Greece : Lyda Horizon and Stalis Review : Greek Islands and Greece Forums

Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:27 pm Post subject: Lyda Horizon and Stalis Review

My wife and I have just returned from a two week holiday in Stalis, Crete. We booked our holiday through Budget Travel in Dublin and stayed in the Lyda Horizons apartments in Stalis from 15 – 29 July 2006.

My review below is very detailed this is because I enjoy reading detailed reviews about the accommodation and resort I am going to stay in, so apologies for the long winded review. If you are intending to stay in the Lyda Horizon apartments in Stalis then I suggest you read the following prior to booking. If you have already booked with the Lyda Horizon then all I can say is I hope you enjoy your stay there more than my wife and I did!

The Apartment
On arrival, we were pleasantly surprised when we entered the reception area of the apartments prior to checking in. The panoramic views of the Gulf of Stalis from the reception area were very impressive indeed. Checking in didn't take too long, we paid our '€100 deposit' and gave the receptionist our passports which they keep for the first night of your stay.

Once we received our key we made our way down to our studio, number 208. My wife and I were extremely disappointed with our room for the many reasons I am about to list. Firstly, Budget Travel lists these studios/apartments in their brochure as being 'new' apartments. Well Budget Travel, you never mentioned that the Lyda complex consists of two separate buildings, the old 'Lyda Beach' block and the newly developed block. If you are unlucky like my wife and I were, you will find yourself thrown into one of the old apartments in the old 'Lyda Beach' block. In saying that, you may be one of the few lucky ones with a pool and panoramic sea view….good luck with those odds!

Our studio was much smaller than what we expected; it was also very dark and gloomy due to the fact that a tree had totally overgrown the balcony outside, obstructing any sunlight from getting through the balcony doors and the side window. The studio was very basic and somewhat impractical with regards to its layout; you may find yourself moving the furniture around a fair bit before getting settled. Budget Travel also claims that these studios/apartments will accommodate up to four persons, think they really mean two persons and two leprechauns!! They should really have sofa beds in these studios as the double beds take up most of your space.

My wife and I usually prepare our lunches in our apartment when on holiday; this year was an exception due to the lack of preparation and sitting space in the studio.

It states in the information booklet you find in your room that the apartments are cleaned by a maid every day and the sheets/towels are changed every 3 days, well sadly this is not the case. Our maid did not enter our studio at one stage for 3 days! When she did show up all she did was emptied the bins and occasionally sprayed the bath and brushed around. Also, make sure to go easy on the single toilet roll they supply as they only replace this roll every time the sheets/towels are changed, they expect you to purchase toilet roll in their mini market.

The studios do come with air conditioning, local charge of €60 per week or €10 per day; rip off if you ask me. The louvre doors and windows can be closed at night allowing the main sliding doors and windows behind them to remain open so to let the outside breeze circulate throughout your apartment whist keeping out the mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes here are a problem at night - make sure to bring spray mosquito repellent with and spray all exposed areas before heading out and reapply before hoping into bed later. Plug in mosquito killers don't really work in the apartments as the electricity in your room will not work once you leave with you key. This is a clever power saving device installed into each of the studios and apartments. It works like this; you must insert your door key into a holder by the door which will then turn on the power supply for lights and sockets, once you leave with your key the power supply is knocked off again. If you need to charge anything make sure you do so while you are in your apartment.

Our studio, number 208, was situated right next to the entrance of the complex and also next to the main busy road. It was constantly noisy outside; the traffic on the main road was always busy - day and night. Also, because we were next to the entrance we were constantly kept awake by groups of late morning revellers returning to their apartments to continue their partying. Even though we both had ear plugs the partying & music from other apartments could be heard pumping into the early hours of the morning…..and that happened every morning! My wife and I do not have children and warn you that this is not a place for children or anyone seeking quiet accommodation!! We found the groups staying there to be very inconsiderate and disruptive both during the day and especially at night.

Lyda Horizon Staff
Prior to heading off on our holiday I read some reviews about the reception staff at the Lyda Horizon and all your negative reviews were 100% actuate. The reception staff were very unfriendly and extremely unhelpful.

Lyda Horizon Swimming Pool/Rock Bathing
The swimming pool is a grand size with plenty of sun bathing space and sun beds. There is also a small pool with a mushroom waterfall in the centre for young children. The poolside bar has a large terrace with amazing views serving a good selection of drinks and food.

The rock bathing area can be found a few steps down beyond the right of the pool area as you face out to sea. You can swim off the rocks or jump in from the boardwalk. My wife and I preferred the rock bathing area to the pool as the sea water was very relaxing and warm. It's a great spot if you like snorkelling as you will discover plenty of fish below you.

Stalis Beach
The main beach of Stalis is about a 10-15min walk from the Lyda Horizon complex. When you reach it, don't settle at the beginning of the beach, walk another 2mins up the beach to where it gets a bit wider. Water sports and sun beds are also much cheaper further on up the beach. My wife and I went out on a jet ski for €35/20mins and it was excellent fun, totally recommend it. The beach is lined with plenty of snack bars and restaurants that are all very reasonably priced.

Stalis Beach Restaurants and Bars
Many of the restaurants we visited along the beach road served really nice food and each of them were very reasonably priced. I would recommend the Carpricciosa restaurant for their delicious pizzas and steaks, the staff are also extremely welcoming. The 9 Muses restaurant is also another great place for an evening meal with a menu to suit everyone – who knows the staff may even invite you to smash some plates. If you prefer a lighter snack then Akti Bar is a great place to visit, they also do great cocktails for €5 each. Edem restaurant serves up a great full English breakfast for only €3.90.

One of our holiday highlights was Dwyer's Irish Bar. Most of our nights were spent their as the craic and banter was mighty, with nightly live music from Brian (the human duke box) and other various singers. Shout up any request to lads on stage and they'll be sure to do your song request justice. They have various themed nights here like Paddy's Day and Christmas, dress up, join in the craic and you'll be sure to get yourself a free shot.

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 5:51 pm Post subject: lyda horizon

I do not agree with glendot! I'm 19 and although the sevice wasn't great it was still perfect for our group of 10 people! I reccomend it for Young adults!

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:00 am Post subject:

Hi,my husband and i have stayed the past 2 years at this hotel and loved it,in fact we are going back again this year in Sept again.

Although there was some noise singing in the bar late at night and people coming back late we loved it.

We had a lovely room and the second week of last years holiday we got the room with the big balcony and it was beautiful.

Anastasia the lady who cleaned our room looked after us very well,she even invited us to her daughters wedding later that year,we could not go though.

The views from this hotel are breathtaking.

We got on very well with all of the staff and have no complaints.

The mini market haslovely fresh bread every morning,the local supermarkets are not far away and for a big shop.

We did the day tip to beautiful Santorini and several other trips.

My husband walked the Samaria Gorge,did it the past two years,loved it and will do it again this year,i will laze around and shop when he's gone.

Cret is such a beautiful island,so much for us to still see and do.

Mohos is a lovely village up the mountain and holds Geek dancing nights.

I have been to many Greek Islands over the years,just love Greece and the people are so friendly.

A tip for anyone going to Greece in general,losts of places are basic,but hey we only use the rooms for sleeping in,as one say's when in Greece.

Respect the people and their culture and you will get respect in return and make friends who will remember you on your next visit.

Have a lovely holiday everone. We will for sure. Laughing