Secret Garden Hotel

A delightful place situated at the quiter end of town. Ideal for visiting this area of the island but also very comfortable for relaxing in. Family run with friendly customer service, together with very good attention to detail. The menu for 2023 was not extensive (plans for expansion in 2024) but all options were very well cooked and nicely presented. The garden/pool area is very pretty and the sun beds/pool are comfortable. The bar and restaurant are al fresco but with enough cover to keep the high season sun off. The management team take much pride in their business and are attentive to their customers needs. We visited over a 3 week period and every day was a pleasure. Car parking is available but the bus stop to/from Chania is just a few metres from the entrance.

We were booked for 4 nights, having looked at the photos and reading the excellent reviews. Perhaps we were unlucky with Room 13, but it was a night I would never wish to repeat. The only good thing was we found a much nicer, quieter and less threatening part of Chania region to stay because of moving on. The room was tiny - the bathroom tinier still - we had to dry off in the bedroom. There was a scratching sound coming from the walls the entire time, goodness knows what that is. The balcony overlooked a charming gas station on a very busy road (the main bus route to Chania). But the worse thing was the awful sewage smells. The whole room was enveloped in the stench of raw sewage - it was coming from the bathroom plug, shower drain and bathroom window. We had to 'sleep' with the doors open to eliminate the smell, so heard road noise all night long - the traffic never stops, so barely slept at all. The owners know about the problem as they have cover up plug-in air fresheners (that also smell synthetic and horrible). The owner would not refund our money and charged for 4 nights, despite us being honest and open about how disappointed we were. Had she been fairer, I wouldn't be writing this review. We left as soon as we could the following morning, having been persuaded to try at least one night.. Having looked deeper into reviews, other people have mentioned the sewage smells and the fact that rooms are very small and you can't self-cater when there is no washing up sink (!), but they very quickly become 'hidden' and replaced with 5/5 reviews. Not sure how that happens either, but I hope this review gives people the opportunity to make an informed choice about this hotel and please, don't be deceived by the name 'Secret Garden' . it is on a VERY busy road and it takes at least 30 minutes to walk to the nearest beach, along that busy road. The sheets and towels are clean and fresh though and the decor is good. But, beware.