Irida Hotel in Agia Pelagia

This hotel has been ideal.
It is relatively well located with a couple of beach areas within a 10/15 minute walk. The local main beach is very narrow and I think it's a charge of €10 per couple of sun beds. But, it's a nice atmosphere, plenty of eateries and shops. The sea was clear and even in October fine for swimming and snorkeling. You can walk along the top of the rocks to a viewpoint at the end.
The Irida hotel is clean and very well maintained. The staff are very friendly and hospitable, they are what give the hotel a great vibe. From the cleaners to the reception staff to the restaurant and bar staff, they were all lovely, professional and hard working. . We received a lively welcome and everyone was only too happy to help. The staff all seem happy and dedicated.
A couple of minor issues were swiftly resolved.
Children were using both pools which wasn't best when you want to relax, but they were respectful kids and didn't make lots of noise.
There were plenty of sun beds and seating options.
The room service and poolside service is very reasonable and food and drinks were great.
The pools are rather cold, but make for great breaks from the heat of the sun.
I was surprised to find that the jacuzzi and small sauna aren't included in the price - €20 euros for 20 minutes to use them is rather steep, I think this is rather a wasted benefit to customers, it would be much better to incorporate a booking system and allow free access for these facilities. I can understand paying for massage treatments, but it would make sense to other small spa facilities in with the hotel price.
Breakfast was nice with a decent enough variety. The food was fresh and options ranged from continental to cooked. The breakfasting area has nice sea views and was a lovely start to the day.
The view from the room we had was awesome, we paid extra for an upgrade to an apartment with sea view and can totally recommend this. If possible I would advise to ask for a higher room as the view is so much better the higher you are. It's not the best for non athletic types though as it was a few flights of steps to get to, but I'd definitely recommend it. The outdoor gym was a perfect way to start the day, I enjoyed using the bike and watching the sunrise.
You can get a bus from right outside of the hotel to Hereklion for €4 each, the buses were large, comfortable and cool inside. We hired a car from a company in the village 10 minutes walk away for €33 for the day, they were a great no nonsense company. We would definitely return to this hotel, we had a relaxing enjoyable time.

This is by far the best hotel we have stayed at. The service there is always amazing. Been 2 years in a row now and already planning our next visit! The view is stunning and location is just beautiful. The spa and massage therapies are soooo good and all of the staff here are always so lovely and make the stay extra special! The reception team are so helpful and go the extra mile to ensure you have the best stay possible.

With special thanks to the bartenders Angela and Chris who really made me and my fiancées stay extra special, going the extra mile to make our holiday one of the best we’ve had.

Can’t wait to come back!!!!

Peaceful place.
We had one of the nicer Hilltop places with it's own plunge pool and it was gorgeous with a fantastic seaview. Having said that, all the rooms looked nice.
The staff were all very pleasant and helpful.
There is a nice restaurant on site which is well worth a visit.
If I visited this area again I would revisit this hotel.

Lovely hotel with very well thought out design. The pool areas are excellent in particular the relaxing lower pool with sea views. Outdoor gym featuring Calisthenics frames is excellent also.

Service from all staff members was excellent and very warm and hospitable.

Will be back !

Thank you Jake & Jane - London, UK

A truly beautiful hotel, with great attention to detail. Food excellent, staff from the guys in maintenance to the reception staff all helpful and friendly . Beautiful pools, a great setting and perfect attention to detail nothing was to much trouble, from car hire to Yoga they have it all sorted.

Got back today from a week at Irida hotel as a family with kids and grandparents. We took 3 rooms, 2 were large and right by the pool so that was great for the kids. The whole decor at the hotel is very clean and stylish which creates a peaceful atmosphere. The food was excellent : the breakfast is fresh and varied, we also ate at the pool bar lunch and sometimes dinner and enjoyed everything. The beach is a short walk from the hotel (a bit crowded and narrow). There are 2 pools which were mostly quiet and had lots of chilling area around. Most and for most I praise the lovely staff which were really friendly (waiters, maids, reception- literally everyone) who made us feel super comfortable and took care of whatever we needed.
Highly recommended!

We loved Irida Hotel. The rooms are very modern, spacious and clean. All sorts of conveniences. Both pools are phenomenal and the chairs and cabanas are a lovely addition. The customer service by All Staff members is unmatched. They gave us wonderful beach and restaurant recommendations which we all loved. Both of my teenage kids enjoyed the facilities. The wine bar and its sommelier were fantastic. Last- the breakfast was extremely tasty and fresh with all sorts of choices. Definitely a place to come back!!!

Just had an aromatherapy massage with Eleni . It was genuinely the most relaxing experience. In beautiful surroundings. Eleni was firm but gentle so much so that I nearly fell asleep. I could do it all over again. Thoroughly recommend

We had an amazing 3 days at Irida Hotel. It was a bit difficult to find with Google because it sent us to another location twice. Probably something I did wrong. 🤷🏼‍♀️
We stayed in a two level apartment style. The views from both balconies were great. It was gorgeous, beds comfortable and it was spotless. The grounds were immaculate and the service was fantastic. Pools were so beautiful, comfortable beach chairs and a delicious breakfast with lots of choices. The small village was only about a 5 minute walk. We absolutely loved it! Highly recommend staying there!

I shall definitely start the review with the fact that it was so good, we booked again whilst lay on the sunloungers! Stunning hotel with staff that are like family. So helpful and attentive and happy for a chat! Breakfast was lovely, everything you need and healthy with the most cheerful of staff of a morning to greet you. And a few cats that are really happy chilling there too. Beautiful place to relax and enjoy Crete. Has the most amazing views and even if windy on the beach, still caught a lot of sun. You can use it as a base and travel, but I would suggest a car, as arranged trips take a tad longer than usual due to numerous pick ups. But a great location to base yourself. Also a really lovely, if a bit hilly walk down to a quiet beach with some lovely restaurants and tavernas. All in all.....11 out of 10! And looking forward to visiting the new family next year ♥️