The Noverian Scenic Crete 5 Star Hilltop Villa Resort & Spa

The room was clean, but that’s about it. The main issue is the disconnect between how this hotel is advertised and what it actually is. It’s a fine, middle of the road 3 star with a decent view (ish) and uncomfortable beds, and a number of other annoying but minor flaws. It is not a five star or anything close to that. There is just no objective reality to that claim. The experience made me question the reliability of hotels.com’s system for rating and ensuring accuracy. For a mid to low 3 star it was fine. If you compare it to any reputable 5 star or even 4 star it’s a very disappointing experience.

We arrived late for check-in, but still before the required time. Upon arrival, we noticed that our room had not been cleaned at all. We found hair in the bed and shower, nails on the floor, dirt in the bathrooms, and dirty socks in the bedroom. We told the reception about this, and were told that nothing could be done that night and that we had to wait for the next day. In other words: they told us to sleep in a dirty bedroom with used bedsheets. Absolutely unacceptable service, nothing you would expect from a "5 star" hotel. We had a "one bedroom villa with private pool and sea view". What that meant in practice was that the sea was barely visible from our balcony, nothing like what you see in the advertised pictures. Also, be prepared for a lot of dead insects and dirt in your pool: they do not clean your pool. It was basically unusable the last days of our stay. We asked for room service three days in a row, but were always told "they will come soon". They never came, and thus our room got filled with trash. The "spa" consisted of a half full pool that we could not use, a cold hamam, and a small sauna. Massage was "not available". On one of the last days of our stay, we received a note in the hotel telling us that loud music would play till 3 AM. We could not sleep, and were not told about this in advance. Please save your money, this was worth nothing near the price you pay! These guys are not serious about their business, and you can get much more value elsewhere.

Stayed as a family of 4 for 9 days in mid August 2025, 2 adults and 2 children. Positives: Remote hill top location in Old Town Malia (10/10). Villas with private 10m to 15m length pools (10/10). Overall the teams were very helpful and did their best to support. Amazing views of Malia from your balcony from the hill top location (10/10). Notable mentions; Alexia at the front desk, New lady in the restaurant from Romania, Male supervisor / manager who helped us after we got locked out of the villa with 2 keys at night. Private pool chemical level being checked. Met the new owner at dinner whilst the teams were stressfully trying to work out our bill for a new menu and he said he his aware of what they need to improve on and service is not were he wants it to be. Negatives: Attention to detail I.e. 1 bed was missing its top cover for the first 3 nights. Very easy to lock yourself out of the villa because of the safety feature on the doors. Service in the restaurant needs to be improved / missed opportunity from the hotel due to isolated location. Catering options are very limited / Menu cards are confusing / Not clear what you have ordered and what you are paying for. Nightly disturbances from staffing quarters into the early morning (stayed in villa 407). No locks on the bathroom or toilet doors. Hot water in the tap & shower is extremely boiling hot. Toilet / Shower room on the lower floor in the 2 bedroom villas should have a solid divider as water gets everywhere.

We loved this resort and will definitely be back there next year. Staff were so friendly and delightful.

Just the best ! Great toom ,great staff ,great pool and a beautiful setting just loved it