinner whilst the teams were stressfully trying to work out our bill for a new menu and he said he his aware of what they need to improve on and service is not were he wants it to be. Negatives: Attention to detail I.e. 1 bed was missing its top cover for the first 3 nights. Very easy to lock yourself out of the villa because of the safety feature on the doors. Service in the restaurant needs to be improved / missed opportunity from the hotel due to isolated location. Catering options are very limited / Menu cards are confusing / Not clear what you have ordered and what you are paying for. Nightly disturbances from staffing quarters into the early morning (stayed in villa 407). No locks on the bathroom or toilet doors. Hot water in the tap & shower is extremely boiling hot. Toilet / Shower room on the lower floor in the 2 bedroom villas should have a solid divider as water gets everywhere.

We were so happy we stayed at this charming and sophisticated boutique hotel. It is a little gem in the heart of the historic area. Our room had wonderful views of the water and it was easy to walk to restaurants and shops. The staff was amazing, starting with the owner who personally walked around greeting guests. The hotel has a great feel to it. We definitely recommend it, staying there was memorable experience.