Lato Hotel Reviews

We have been staying at the Lato since 1999, our very first visit left us with such good memories we just have to keep going back. George, George and Van provide a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, it is almost like being at home, nothing is too much trouble and the laid back approach really helps us relax into the holiday as soon as we arrive. The location is perfect, just far enough from the town centre to get a walk each day. The rooms have been nicely renovated over the years and always kept spotless. We even get flowers on anniversaries and birthdays, detail is never a problem. The B&B basis works perfect for us as we like to eat out in the evening. The lunch time bar snacks however are ample and delicious, served by the very special Jeanette, who, in the evening makes sure we all have fun singing and dancing; she brings all the guests together, and we have made some lifelong friends from our times at the Lato. The pool area is a great place to be during the day, everyone has a laugh and joins in conversation; it looks stunning when lit up at night when we're round the bar.

We don't just feel well and relaxed when we return home from the Lato, we feel 'special' because that's how we've been treated for two whole weeks and we just can't wait to get back next year. Jayne and Dean, Nottm

My husband, my 14 year old daughter and myself have just returned for the 2nd year running, from Agios Nicholaos in Crete where we again stayed at the Lato Hotel near Ammoudi beach. We couldnt have asked for better once again from George and his very welcoming and extremely friendly and helpful staff who treated us like family returning home. The Lato is a small, comfortable hotel with a very laid back atmosphere where the guests are often annual visitors who choose to return again and again as we intend to. You just don't experience the friendliness and kindness of people like the 2 Georges, Vangelis, Yannis, Janette and the 2 breakfast/cleaning ladies in any big hotel. They are a small hard working team whose only objective is to ensure everyone enjoys themselves. Great tavernas in the immediate area include Avra, Piato and Kri Kri and for lunch at the beach The Dolphin taverna where Nico and Pablo make you so welcome. Just next door to the Lato is a car hire where Sandy will sort you out with a car at a very reasonable price. Thank you George and the team, keep up the great work and we look forward to visiting the Lato again in the future.

Stayed at the Lato hotel in May 2010. Had read a lot of very good reviews for the place but we couldnt help but feel a bit disappointed when we first saw our room. It was tiny! barely big enough for the bed and also the balcony hardly had room to sit on. Then things just got worse when we went to breakfast in the morning, very basic to say the least, just a few peices of stale bread and cake, tea/coffee and orange squash. Having said all this the hotel staff were nice enough, there lunch time snacks were great and very reasonably priced. The best thing about this hotel for us was the location but this was only because we had friends staying at St Nicolas Bay and some staying in Ag Nic, this meant our hotel just in the middle. Also only a couple of doors down from a great bar called kri kri. The main road outside the hotel is very busy 24 hrs a day and very dangerous i would not recommend the place for familes with young children because of this.

First class hotel...Friendly staff at all levels... No request to small...Local taverna..Kri-kri has excellent meals and atmosphere run by a very friendly family..Domitris..Top barman... Lato hotel barmaid-jenette..Simply the best...... Going back 19th may...Cant wait...Yeehaa...Gaz n euan...X

My wife and I discovered Lato Hotel in May last year after having sojourned in 2000 en 2002 at Hotel Lito (Havania Beach). We enjoyed our 15 days holiday in this nice hotel. The two Mr.George and Van are looking for the comfort of the guests an the personal is very serviceable. We go back to Lato from 1st till 15th May this year.

what a lovely hotel, it was small and friendly with a medium pool. sunbeds were available and thegardens were lovely. george and george the owners were very friendly and kind, jeanette who works behind the pool bar doing snacks and drinks was great!!!! the food was lovely and she kept us entertained in the evenings where happy hours were between 6 and 8 pm, everyone would meet around the bar and we would have a bit of fun before going for dinner. rooms were very nice and everywhere was clean and tidy

Once arriving at this hotel at 6.45am after many drop offs in Malia, our first impressions were not great....first of all was the humidity in the room and no air conditioning on hand (until you requested it) and the size of the room was extremely small for two people and two suitcases!! The bed was meant to be a double but it was an odd size, made to measure for the purpose of this room, then the decor was very old fashioned. On a good note the bathroom was new looking and very clean. We did get air conditioning later in day at a cost of 36 euro's per week. The pool area is pleasant and relaxing and we were lucky that for July it was not overly busy, however I would have been concerned if it had been, as the area around it is very limited. The pool bar snacks are made by Jeanette who made us laugh throughout our time here...making good food and the best cocktails on the Island in the evening! Jeanette can't do enough for you - nothing is too much trouble. This hotel may have not been to our liking at first but on talking to other people staying here, it was apparent that they had stayed here before.

I think what is really appealing after staying here, is the happy and friendly atmosphere and in the end it was a great stay and I would probably stay here again.

Overall this hotel is in a perfect location for this resort. It is a good 20 minute walk to the Lake however it is a pleasant walk with great views & also very safe to walk back in the evening. It's also a central location to take the local bus into Elounda or Plaka costing no more than 4 euros. This is a great resort with excellent tavernas especially the family run such as Avra, Knossos and Trata. Additionally, there are plenty of bars and cafes to chill and relax although this may set you back a bit at 7 euros for cocktails!

A lovely and vibrant place would highly recommend.

We have just returned from a week at the Lato Hotel and have had a great time.

This was our first time in Crete and really enjoyed it. The Lato Hotel is a fantastic little hotel, very friendly and very clean. The breakfast is continental style breakfast but there was plenty of choice. The meals at the snack bar during the day were good.

The food around the resort was excellent and we didn't have a bad meal at all. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from. The Kri Kri and the Avra near to the hotel are very good, although I've got to say the Avra was our favourite.

The main resort of Aghios Nikolaos is about a 20minute walk (for a taxi it cost 5 euros), mostly along the sea front, with bars and tavernas along the way. We thought it was a nice walk, which was well lit etc.

The resort of Aghios Nikolaos is ideal if you are looking for a quiet resort with a selection of bars and restaurants . It is not for you if you are looking for somewhere lively.

We only did 1 trip whilst there and that was the jeep safari. This was a fantastic trip and Gary our guide was brilliant and made it a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Overall a fantastic hotel in a really nice resort - definitely somewhere we would go again.

Just returned from a very enjoyable stay at the Lato Hotel.

Our 2nd time in Crete, and we went back to do the Spinalonga trip - we got the local bus to Elounda (another not to miss beautiful resort) then taxi to Plaka (£5 euros)This is a very small but very friendly fishing village - then a small boat to Spinalonga, which takes about 5 mins and they run every hour on the hour..Then on the island you pay 2 euros to see around but their is no guide, but a small museum which has information in English..very humbling experience...there are also trips from Elounda and Ag.Nik. but they take longer nd usually include a BBQ - depends what suits you.We also did the trip to Santorini all day Cruise which was excellent, although an early start(5.30)from hotel and back 10-11pm but don't let that put you off, great value for money(we did the seacat trip last year and were stuck inside the whole trip 2hrs there and same back)

Must say something about the Hotel! Rooms very clean and staff very attentive: breakfast cereal bread honey yogurt jams fresh/tinned fruit boiled eggs orange juice every morning and snacks available 11-3pm then the bar beside the pool is open all day..Nice and quiet at night but not too far from town centre, we enjoyed KRI-KRI for dinner almost next door and Alva just along the promenade..Knossos gets good reports, but our experience was that we had a bit of a grumpy waitress who spilled my sisters drink while clumsily retreiving the menu then did nothing about it until we pointed out that the glass was cracked when it hit off the ash-tray ! Anyway it didn't spoil our holiday but we never ate in their again although the food was ok....want to go back in Sept...saving our pennies already.....!

Just returned from the Lato Hotel, Agios Nikolaos, Crete. We choose Crete after reading Independent's report that of all the greek islands, Crete was the one to start with. We agree, moreover, we reckon that the Lasithiou province, Agios Nikolaos and the Lato Hotel in particular are perfect introduction to Cretan people, culture, history, nature and life style.

Agios Nikolaos;
is a genuine working town (10,000 inhabitants) and the capital of the Lasithiou region, it has six beaches, four of which are within the town and all of which front the Bay of Mirampellou. A mornings stroll will give you a good feel for the town and your bearings.

Lato hotel;
If we could put this place in our suitcases when we went on holiday I would be a happy man. The Lato is minutes away from the nearest beach, with a couple of bars, restaurants, and mini-marts nearbye, while being 15 minutes walk along a lovely promenade (5euro taxi)to the town centre.

A 30 room family run Hotel which has a nice pool, ample sun beds, mature well stocked gardens, outside bar, breakfast and snack facilities.

Our room was at the front with a great view over the bay, we were never disturbed by either day or night time activity. The staff and management are both professional, friendly and helpful; none less than Yannis, (cocktails, concierge, night porter and all-round good egg and invaluable source of help and information).

BEACHES
The four beaches in the immediate town area (Beach Club, Ammos, Kitropltia and Ammoudi, all are worth a visit. Ammoudi beach is less than 4 mins from the Lato Hotel, had a good mix of nationalities with a charming, compact sandy beach with a shaded tree area just behind the shore/sun-bed line. The sun beds are 1-3 deep on the shore and cost 9 euros for 2 beds and brolly, there are full facilities with a beach shop and lovely bar/restaurant plus a small unobtrusive water sports concession.

TIP
The Ammoudi beach bar/restaurant was great for lunch but also for an evening meal being at the waters edge and providing great sunsets views over bay to the mountains.

RESTAURANTS
We took lunch and evening meals out most days and were never disappointed.
That said, and for something special, Migomis was far and away the best and it was the one we returned to for our last night. A stylish establishment, grand piano sitting on top of the cliff overlooking the lake with brilliant views, sunsets and food ( fancy but comfortable).
If you want to be on the lake (and why not) we would return to the De Lac situated in the far corner underneath the Mignomis.(but we would suggest you access it from half way up the shopping drag end rather than the bridge end to avoid the HASSLE!!! of waiters from the other establishments you will pass in this popular tourist spot)

TRIPS
Best first.
1. Lassi plateau this is a strange place, a small flat agricultural plain surrounded by mountain peaks which is accessed by just two points. The winter run off of snow floods the plain before draining into a sink hole at one end into underground reservoirs which then provide water to irrigate the plain during the summer. The annual flooding means that the locals that tend the land live in necklace of villages spread around a perimeter road set at a slightly higher elevation than the plain. Though the are bus trips and tourist shops in some of the larger villages, they did not impact upon your enjoyment and you can get a real sense of traditional Cretan country life here. We hired a Mercedes Taxi and made our way through Neapolis to a mountain top Kafenio for a frappe and beautiful view of the plateau plain spreading below. We then continued down onto the perimeter road and its surrounding villages visiting a beautiful church and monastery stopping for a jar of honey and then to sample the waters before pausing for a pot or two and a greek salad prior to returning via the alternative mountain route and the coast road to adorable Agios Nikolaos and the Lovely Lato.

Our driver, was the perfect host, informative, stopping for and supplying great photo shoots while locating the best places to view Flora and Fauna. Indeed once while viewing eagles and vaulting vultures, I was sure I saw a colony of Land Turtles in the distance. (Mind you, I've had the photo blown up and it may be a colony of boulders!)
We did this on the run down of our holiday, it was a rare and special treat which pulled it all together, memorable.
TIP
Lassi Plateau warrants an overnight break to appreciate rural cretan life particularly as the higher altitude means that it is cooler giving a welcome change from the heat of the coast.

2.ELOUDA
Elouda, yeah, but don't miss Olous which is adjoined to Elouda town. Connected to one of the off-shore islands by a narrow beach lined cause way providing a shallow and sheltered section of the bay which connects to the restaurants and bars perched directly on the shore line of the mainland. The most striking feature of Olous are the archaeological remains which consist of the mosiac floor of a roman basilica, a sunken Venetian village, port and salt pans just below the surface in its shallow warm waters, giving the place a rare and special atmosphere making it our top beach choice.

3. Fishing trip
Manilos Small about 25 people, based in harbour signs all over Agios Nikolaos. Goes from agi past elouda stopping for good fishing spots. It then stops on route to barbeque your catch and a little swim or walk to a local chapel. Our captain gave good and entertaining commentary on route while offering cheap drinks. The round trip 30 euros 6 hrs.
TIP
I went on my own leaving the girls to go shopping at the weekly market and though looking forward to it found 6 hrs just a tadge to long!

4. Suggestions;
While Knosos is exceptional the heat and the amount of people can take its toll, whereas the quieter Lato archeological site not far from the Agi Nik is a good alternative. The village of Machos which you can get to on a boat trip from agi-nik is also worth looking into as is Iracklian which is unfairly denigrated and well worth a day visit

CONCLUSION
On our return I felt as if we'd been to some where different and gained a taste of the island and people which was missing from our previous holidays. But it was like a week end break, in as much as we only scratched the surface , Indeed I already have a list of things for my return visit and top of the list is to re-book the charming Lato Hotel.

Good Luck

The LATO HOTEL is the friendliest hotel we have ever stayed in. The two Georges and brother Vangelis, Jeanette ,Yanni,and the 3hotel maids are all first class. This is the 9th year we have been going and it now feels like home. This year there were 26 of us met up and we had a wonderful time.
The rooms are very good and the views are wonderful. What a view to waken up to in the morning. Breakfast is very nice and made more special by the 3 lovely ladies who ensure everything is ready.Nothing is to much trouble for any of them. Jeanette makes lovely snack lunches and delicious cocktails.

THE RESORT.
An amazing and friendly place.Lots of lovely places to see. The walk around the harbour past the terminal is really relaxing. The lakes are very pretty but meals here are more expensive but you are getting a lovely view.
We eat mainly at the Avra excellent food and a good selection plus super breakfast, La Strada excellent (they send a taxi to the hotel to pick you up free)and the Knossos great food and very friendly staff.

THE BEACHES.
The beaches are quite small but you can easily get a bus or taxi from the hotel and go to the Almiros beach which is the municiple one or Elounda.It is worth while hiring a car as there are lots of beatiful places to visit.Knossos Lissitho Plane Via Beach famous for the ";Bounty Bar advert";
I could go on for ever but you must experience the Lato Hotel and Agios Nikolaos for yourself to know what I mean. This year was very memorable and we had some great entertainment at the Hotel. We have booked our holiday for 2007 and look forward to going once again.

Went went to the Lato Hotel in late June 2006. We were basically looking for somewhere to de-stress and relax. This was it. Mostly.

The room we were in was good - a bit smallish, but not unliveable by any extend. The bathroom also quite cramped, but again, fine. All clean, and in good condition. The balcony was a little irritating, as if the airconditioning was on inside, and someone was sitting outside (i.e if we were getting ready to go out), then the airconditioning would blow hot air straight on to the balcony. Again, a little annoying, but no unliveable. The rooms have a lockable fridge (we kept passports etc in here!), which you can rent for approx. £10 a week, and the air con is about £30 a week. The hotel is BandB, whilst we usually go self catering - to be honest, we didn't really notice much difference as we had the fridge in the room.

The brekkie was fine - greek yogurt, fruit, toast, boiled eggs, honey, ham etc. Serving was from about 7.30am to 9.30am - I think. Pool area was good and fine - might have been a little too small if it was the height of the season, but then you can take the sunbeds over to the grassy area as well, so as long as you don't HAVE TO sit right next to the pool, then no probs. If you were on a ground floor room at the front this would be great, as you would have your own private sunbathing bit almost. Lunch menu available, which was edible, but not exactly gormet. Fine for if you couldn't be bothered to go anywhere else. Bar available all through the day, although there's no one behind it till about 7pm - before then its pretty much help yourself, and pay at reception. In the evening the bar got a LITTLE bit of custom from the residents, but not enought to be honest. Felt a little bit conspicuous if you just wanted to stay around the hotel. All in all the hotel was fine - nothing spectacular, but fine for the star rating. No real probs. Fine for a quiet hol.

The main part of the resort of Ag Nik is about a 20 min walk away. There are plenty of bars on the way down however. We got a taxi most nights, as we aren't exactly the most punctual of people. Cost about 5 euro. The resort is nice - classy, and not full of v. drunk Brits. Plenty of nightlife though - lots and lots of Greek people out and about, which can make a nice change from some places I've been. Lots of tourists of all nationalities also. No clubs however, not that we noticed anyhow. However, not exactly trillions of things to do. Nice little town type place, but not bursting with activities. This was fine for us, but if you need lots of excitement, then don't bother. We went on the fishing trip, which comes highly recommended, and also the trip to Spinalonga, which was also good, but take a hat and plenty of water with you. Ag Nik is great, but a week may well be enough for some.

Eeating and Drinking - the important bit! Obelix on the way into town was good, more european than greek food though. Also cheap wine, and is also bar. La Strada is an Italian, and will pay for your taxi if you go there to eat. Good food. Just get a taxi to outside it, and they will meet you at the taxi, and pay for you. Okeanos is a great seafood restaurant right in the center, but v. pricy. Would recommend going to Kitroplatia beach on one of your first nights there - about three minutes from the center of town, but not exactly signposted. A few nice restaurants, and some more upmarket places - great for cocktails, but only dinner if you're feeling v. rich. The best restaurant here is the Ofou to Lou - right at the end of the line of restaurants. If you get a good table, its very romantic, with amazing views - if you get there in time for the sunset! Twins in the centre is good for pizza etc - although, whatever you think, you don't need a large pizza. Or a starter. Or a side order of anything. Really, trust me on this. Avoid the lake area - all overpriced pap.

Best place near the hotel is about 2 minitues away - the Kri Kri - bar open all day, and good decent Greek food at lunchtime and dinner. Reasonable prices, and friendly staff. Free pool (as in with balls, not for swimming) too.

Whatever you do, DO NOT go to the Cave bar or restaurant, which you may see signposted near the hotel. The owner is insane, the food is terrible, and the GandT I ordered, was just incredibly bad. The owner followed us down the road in his car after we escaped. Don't do it.

Nearest shop just past the Kri Kri, just go to the left when you leave the hotel. All the basics, and nice fesh bread. the one on the way into town is pretty rubbihs, and overpriced.

Moulah - The main problem with Ag Nik, is probably how much every thing is. There are a few deals to be had, but realistically, you can expect to spend pretty much the same amount of money as if you were on holiday in Britain. A pint costs the same, a bottle of wine is slightly cheaper, eating out probably about the same. And remember, I am comparing this against Edinburgh - not exactly know for being a cheap city.

All in all - a good hol. But really, quite expensive. If you've got plenty cash, and want to relax, then this is great. If you spent your last holiday in Bodrum, and thought it was great, then you probably want to go somewhere else. From all the Greek islands/ Med etc I've been too, I would go back to Lindos in Rhodes first - cheaper, with more 'culture', and a bit more to do.

The Lato Hotel is a clean, well run hotel with friendly staff. The rooms are cleaned everyday and the towels and bedding every couple of days.

Nothing is two much trouble for the 2 managers (both called George) or for Jeanette and Pat who run the pool bar and serve the food. Vangelis also works at the hotel and has a very good (english) sense of humour. The pool area is clean and well kept Vangelis normally cleans it every day. If you get a room at the front of the hotel you get excellant views right across the bay into Ag Nic Town which is lovely early morning or at sunset,the beach is not to far either. We have been to Ag Nic on 4 occasions and stayed in the Lato Hotel each time. We had our wedding and honeymoon in Ag Nic and all the staff and locals couldn't have done more to make our day even more special. From the 2 Georges who had our bed decorated with flowers and even left us a wedding present!, to Maria at the La Casa who decorated our table for family and friends with Lilies and waited on us hand and foot.

Best places to eat in Ag Nic are the Avra (does a lovely full english breakfast with english sausages) as well as some tradional Cretan dishes. The Obelix run by a lovely dutch couple Rob and Martine which does a variety of different meals from burgers, steaks, curries, chicken dishes and a whole lot more. The La Casa situated on the bottomless lake serves cretan food. Lovely to sit there of a night while the lake is all lit up and do a bit of people watching while eating and drinking. Maria the owner and her 2 daughters are very friendly and go out of their way for you. There are a lot of other very nice places to eat in Ag Nic, but these are some of the best with lovely friendly staff and good food.

As I said before we have been here 4 times before and will definatley be coming back here next year as well as many more years to come.

We transferred to this hotel after we could no longer stand our noisy neighbours in the Hotel Angeliki.The manager George and his staff work extremely hard to make sure the guests are happy.We had the choice of 3 rooms all on the front with views over the bay from lovely sunny balconies. The beds were made every day and the linen changed midweek.The shower had glass doors!! No more soaking everthing in the bathroom and skidding about on the wet floor! The shower had its own heater so no cold showers! I could have spent hours in that shower! The hotel has a small pool and a small bar. It was very quiet as it was the end of the season and this suited us just fine. It is at least a 20 minute walk into the centre of the town but it is all on the level and mostly along the promenade.

Crete is beautiful and the sea is such an incredible blue. Aghios Nikolaos is a very attractive town. There is a new bus station on the outskirts of town and buses run to Iraklion, Elounda, Ierapetra and Sitia. It is well worth visiting all these places. The bus station always seems a bit chaotic but the buses do leave on time and are very reliable. The tourist information centre near the lake can provide a map and a bus timetable and we found the tourist information centres in other towns also had free maps.The Cretans are very friendly and do seem to be concerned that tourists are enjoying themselves. As we were there at the end of the season it was fairly cool in the evening-we really should have had coats with us! The days were quite warm 25-33degrees depending on how cloudy it was. We did have a couple of days of quite heavy rain so take a waterproof.

The trip to Spinalonga is very interesting but Lana the English quide on the 'Venus' won't be there next year.
Other trips organised by Libra seemed quite expensive so we didn't go on any. (The return fare to Iraklion on the local bus is less than 12euros.)This was our third visit to Crete and we will definitely go back.

The Lato is a small friendly hotel with helpful staff.
Economy car hire, either George next to the Lato or Damitra by the Diving centre will be very helpful.
Below is a list of places we can recommend from personal experience. I hope you find the info useful.
La Strada, good Italian food and worth a visit.
Migomis, nice atmosphere for a special occasion, good food but expect to pay above the norm'
Alexandros great for a few drinks.

KRI KRI, nice food and friendly, great place to spend the evening.
The Ferryman in Elounda is well worth visiting, even from Ag Nic.
Loukakis near the Diving centre is good.
Avli very nice food but be sure to allow a lot of time as service is at Greek pace.
Pelagos, attentive staff, but again expect to pay a little extra.
Avra, nice and good for breakfast.

Obelix, good food and friendly staff.
I understand the competiton for customers, but the walk along the Lake is spoilt by the constant requests by restaurant staff for you to enter their place.