Elia Fatma Boutique Hotel

Excellent location in the old town, you can walk everywhere and there are lots of great restaurants nearby. We had a room with a balcony overlooking the street, and with the windows closed at night it was very quiet. The bed was comfortable. The shower area could use a refresh, the bathroom is a bit fatigued looking. The television in our room was non-functioning, and the WIFI is very weak. The AC was good. We had to go to another hotel down the street for the reception, our hotel just had an empty desk. We did get breakfast in our hotel, which was fine but didn’t have much in the way of fresh fruit. (A few tired apple slices, some mushy kiwi fruit, a few slices of pineapple). I am moved to write this review because the hotel clearly advertised “free parking”. This is a white unicorn. We went out at 11 pm and at 6 am on several occasions and never once found a spot on the street identified by the hotel as the free parking. We ended up parking at Parking Plaza, Pireos 3, Chania which is a 350 meter walk from the hotel and is next to a handy supermarket. (We bought coffee pods there as the hotel only provides enough for one day). The Parking Plaza costs 26 Euros per day, but has an elevator. So we were able to park, get our suitcases up to the street, and trundle them over to the hotel without too much problem. We had two sets of stairs to climb in the hotel to get to our room. There was no hotel porter service we were aware of. So if you have any mobility issues, be aware there is no elevator or help at the hotel, and also be aware that parking on the street for free would only be found by the most lucky. There is NO PARKING within the Old Town. Any parking you might see is only for residents who have a special permit.

We visited Elia Fatma for 2 nights. Let’s start with the location. I think there is not a better spot to stay in the old city, right below the hotel is the old Harbour and the narrow streets of Chania Town. It’s a boutique hotel which is a renovated building. The reception is in another hotel. The staff was friendly. The room was big with character. It has very special design with some east references. In particular, I distinguished the mini closet room, which was very convenient and saved us a lot of space. Regarding with the breakfast, I am very satisfied with it. It has big variety and tasty choices. Many of them are Cretan delicacies, including many pies like lichnarakia, kaltsounia, spinach pie etc. and sweets like cheesecake, apple pie m,donuts etc. . A pros is the fresh squeezed orange juice and the cool lemonade. A con is that some things like croissants, bread etc.are from the previous day and that is visible to all the guests the night. Hence the bread was stale. Unfortunately, there was not an elevator or ramp. So it was difficult for us to carry the luggage to the upper floors and it’s not accessible hotel. I was informed that it’s not possible due to it’s an old building and they can’t intervene, but I think for a 4* star hotel they should have taken care of that. Another problem was that in the room there wasn’t enough natural light. The existence of a little window could not cover the whole room and we could barely see even in the middays. Finally, I think the price could be better for low season. Be prepared: there is no parking and it’s difficult to find, cause the old city is pedestrian zone. Therefore calculate that you will leave your car 10-15’ far. To conclude I would select this hotel again and I rated with 5* because I liked the location and the breakfast. However, there is room for improvement.

We didn't stay at the hotel but we had breakfast here every morning throughout our stay at Hania. It was a fantastic experience, big variety of freshly prepared products and Gianna at the service is one of the best people at the job we have ever met. Lots of love from the whole family x