Philoxenia Hotel - Emmanouil Tsagkaraki

We stayed at this hotel in July, 2019 for a week. Our main goal was to relax, sunbathe, try local food and go on a couple of excursions, so we chose Philoxenia as it was good value for money for us. What you should know if you are planning to stay here: 1) Malia is famous for its clubs. This place is probably not good for family vaction with children as at night (sometimes at daytime as well) the streets are filled with drunk youths and loud music. The majority of tourists at our hotel were young people from England and Germany. 2) Air conditioning usually costs 3 euros per night but when we arrived we found out it is free during some time of the year (July and August, if I remember correctly). Iron is also free. 3) A lot of people here complained about Wi-Fi and reported that it wasn't free, yet, again, it was and we could even use it from the building across the street where our room was. (You can also use the other hotel's pool next to this building, btw: I recommend it as it is cleaner and usually has less people) 4) Orange sunbeds from High Beach hotel at the nearby beach are free before 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m. (usually they cost 3 euros). Here are the advantages of the place: 1) The location. It is perfect if you want a beach trip or are into clubs & nightlife. The beach is like 2 minutes away, the sea is clear, and the entrance is very gentle & easy. We could see the mountains right from our room window, which was marvelous. From Malia you can easily get to Heraklion (4.10 euros per one-way trip), and from there - to other places on Crete which might be of interest to you. 2) The dinners. The chef is a genius, and you'll never get bored in the evenings: for the seven nights we were here, the dinners were never the same. Try the local red wine! (just 5 euros per half a liter) 3) Wi-Fi speed was surprisingly good for a 3-star hotel. 4) The restaurant & bar area is well-decorated. Makes you want to stay, relax and linger over your drink. 5) The staff is always very polite and friendly. Kudos to the bartender who helped us at dinners and to the receptionist. And here are a few things we didn't like: 1) The room. This was the biggest disappointment. The hotel webpage states that the building has recently been renovated, yet everything in the room looked extremely old and kind of yellowish. The bathroom was the biggest problem - it looked dirty even right after cleaning. Don't even get me started on the balcony furniture... 2) Almost everything you want costs extra. If you arrive early (before 2 p.m.) and want to get your room straightaway, you'd have to pay 25 euros (this includes breakfast for two people). There are no free drinks at dinner (even water, which I find awful as water is a matter of survval in such a hot country). 3) The reception opens at 9 and closes at 6. This is not very convenient if you take charter flights (those tend to be rescheduled for early inconvenient hours). All in all, I would recommend this hotel if you want to save money and don't plan to spend much time in your room. It is perfect for young people and couples.

Lovely place with a really friendly owner, George, who is very welcoming and has a great sense of humour. Very good for families, as it's not a rowdy place, and the staff all speak very good English. All you can eat buffet for €10 each is exceptionally fantastic value for money, and is delicious, too. I really can't recommend this hotel highly enough. Excellent for English families, and only about 200 yards walk to the beach.

Nice and clean hotel. Helpful personnel. Good and various breakfast even from day to day. Working wifi. Clean pool. Room cleaned everyday. Have also a bar and restaurant.

Not the best hotel, quite old, rude staff and the breakfast is not good at all. Very poor buffet. But, the hotel is super cheap and the swimming pool is ok. So you got what you paid for.

We popped in for some lunch and drinks and the food was amazing. We had the beef and chicken noodles with a side of spring rolls and it all tasted amazing. The surrounding pool/spa area is fantastic, relaxing atmosphere with swinging chairs and chilled music. After our lunch the chef popped out with a hot chocolate cake he had just made for us complimentary. Very nice of him to do that. We will be visiting again and highly recommend.

Unique place in all Malia with such as tasty food and also availability to use jacuzzi! good atmosphere, nice music and comfortable stay. I enjoy so much! thank you!!!!! I will come back! 100% reccomend BTW they prepare vary beautiful and tasty coctails

Wow. Came a stranger, left as a family member. So lucky to celebrate Easter at this amazing family ran restaurant. Offered us an amazing free Easter lunch made with love and left us Easter gifts in our room. George and his family really care.

What a awesome vibe here. The owner and staff were probably some of the best I’ve ever encountered while traveling. The food was very good, fresh and well presented. The pool has a awesome layout and the rooms well taken care of. Very short walk to the beach and just right off the main strip to keep you close to everything and keep it mellow in a crowded area. Really looking forward to coming back. I won’t stay anywhere else in Crete.