All You Need to Know About the Pool
at Giannoulis - Santa Marina Beach Hotel
Full view
Pool & Beach (206)
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Guests1 room, 2 adults, 0 children
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Pool review highlights
... spacious. The hotel has it own beach and two rather large pools which we enjoyed. The food is good and though a little...
... been opened our experience might have been different. The pool area by the higher end accommodation is lovely and the rooms...
... was able to offer. My only (very slight) issue is that the pools are either very shallow (0.5m) or very deep (at least 1.5m)...
Most popular question about the pool
Can you use inflatables in the pool?
Answer from Alyson B
Sep 2020 |
Reviews that mention pool
Write a reviewStayed for a week in the two floor familyroom which was clean and very spacious.
The hotel has it own beach and two rather large pools which we enjoyed.
The food is good and though a little wait can be expected due to Covid it was not an issue.
The staff is very friendly.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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This hotel is a hotel of two halves which I didn’t feel was made clear at the time of booking. By this, I mean that the hotel’s sections are divided by the road. Some of the accommodation is on one side where you find the restaurant and beach, and the other (higher end) accommodation is on the other side. You can go through a tunnel to access either side, but we just didn’t feel it was ideal. Saying that, at the time of our visit, one of the restaurants (situated where the higher end accommodation was based and where we had booked), was closed due to lower occupancy to comply with COVID19 Regulations and had this been opened our experience might have been different.
The pool area by the higher end accommodation is lovely and the rooms are definitely of better standard that lots of other 4* hotels in Greece. The air conditioning worked well and the bathrooms felt luxurious. The gardens are nicely maintained and after viewing other rooms in the hotel, the higher end option is definitely the best.
The general manager and his senior team really are trying their best to offer excellent customer service. Unfortunately, some of the restaurant buffet staff let the service down. We realised that COVID19 has of course had an impact on how things are run, but we felt there was no need for staff to be rude and, having stayed in other hotels in Greece during this period we knew it didn’t have to be that way. Saying that, there were a few staff that stood out for their excellent service – Efti was one of them, who served us in the Al-La-Carte restaurant.
I wanted to be able to rate this hotel more highly because of the Managers customer service and attitude, as well as the ‘high end’ rooms. However, I felt the food in the buffet could have been of better standard and some of the staff really need to have a nicer persona!
I realise that lots of hotels are still figuring out the best way forward after COVID19, I just hope this hotel can make a few tweaks and it would be so much better.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
1 Helpful vote
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Response from Giannoulis Hotels, Γενικός Διευθυντής at Giannoulis - Santa Marina Beach Hotel
Responded 09 Sep 2020
Dear Laurahamo24, Thank you kindly for your input which is greatly appreciated! It is quite obvious from your review, that there were some missing information regarding our hotel, eventhough our hotel operates for many years being the senior of our 'Giannoulis Hotels & Resorts' group and it is well known that its sections are divided by the road. We regret that this information has not been acknowledged to you prior to your arrival. Nevertheless, we have tried to offer alternatives by showing other rooms and the final decision was based on those and according to your wish. Unfortunately, this season has been different compared to previous ones in many different scales and this of course has a great impact to our hotels' operation. It is a fact that 'Thodorou' restaurant located at Pearl Wing where your rooms were located was not in operation due to quite low occupancy levels on one hand and to the other hand we had to copy with many limitations and measurements in order to be able to control the spread of COVID 19. Needless to mention that under a normal season that would not have been the case and we understand your discomfort, however it was not totally up to our hands this year. It is rather encouraging to read that you recognise the effort from our management team and some members of our staff to offer an excellent customer service, however on the down side we are quite disappointed to read that a member of our staff did not manage to copy with this ideal. Not to mention, that all necessary actions have been taken in order to safeguard that all members of our staff are customer focused and trying to offer an excellent service to our guests. Finally, your mention for the buffet standard have been noted, yet we would have appreciated it more if we knew about it earlier at the duration of your stay, so as to have the chance to intervene and offer solutions according to your desires which in many cases I am convinced that we did. Once again it has been an honor having you here at our premises, On behalf of every member of the staff at 'Giannoulis Santa Marina Beach Resort', we would like to wish you every success, the best of luck and health to yourself and your lovely family! Looking forward to seeing you again at our premises! Best regards, The management
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
My family have just enjoyed a week holiday at this hotel and I cannot compliment it enough. The location is fantastic, the staff are lovely and the rooms are perfect. If like us you have children reluctant to share a bed (an 11yr old girl and an 8yr old boy) and find it difficult to get a family room where your children don't have to share, get one of their family maisonnettes. With the difficulties they must be experiencing at the moment, with coronavirus, we were very impressed with the service the hotel was able to offer. My only (very slight) issue is that the pools are either very shallow (0.5m) or very deep (at least 1.5m) so it was difficult for our children to 'play' in the pools, the pools are for swimming or for babies, not for playing about. But we did not want to leave and all 4 of us want to return.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
1 Helpful vote
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Response from Giannoulis Hotels, Γενικός Διευθυντής at Giannoulis - Santa Marina Beach Hotel
Responded 21 Aug 2020
Dear Mrs. alysonb132., On behalf of Giannoulis Santa Marina Beach Hotel, I would like to personally thank you for choosing to stay with us. We realize your time is valuable and appreciate your input and feedback so that we can continue to provide service that does not only meet but exceeds our guests’ expectations, especially these troubled times... We are looking forward to welcoming you here on your next visit, when the conditions are even more favorable... Until then, Stay Safe... Warm Regards, The Management.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
I spent one week vacation in this hotel in september 2019.
In a few words:
Restaurant location perfect, with very nice see view and good services. The same appreciation for beach bar services and coffee quality.
All Inclusive plan OK. If you are habituated with 5 stars all inclusive plan you can feel the difference.
Nice see view room. Good cleanliness services.
Nice beach, sea and swimming pool.
Weaknesses:
- reception services. Low level of courtesy.
- in 25 years of Greece vacation is the first hotel with all inclusive services where you have to pay additional for the sunbeds and umbrella on his private beach and the water from room refrigerator. It's not a metter of money, I talk about principle. They can add few euro on the room price If they like.
Overall it's a good location but a few things could be improved.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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Response from Giannoulis Hotels, Γενικός Διευθυντής at Giannoulis - Santa Marina Beach Hotel
Responded 17 Aug 2020
Dear 382danieln, Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience of your stay with us! The management and the staff of our resort are already informed about your notices. We hope that you will give us the chance to seeing you again in the near future. Best regards, The management
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
My girlfriend and I had stayed at this hotel for a week holiday in June 2019. We stayed in the Beachfront room and had the all inclusive package which was booked with Jet2 (highly recommended).
Overall: the hotel for the most part was absolutely wonderful, food=amazing, rooms=clean and always maintained, service=for the most part lovely (will explain this later).
I’ll list the positives and negatives below:
POSITIVES:
- variety of food at buffet
- cleanliness of room A*** for cleaners
- the beach is amazing (blue flag listed)
- main bar, reception and most restaurant staff were so kind and punctual at breakfast, lunch and dinner
- the hotel’s awareness about the environment
More detail:
The food at Santa Marina was amazing. There was a great variety of food, so if you’re looking to immerse yourself in Greek food you’ll enjoy the buffet here. Accompanying this was the usual pizza, spaghetti, chicken dishes which you will find at all hotels so there is a good range for all people. there were themed nights for dinner e.g. Chinese inspired night which reinforces the variety.
Breakfast had your standard fry up food, as well and deli meats and cheeses, and a cook making crepes fresh constantly.
On the Thursday evening, there was a special “Cretan Night” in which there was a small BBQ out in the courtyard area between the hotel and beach which had live Cretan music and dancers. This was amazing as they really encouraged everyone to join in and dance, whilst also teaching us all how to perform some famous Greek dances.
(Breakfast is 7:30-10:00, Lunch is 12:30-2:30, Dinner is 7:00-9:30 — if you have an all inclusive wristband, there is ice cream and snacks served between each of the main meals).
The cleaners for the rooms were amazing. We never saw them (which is a good thing as they never disturbed us) and kept our room very tidy and clean. Towels were always stocked and bedsheets were changed once during our stay which is standard. They tend to clean rooms quite early when guests are at breakfast so if you’re having a lay in make sure you use the “do not disturb” door hangers!
The beach itself was beautiful. With our room being on the beachfront (which is where the main reception and buffet is also located so I’d recommend booking these specific rooms if you prefer ease of access to everything), this was just a short walk from our room to the sunbeds on the beach (literally 30 seconds from ground floor of the hotel). I believe if you have the all inclusive package then you can have the sunbeds for free but any other package there is a €2.50 fee per bed (this wasn’t very clear and we only suspect this from seeing a staff member asking everyone their room numbers and asking for the fee every now and again). There is a lifeguard tower on the hotel’s section of the beach which is constantly manned during the day. There are many many signs to ensure the beach stays clean and no rubbish is thrown on the ground so that the beach can maintain their blue flag status.
The sea, well it is a blue flag beach so the sea is always going to be amazing. Very blue and shallow (about 50-75 metres out and the water was still only about a 1.5 metres deep!)
There are a consistent flow of men trying to sell you sunglasses, kimonos, watches etc. But that happens everywhere so not a problem and they were surprisingly very nice and chatty even when we weren’t interested in buying their products.
The hotel entertainers are consistently organising sport activities on the beach to make sure everyone is included and entertained such as water aerobics, volleyball, football and other mini-games. Thy always have a smile on their face day in day out so bravo to them!
The pool bar during the day was good and served all the main drinks you’d expect (although the staff seemed moody most days).
The main bar (for evenings) staff were so kind and jokey and made every drink expertly. And always chatted to guests who were sitting by the bar whilst efficiently making drinks. No complaints here whatsoever!
MOST of the buffet restaurant waiting staff were lovely. Always had smiles on their faces and were always on the lookout to clear empty plates off your tables and refill of water/drinks if you needed them. More specifically a waiter named Michalis was amazing. He was so kind and you could tell he loved his job and making sure the guests were treated properly (deserves a pay rise!).
Reception staff were amazing. Always helpful and open 24/7 so they were always ready to help. They were also very chatty and loved asking questions to make you feel more welcome. 10/10!!
In the room and around the hotel there is an added awareness about the environment and current climate change issues (e.g. signage in the rooms showing information about towel cleaning etc.).
NEGATIVES:
- some buffet staff were rude and favoured older people (we are 23/22 compared to most of the hotel guests being 40+ on average)
During lunch and dinner on every night, there were a certain few staff members who were quite rude in the sense that they would ignore us if we sat down at a table waiting to get drinks (as you need to be served to get drinks at lunch and dinner). These specific hotel staff members would purposely walk past our table to tables with older people sat down.
Now this is fine for the first couple times and sometimes staff members do just miss seeing you, and that is understandable. But this went on for a good 10/15 minutes, with waiting staff constantly passing us without being served. During this time we also witnessed other young couples being MOVED from their tables because an older couple wanted to sit at their table because it had a nice view, this younger couple had to go sit inside...
when we were finally served, the waitress did not greet us with a nice “would you like anything to drink?” That we had gotten from other staff like Michalis, but instead asked us “what do you want?” In a harsh tone. We had asked for white wine as part of the all inclusive package, to which on nights earlier in the week holiday, we were given a jug full of this by certain nicer staff. However towards the end of the week holiday, we were only given a glass, which would be understandable if they had low stock. However, an old couple next to us had asked for the same thing (we politely asked them if they had) and we given TWO jugs.
We had began to notice that staff were favouring people who they knew would be more likely to give tips, and therefore they stereotypically thought older people would have more money, and therefore, chose to treat them better. As the staff began to remember our faces, they knew we were less likely to tip potentially due to our age and because we hadn’t on previous nights (it’s not customary to tip when we had all inclusive I thought? - maybe I hadn’t researched enough into the tipping etiquette of Greece)
We decided to try the other restaurant at the hotel which is further inland up the hill. The waiting staff there were absolutely lovely and made sure we were looked after properly. However, as these waiting staff were not familiar with our faces, it’s not clear if they would have treated us differently had we had eaten a few more times in that restaurant.
We had also tried the a la carte restaurant which you get for one night for free worth the all inclusive package. The food was lovely there, however, we noticed the same problem with the waiting staff treating the older groups better than us. They had even offered free shots of the Cretan Raki to all of them and then ignored us.
This isn’t something that a great hotel should be doing, especially when we had already spent a lot on the all inclusive package. But with the current financial crisis in Greece, many workers rely on tips, and unfortunately, this has started to infect this hotel.
Overall we did have a lovely stay and most things about the hotel were amazing. But we were unfortunately let down by some waiting staff. This is a huge shame as we would have loved to return. Maybe we will when we are older looking!
4/5 stars.
EXTRA NOTES:
(I do understand that the waiters do need to earn a living, but there are nicer ways to go about this.)
Jet2 had their rep on site, showing us all the excursions that we could take.
We chose Elafonisi Beach (€40ish - this may have changed now!). This excursion was fun and the tour guide was incredible and funny and brought the group together. Although we did notice that parts of the trip were tip driven, as we were made to stop off at a restaurant and given free Raki and had payed for food - so we suspected that the tour guide was getting commission from the restaurant - but that’s fine and he needs to make some money!
We also went to the water park which we bought tickets for at the local train station (it’s not actually a train, but a train looking car with carriages). I can’t remember the price but it was cheaper than Elafonisi. It was a lovely day, the rides were great. Again, on the way back we were made to stop off at a local orange farm to buy orange juice - the commission theory comes back into mind here, but I’m all for that, people need to make a living!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
6 Helpful votes
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Questions & answers about the pool
Answer from Daniel N
Sep 2020 |
Yes, for free, close to the pool and you can change it everyday. This was in september 2019. I hope they it's the same now.
Answer from Roz Anderson
Sep 2019 |
I would say the beach rooms must be amazing we didnt have a view really just a bit of garden and the room was still ok but the beach is so beautiful I think if you are overlooking it who cares about the bathroom?lol
Shelley T asked a question Jan 2016
Kirkby in Ashfield, England, United Kingdom4 contributions11 helpful votes
Answer from Marek S
Jan 2016 |
Yes, they are distributed near the swimming pool, deposit circa 10$ per towel, you get it back during your check out. Whe the towel is dirty you just swap it for a clean one. Enjoy your stay!
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