Helea Lifestyle Beach Resort

We stayed at the Helea towards the end of the summer holidays which we found a great time to visit as it's getting a little quieter. We were expecting it to be busy given it's a family hotel and sometimes you had to queue in the morning if you got down late for breakfast, but you weren't queuing for too long. The room was nice and comfortable, nothing particularly special for a 5 star. We booked an inland room expecting a garden view of some sort, but we could see the side of the hotel and what looked like a carpark, it wasn't appealing to spend time relaxing on the balcony but we didn't spend a lot of time in the room. We booked this hotel for it's family-friendly facilities and found the kid's club, cinema and games rooms ideal. Though some of the films in the cinema weren't appropriate for young children, but they were the later showings, so assume this is geared towards young adults. We struggled to use the app to book the a la carte's as it wasn't showing current availability, but found guest services very helpful in sorting this - book early on in your stay if you want to visit them all. We enjoyed the Greek restaurant the best. The gyros bar is great near the beach, but the burger bar was very busy with queues at lunch! The beach is a pebble beach as described, but we were able to get a sun lounger. It can get quite chilly in the evenings, so I would recommend a light cardigan/shirt for the evenings especially when sat by the sea and at the entertainment area. The entertainment was hit and miss, but there was a great Michael Jackson tribute and acrobatic performance. Special shout-out and thanks to George in guest services who arranged our Spa booking and a VIP breakfast which was a lovely morning and the couple massages were great. We travelled with our 4-year old daughter so the kids' club came in handy for couple time. Also special mention of Maria and May in the Main restaurant Lopia, who were very friendly and accommodating for us and our daughter. It was difficult to find healthy options for breakfast, but we made do with fruits, fresh bread and eggs etc. You can request fresh orange juice from your server as there's no fresh juices. A couple of negative things to note is the shower floor hasn't been designed very well and the water runs into the room which can make it difficult to keep the bathroom dry, and the floor towels are insufficient, they also block the door from opening. The toilets near the Main restaurant, Lopia, seem neglected and are not cleaned regularly. Overall a great stay and I would visit again. The hotel is in a great location near the old town which you can hop on a shuttle for 4 euros or 15 euros for a taxi. It is also very close to the airport.