I found the Ammos Hotel on TripAdvisor when I was looking for a place to stay in Crete. Despite being a geography graduate, but shamefully not knowing anything about the island’s geography (or history for that fact) it was a bit potluck in deciding which end of the island we should stay. In the end we chose the north west and based ourselves around the historical city and port of Chania with it’s architectural charm and proximity (within 2 hours drive) to other attractions like Falasarna, Elafonisi, Samaria Gorge and Akrotiri peninsula.
I got in contact with The Ammos Hotel’s owner Nikos Tsepetis and he was incredibly friendly and helpful in not only giving me information about the hotel and its location, but also about the other plans we had for our stay in Crete. I had a good feeling about the hotel after looking at the website and exchanging emails with Nikos, so we booked a 6 night stay.
We arrived very early in the morning (7am) at the Ammos after our (mildly dodgy) cab drive from the port of Souda in Chania. We were greeted by a friendly note on the hotel reception saying that the key was in the door of our room and we were welcome to check in early, have a snooze and they would see us a little later on when the hotel opened.
Both the hotel, rooms and grounds were beautifully crafted with a great attention to detail that made you feel like someone had gone to a lot of trouble thinking about how to make your stay not only pleasant and comfortable one but inspiring. The decor throughout was contemporary with an organic, down-to-earth and welcoming atmosphere.
The staff at the Ammos (headed up by Nikos and Dimitria) were wonderful. They were friendly and went out of their way to help you with anything concerning your stay. They made our stay a pleasure and offered many tips for excursions and activities.
The food at the Ammos was great. We didn’t eat there every day, as we wanted to try different tavernas, but when we did, we were impressed by the quality and quantity of food, the presentation and the ambience. The waiting staff were very friendly and good to chat with.
You don’t often find many gems like the Ammos Hotel where the staff, hotel and experience leave you with that feel good vibe and it reminds you that there are decent people out there who will go out of their way to help you for nothing in return but a smile and a thank you.
We were sad to leave the Ammos and hopefully we’ll return one day. I would recommend the Ammos to anyone who wants a relaxing and intimate experience, couples young or old.
Thanks again Nikos!
