Stella Blue Seaside Resort (ex. Europa Beach)

The Gold Standard of Hospitality – The Best Holiday We’ve Had in Years Every now and then you experience a place that completely restores your faith in genuine hospitality. Stella Blue Seaside Resort is that place. We’ve been fortunate enough to travel to many beautiful destinations over the years, but I can honestly say this has been the most enjoyable, relaxing, and memorable holiday we’ve had in years. The facilities are stunning, the food is exceptional, and the atmosphere is pure paradise—but what truly makes this resort extraordinary is its people. There are hotels with beautiful rooms, and then there are hotels with beautiful souls. Stella Blue has both. From the very beginning, Manos, the manager, made us feel like honoured guests rather than just another booking. His warmth, professionalism, and sincere care for every single person staying at the resort are something you rarely encounter. He doesn’t simply manage a hotel—he creates an experience. It’s clear that the incredible culture throughout the resort starts with his leadership. A heartfelt thank you to Maria at Nomad. Every visit was filled with warmth, kindness, laughter, and impeccable service. She has an incredible ability to make every guest feel special, and her smile alone brightened our days. To Michael at Bleu, thank you for consistently delivering service that deserves recognition. Friendly, attentive, professional, and genuinely passionate about what he does, he helped turn every meal into a memorable occasion. And to the entire Anima team—what can we say? Simply outstanding. Every member of staff went above and beyond without ever making it seem like an effort. Their kindness, positivity, and attention to detail made us feel genuinely cared for every single day. It’s impossible to name everyone individually because every interaction was exceptional. What impressed us most wasn’t just the luxury of the resort—it was the heart behind it. Every smile was genuine. Every conversation felt personal. Every member of staff seemed to take real pride in making our holiday unforgettable. Leaving was genuinely emotional. We weren’t just saying goodbye to a hotel—we were saying goodbye to people who had made us feel completely at home. To Manos and every member of your incredible team, thank you for reminding us what world-class hospitality truly looks like. You haven’t just given us a holiday; you’ve given us memories we’ll treasure for years to come. Without question, this is a place we’ll return to, and one we’ll recommend to everyone we know. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If Tripadvisor allowed ten stars, Stella Blue would deserve every single one.

We went as a group of ladies to celebrate a birthday and found this a perfect hotel. The grounds were pretty and the whole complex very clean. The food was fresh and very tasty particularly in the themed restaurants. The bedrooms were very comfortable. The whole staff were fantastic so welcoming happy and helpful. We did have a few requests and the team did their utmost to accommodate them. The relationship manager and admin/reception manager were personable and so helpful. We were welcomed by smiles every day from all the staff. The entertainment team were also very friendly and welcoming. We loved our stay at Stella Blue and recommend it without reservation. Thank you for making our holiday memorable

Me and my partner booked a swim up for 1 week and we loved the hotel. The hotel is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing establishments that we have stayed. We went for a swim up room and was not disappointed. The room was a perfect size for a couple with coffee, tea facilities and a mini bar that is replenished daily for this room type. The rooms and hotel in general is spotless and I would like to shoutout Monica from housekeeping, she couldn’t do enough for us! Our only slight issue was the food / drink. The breakfast and lunch time options are great, I love the 3 options at lunch of the two ale cartes or Buffet, we particularly loved the pool ble bar. Dinner however was focused heavily on sea food, of which me and my Partner do not eat. We spoke to other non sea food eaters who also said they struggled. The biggest issue for me though was the lack of accessibility to drinking water. One bottle was placed in the mini fridge everyday, however, the only way to get water all inclusive through the day was to ask for cups of water at the bar. Bottled water is not included, there is also no existing hydration stations / fountains throughout the hotel as far as I’m aware. The water provided at the bar was often served in plastic cups that looked like they had hardly been cleaned, often with black dirt swimming in them. I don’t think I got served a clean cup of water once. I had heard that you could go to reception and request bottles of water but when I did, I was told to use room service, so pay €8 to get a bottle of water? The local alcohol brands are also overpowering and quite poor.

Beautiful hotel very clean , there’s a button that turns on a red or green light to indicate if you want the room cleaning. If you get a luxe room you get to have breakfast at the ocean restaurant which is lovely very quiet and a lovely view . The al a carte restaurants were also lovely , at lunch we ate at Blu which again the food was lovely so we only had the buffet at dinner . The buffet was the only real let down it was a bit lac lustre . The drinks were also very ,nice pinky sangria was my favourite but you can get all sorts of lovely cocktails . Our fridge was stocked daily with bottles of fizzy pop a couple of beers and water . You also get a kettle and coffee machine . The shower had a glass door so not great for a family but we just put a towel over it whist showering you also get shampoo , conditioner and shower gel which was decent quality . The pool areas were great , very comfy sunbeds and no need to get up early to reserve there was plenty . The staff are lovely and can’t do enough for you . It’s a beautiful chilled out hotel we really enjoyed it .

The hotel itself is absolutely stunning, very aesthetic. The location is beautiful to relax in but can get boring, we did venture down to Analipsi and have dinner there a few nights as a change of scenery. Food wise, breakfast was definitely the best selection. Lunch and dinner were repetitive and mostly cold by the time you sit down with your food. There were themed nights but the food didn’t change much from one themed night to the other. Sun loungers were impossible to get if you weren’t up at the crack of dawn and they say that they have a no reservation policy on the beds but there were towels unattended majority of the day and wouldn’t be moved, which leads to you having to also reserve them if you want any chance of getting a sunbed. Feels as though there isn’t enough beds for people staying here. Entertainment was naff, it was at the Ble bar most evenings so couldn’t see it from the main bar, I also feel as though there wasn’t enough chairs in the main bar if you wanted to sit outside. Service in the hotel wasn’t great, a lot of staff seemed miserable and made us feel like a burden for asking for something. However, the man making drinks at the Anima bar was fantastic, very chatty and welcoming. We had complaints about our room but these felt like they were swept under the rug and we never got any apologies from the hotel staff which was a disappointing response from a 5 star hotel. Room was okay, bit small and not enough storage for two adults for 10 nights, ended up having to use counter space to put clothes on. However, the beds were super comfy. We were woken up every morning by housekeeping but didn’t have a do not disturb sign on the door to stop this. All in all, it’s a beautiful hotel but defo needs working on service all around the hotel as drinks were slow, especially around the pool and staff didn’t seem very happy.

This is such a lovely hotel very modern and located in a very quiet and peaceful place with beautiful sunsets every evening. The staff can't do enough for you making your stay a very relaxing and welcoming experience. The location doesn't have much around but if your after a relaxing holiday then this is the place to be, you can do a 15 minute walk up the road to some lovely bars and restaurants if you want a change from the hotel food and drink. The two restaurants in the hotel called Ocean & Ble serve some amazing food which you get to use once for each during your stay, however the buffet for lunch and dinner were very hit and miss, a lot of the meats and fish we found were over cooked and a lot of other guests found this, breakfast was lovely and some great choices, if you stay in the swim up rooms or the deluxe rooms you can have breakfast every day at Ocean restaurant which is a lovely setting looking over the pool area and out to sea with them playing live acts and soothing music. The room we stayed which was 402 which was right at the end over looking the pool and right by the sea, we could sit out and watch the sunset which was amazing, the shower was powerful and the soaps etc provided were much good quality and much needed after a day in the sun, the storage space isn't the best so I would say the hotel could do with addressing this, no draws and very limited shelving. All in all we had an amazing 10 days a few points to improve on that I made. Would I come again, yes of course fantastic hotel with friendly staff that can't do enough for you. Thank you Stella Blue❤️

A week ago, I posted a review giving this hotel 2 stars due to the poor quality of the food and said that I wouldn’t return. I feel it’s only fair to provide an update following the way the hotel has responded. From the moment we raised our concerns, the customer relations representative, Rania, could not have been more professional, kind, or responsive. She listened carefully to every point we made, took our comments seriously, and checked in with us every day to ensure any issues were being addressed and to ask for further feedback. The hotel manager also asked to meet with us personally, which demonstrated that our concerns were being taken seriously. One of our main complaints was the temperature of the food, and we noticed that this was reviewed and actioned immediately. We were also offered two additional complimentary visits to the à la carte restaurants as a goodwill gesture, which was greatly appreciated. While my original comments reflected our genuine experience at the time, I believe it’s equally important to recognise excellent customer service and a genuine commitment to improving the guest experience. Rania has been outstanding throughout our stay, and the hotel management deserves credit for listening, responding promptly, and taking meaningful action rather than simply dismissing our concerns. Thank you, Rania, for your professionalism, kindness, and dedication to ensuring our holiday ended on a much more positive note.

I really don’t want to be negative about this hotel as it has so many positives. But it does have room for improvement. We have just returned from a week there and firstly want to say the hotel cleanliness aesthetic and location were absolutely 10/10. The free transfer was very reliable. Although they did call me to tell me I was late in abit of a huff. (I would of thought they would of tracked the flights) Check in. I just found it abit annoying but no more than other hotels. We had to faff around downloading an app and wait a while etc. we didn’t get a welcome drink and this was the start of the little touches they could have done alot better. Sunbeds/ not the hotels fault but annoying. If you weren’t out by 8am you wouldn’t get one. I’m not sure if there just weren’t enough for the number of guests staying…. The beach wasn’t anything special at all. If anything it was abit grim. The sunsets did make up for that though. The room service cleaning and re stocking of basics was like getting blood out of a stone. In a resort like that water should have been a given. You literally had to beg them for it every day. I would of expected a soft drink restock everyday for that price The room was small, I feel bad writing this because I’m not sure what they could change now it’s all built. But we literally had to store suitcases on the balcony. Like I said before though, it was beautiful. Bar service was slow and alcoholic drinks didn’t seem to have much alcohol in them. The all inclusive stopped at 11pm and you had to pay, just felt abit cheap on their part? Food was average. Breakfast was good but lunch and dinner did not reflect the hotel at all. There is a snack bar by one of the pools but they limit what you can order ie one starter one main . I ordered a prawn main and got 3 prawns (wasn’t even a meal) again it just felt cheap like they were trying to save money. Entertainment was good but abit boring. Could have improved this but I get they are trying to promote a relaxed and chill atmosphere. Found it quite difficult to sleep as the resort it’s literally on the flight path for landing. Again, not the resorts fault but does that airport ever close at night?! I do think they are building a new airport so maybe that will be a little further away. All in all it is a beautiful hotel with so much potential. They just need to nail down the basics a little better imo. Probably would return but in a few years when it had found its feet.

We had so looked forward to visiting this hotel. The food and drinks quality were poor at best. The food was always lukewarm or cold with limited flavours and food choices. Extremely disappointing, so much so we took to eating out. Snack bar food equally as bad . When o complained i was told to meet with chef . I dont require a meeting for my palate to be informed of cold and poor quality food . Besides which it cannot be a surprise to the management as i have read many other reviews on here relating to the same . The same with the standard and quality of the drinks , vile cheap spirits . I couldn’t find one decent drink . I went and bought my own from supermarket . The entertainment was practically non existent . We will not recommend nor return

I’d read the reviews so had great expectations for this hotel which unfortunately weren’t met. The food in the buffet was repetitive, lukewarm at best and dry, boring at times to the point we went out for dinner a few nights in the local town (lovely restaurants there). A few times at breakfast we struggled to find tables as plates etc. hadn’t been cleared away. Many times had to go and get drinks ourselves as we couldn’t get served at our table. Don’t get me started on the sunbeds. Very badly handled by the staff. There were daily notifications via the hotel App that you weren’t allowed to leave beds unattended which got progressively ruder every day. Sunbeds were not allowed to be left except when in the pool which made getting lunch, a drink or even using the toilet stressful as you feared your belongings would be removed. I also witnessed a few occasions when staff removed belongings from beds so guests from the Fram tourist operator could get the beds they wanted.

I would strongly advise avoiding this hotel. The room was nothing like the photos advertised online and was a huge disappointment from the moment we arrived. The room was dirty and clearly had not been cleaned properly. We found belongings left behind by previous guests, which immediately raised concerns about the hotel’s cleanliness standards. To make matters worse, there were bugs in the room, making it extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant to stay there. The walls were paper-thin. You could hear absolutely everything from neighboring rooms—to the point where we could hear people plugging devices into outlets next door. Getting a good night’s sleep was nearly impossible. On top of that, staff buggies were being driven around at all hours, creating constant noise and disruption throughout the day and night. The food was another major disappointment. Most of the meals we tried were poor quality and lacked variety or flavor. The only exception was one of the pool bars, where the food was occasionally decent, although even there it was very hit-and-miss. Considering the standard the hotel claims to offer, the dining experience fell far short of expectations. The overall condition of the room were far below what was shown on the website. The pictures appear to be misleading and do not accurately represent the actual rooms provided to guests. In all honesty, the hotel’s marketing team deserves a raise—the online photos and promotional material make the property look far better than it does in reality. For the price paid, this experience was completely unacceptable. Poor cleanliness, bugs, leftover items from previous guests, excessive noise, disappointing food, and misleading online photos made for a terrible stay. I would not return and would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

The location was superb, right on the beach front and just a short walk into the town, the atmosphere was very relaxed, very pleasant, the rooms were very modern and comfortable, only issue really was privacy, there is an open arch into the shower area and a glass shower door which made showering quite difficult as we had our 14yr old son with us, the hotel was extremely clean in all areas, the staff an service were absolutely superb, always on point, I would highly recommend this resort and hope to return in the near future.

6 of us between the age of 38 and 68 stayed here in May. The area is quiet and not suitable for those looking for more lively atmosphere. It was a relaxation holiday for us and the hotel and staff did a perfect job in every way. The food options here very much focus on quality over quantity. We found buffet food to be fresh and replenished often but sometimes food was not that hot. The food in the a La carte restaurants was amazing! The Lobster ravioli and the T bone steak were my favourite meals. The staff here genuinely care and want you to have a great time. Ranya and Marina in guest relations are brilliant. Ranya knew as a group we would struggle to get booked into the restaurants so did this for us ahead of us speaking to her - great service! Other staff members that made our stay great were Michael, Christian, Abi, Nefeii, Gopell, George and the lads helping run the drinks in the lobby and also the waitresses in the Asian lunch restaurant. The lady in the spa was very friendly she helped us secure spa access every morning for my Dad who needed it for health reasons. The spa is limited to 6 people at any time which means it does not get crowded. Management are present and you can see they are working hard to make the service excellent but at times it is noticeably a hinderance. We sat down for lunch at the Asian restaurant and due to management intervention that day we ended up being served last when we had sat down first because the manager insisted the waitress serve in a certain order. Bit frustrating for staff and customers. We used the spa for a tranquil couple of mornings out of the sun and for a massage. Keep an eye on the app for spa offers, we had a shoulder massage with 1hr spa access for €50, the quality of the treatment was really good and professional. Pool towels and beds are comfortable. Cocktails are freshly made and were nice. The hotel could benefit from a water refill station to save queuing for a drink as quite often we noticed the bar was under staffed for the amount of guests. It would be great if ice cream was freely available like most other all inclusive 4* and above but here it was only available at the a La carte restaurants. Entertainment here is sophisticated and fairly minimal don’t expect Benidorm style entertainment because it’s not that sort of place. We had a comfort double room on the ground floor. Rooms are not very sound proof so take ear plugs if you are a light sleeper. There are free shower rooms, fitted with toiletries, towels and hair dryer if you have a late flight and don’t wish to pay €95 for the late checkout. Don’t hesitate to book this you won’t be disappointed!

We were very pleased with choice in this hotel! This was an experience to remember! too bad I only booked 2 nights. to explore al the services I would recommend nothing under 4 days. the Staff were incredibly welcoming and polite , and answered our every request with a enthusiasm and initiative . And the service at the bars and restaurants were outstanding, including the meals! Honestly this hotel on its own is worth a ticket to crete .

Spent a week here in June 2026. The hotel itself is very modern and clean, all the staff have been lovely and the food has to be one of the (if not the) best all inclusives I have been too. We arrived late at night (1am) there was food left in the room for us and we were assisted to our room in a golf buggy with our luggage. The Asian lunch pool bar was fantastic and a special mention to the team that work there on the service and bar, this was a great addition to the hotel. The Ble bar was also great for lunch as they offer such a variety of mains and desserts. We only ate in the main restaurant once at lunch time due to how good the other places are. Dinner was good in the main restaurant, we were lucky to get booked into the ocean restaurant on our last night and this was also fabulous. Pool were great, we managed to get the beds we wanted everyday we went down about 8.20am, the staff do also try to prevent people putting towels down and leaving the beds unoccupied. The staff also come round taking drink orders at pool side which was a nice touch. The entertainment is more relaxed, piono/sax player/DJ so different to other hotels I have been to but we enjoyed it. Only thing I would recommend for the hotel is adding a section on the app about getting around the area. The bus to Heraklion city is only £8 return rather than £50 taxi, this would really help people to work it out easily rather than googling. The bus comes at 10am outside the hotel and returns at 2pm (I think these are the only times). We look forward to returning some point in the future.