Blue Sea Hotel Apartments

TLDR; very cozy and chill beach & pool getaway if you just wanna take it easy in a home like environment. my initial (and final) reaction was that the photos don’t do justice to the place. based on pictures i expected something less nice and more worn out. i agree not everything was brand new and sparkly but overall fine and what you’d expect from a local greek b&b. our apartment was very spacious (50m2?) and in good condition, with a balcony (view of the sea between buildings) and a small modern-ish bathroom. nice kitchen with a table. the hotel is a bit like labyrinth but not in a bad way, it allows every apartment to have its own entrance and balconies that are not next to each other. importantly our apartment was very quiet, we had a good sleep until 11-12am. the aircon is only enough for the bedroom so the rest of the apartment is warm but that was ok for us. the aircon is also quiet. very nice owners, they make you feel like home. even brought a drying rack to our balcony which was useful. the pool temperature in july was around 27-29c, in other words very nice and comfy. u can move the poolside chairs around to get shade under the trees, i enjoyed the peace & quiet, perfect for reading and chilling. wasnt busy in mid july. there is s bit more yard space than shown in the photos. you can get drinks from the bar which is by the reception and enjoy them by the pool. cocktails were 4euros and wine 2 euros per glass. we were supposed to go on excursions but ended up chilling by the pool as it was so easy and relaxing. the beach on the other side of the road is practical too. there are good restaurants and shops nearby, even the highest rated restaurant of a rethymno is 3-4min walk away (Nostos). next door Solti has great brunch/lunch options. the other guests during our stay were Dutch 30-50 yr old couples or families (no small kids). if i must look at negatives as i always do, sure its not dashing new and the pool is small. based on my research tho there are no bigger pools in the area, only more expensive ones and/or ones with very little shade. the old town is a 25min walk so not something to do every day perhaps. still, this is one of my few 5 star places (price-quality ratio considered).