BALI STAR

We have just returned from a week-long stay at Hotel Bali Star in the Chania region of Crete. The hotel has a fantastic location, the best in the area. It is situated in a beautiful bay, well-protected yet practical, with access to a lovely beach and nearby shops. The hotel has an amazing staff, friendly and professional. I must mention Miquel in the restaurant and David from the bar, they were absolutely super stars - very helpful, took great care of us and made us feel at home. The food was excellent, with rich breakfast and dinners. The hotel is beautifully clean and offers various spots, both indoors and outdoors, for sitting and relaxing. We will definitely come back. Thank you for a wonderful stay, Lenka from Prague.

I stayed in 3 rooms for various reasons (mostly my room not being ready when I arrived) of which of course the junior suite with full sea view and private pool was the best. Excellent bed, very clean except for the longchair cushions, good amenities for 3*, including nespresso machine, kind staff, and the large terrace is great for watching the sunrise and all day sunbathing, especially when the beach is crowded. Would recommend for quiet season.

The Bali star hotel was a great place to stay in Bali Crete clean friendly and rooms perfect with great shower and tea coffee Lovely pool and bar very good choice at breakfast Within 1 minute walk to lovely beach with six restaurants / bars 10 minute walk left or right took you to another beach or port With plenty shops a lovely quiet place for couples who just want to chill

The hotel is located very conveniently close to the Varkotopos beach; the most expensive rooms with private pools are in fact located directly above the beach. The beach is small and not breathtakingly beautiful, but clean and more than ok if you want to spend a few hours enjoying the waves. For those who don't want to pay 9€ for a set of loungers, there's also a small area without loungers in the easternmost corner of the beach where you can stay for free. The sand is quite fine and a little darker than expected. During our stay, the inflatable waterslide monstrosity was luckily already gone, which meant we had much more space and an overall relaxing experience at the beach. Two other beaches, Livadi and Old Port, are a 10-15 minute walk away. Whether you're looking for souvenirs or food & drinks, there are numerous shopping and dining options in the immediate vicinity of the hotel and beach . Our junior suite with a garden view and shared pool was probably the second best type of room we could get. It was spacious, modern, clean and completely private because of the tall banana tree in front of it. It could use some minor maintenance (broken button on the bidet shower, leakage around the bathroom window, stain on the chair cushion by the pool), but overall it left a very good impression. Despite no wardrobe, there was enough storage space for our belongings on the shelves, rail and in two drawers. The shared pool was very refreshing and we didn't feel the need to use the main hotel pool at all. Not only did we get a lot of towels, but also bathrobes, slippers and coffee. Tea was unfortunately missing. There was a mini fridge, kettle, hairdryer, phone, TV and of course A/C in the room. The wifi signal was reliable. Bedding & towels were replaced once throughout our one-week stay. The toiletries, however, weren't refilled at all and we ended up using our own. The shower was a little extravagant and I would not like to have a similar setup at home, but on a holiday it's part of the experience. The water pressure was excellent. The food in our half board was varied thoughout the stay and always delicious. It included standard "international" options like steak or pasta, as well as local delicacies - stuffed vegetables, excellent stews, fish, lots of typical herbs etc. Gluten-free and lactose-free options were available too, although not as abundant. The only downside is that guests have to pay extra for any drinks at dinner. The staff are absolute stars - very friendly and accommodating, most of them spoke solid English. Whenever we needed help or advice, they were there for us. When we missed dinner because we were on a long trip, we just called the hotel and they brought us cold platters to our room when we arrived. All in all, we had a great time at the Bali Star Resort Hotel ***. If they focused on details such as providing tea in addition to coffee, refilling the toiletries and including at least basic drinks with dinner, I think they might even deserve four stars. If we come again, we would like to try using the in-house spa - it looked very tempting.

The moment I walked in the door, having traveled for the day and delayed flights, I was asked for tourism tax and short changed. Only 3e but still its the principle. We were then shown our room that faced a wall. The electrics in that room tripped that first night. I asked to be moved the next day, the woman behind the reception offered me rooms for exfra money. I ended up paying 70e extra in cash. Second room. TV has no power supply in room and switches itself on, as does air con. So ones jumps awake. Broken card electrics and sink plug stuck. The pictures would have you believe you will be right on the beach, not true, although close. The 2nd restraunt does is not included in the meals, so you actually have to eat in what feels like a clinical hospital Cafe. The Food is good. There is some smiley guy that works 24/7, which understandably gets these good reviews. If I'd payed 441pp and the listings honest about facilities and location then all of this could have been dismisable but having payed a premium, it is a huge let down.