Europa Beach Hotel

“Wonderful Stay At Stella Blue”

Stella Blue is easily 5-star quality for a 4-star resort. It’s a genuine 4-star hotel too — not one of those “EU 4-star” places where the rating feels generous. The hotel is spotlessly clean and exceptionally well maintained, with an elegant, calming atmosphere throughout. The décor and colour pal… more

Stella Blue is easily 5-star quality for a 4-star resort. It’s a genuine 4-star hotel too — not one of those “EU 4-star” places where the rating feels generous. The hotel is spotlessly clean and exceptionally well maintained, with an elegant, calming atmosphere throughout. The décor and colour palette create a real zen vibe, and every area feels beautifully cared for. The rooms are clean and thoughtfully designed, with simple décor that works well and great facilities overall. I particularly liked the layout, with the sink area open within the room while the shower and toilet are separate. The toiletries are lovely, and the added touches such as the sewing and vanity kits make a difference. Storage is a little limited, as others have mentioned, but we brought our own hangers which solved the issue for us. The mini fridge is restocked daily with water, and tea and coffee facilities are provided in the room. If you upgrade your room category, I believe you also receive a Nespresso setup and a wider selection of drinks in the fridge. Rooms are cleaned daily with fresh towels provided. Little tip: we didn’t initially realise that the “Do Not Disturb” system is linked to the room number plaque outside the door. There’s a switch on the inside of the room, near the card slot, which changes the light on the plaque from green to red. Soundproofing is always important to me and, while no hotel is perfect in that respect, we had mostly peaceful nights’ sleep, however could hear a lot of banging and the the cleaners in the morning. The food is good. It doesn’t feel mass-produced like some huge AI resorts; instead, the focus is clearly on quality ingredients and well-prepared dishes. Even my husband, who is usually a very fussy eater, found plenty he enjoyed. The only thing I noticed was the labelling of the food could often be incorrect. E.g. one morning the overnight oats were labelled as berries and it was banana and a soup was labelled spicy beef and it was chicken. The snack bar, Ble, is sensational. We didn’t try Ocean as the menu didn’t really appeal to us, and unfortunately we also weren’t made aware that Ble serves evening meals, with one visit included. By the time we discovered this, there were no reservations left for the rest of the week, which was disappointing. The drinks are also excellent, with good wine included as part of the all-inclusive package alongside some lovely cocktails. “Honey Oh Honey” became a firm favourite. The bars do get busy, but the staff work incredibly hard and are generally very friendly. During the first few days, there was quite a lot of sunbed reserving going on, which meant there often weren’t enough available. Some guests were leaving towels on beds for hours without returning. Staff didn’t actively monitor this at first, although after a few days a message was posted on the hotel app asking guests not to reserve beds unnecessarily. The sunbeds themselves are very comfortable. Occasionally staff come around to take drink orders, but the service isn’t particularly consistent. We actually enjoyed the beach area and often retreated there when the pool areas became busy or too hot, as it was peaceful and relaxing. However, it does need some attention. There was quite a bit of plastic litter around, and some of the sunshades have definitely seen better days. The sunbeds were comfortable, but because the beach isn’t staffed, anyone can come along and use them, so it lacks the exclusive feel that the rest of the hotel offers. It feels like a missed opportunity, as the beach should really reflect the same quality and standard as the hotel itself. The entertainment is low-key, which suited us perfectly. Every evening there was some form of entertainment at Ble, and we could still hear it from the lobby bar area, which is where we spent most evenings. There’s a regular DJ who played several evening sets as well as one poolside afternoon set, and I really enjoyed his music. If you want to explore outside the hotel, there are bars and restaurants around 20 minutes away on foot, or you can easily get a taxi to Hersonissos or Heraklion for something livelier. We mostly stayed local, and Sirtaki is an absolute must-visit. The majority of the staff were friendly, kind, and welcoming. We did encounter one or two slightly prickly individuals, but overall the service was good. Where the hotel does need improvement is consistency, particularly when Ble becomes busy around lunchtime. Staff roles don’t always seem clearly defined — for example, some team members collect glasses or take drinks orders but don’t take food orders, and vice versa. This occasionally causes confusion. At one point our desserts became mixed up with orders from two other tables, and because we couldn’t find the person who would normally deal with that sort of issue, the young staff member clearing glasses seemed understandably out of his depth trying to resolve it. Also the Lobby bar of an evening, sometimes we were asked at the table what we wanted to drink, other times not, or orders were taken at the bar and bought to us, and sometimes they were not. Neither of these are a major issue, but the inconsistency in service is probably the hotel’s biggest area for improvement. Overall we loved our stay. It has got to be up there for me as one of the nicest all inclusive hotels I've been to. Is there room for improvement? Yes I think so but it isn't anything major just a few observations and tweaks that could easily help the hotel up its game even more. I'd definitely return and would also happily recommend to others.

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