Neos Omalos Hotel

Comfortable place to stay and eat before and after the Samariá NP hike.

Pros: Comfortable and good stop point for visiting Samariá National Park. Charming sounds of sheep/goat bells at bedtime. Good shower pressure, comfortable beds but bed sheets a bit short so became a bit wrinkly overnight. Nice food at the restaurant and free shuttle to the Samariá National Park in the morning. Friendly staff with good explanation of process for visiting the NP - get a free shuttle to the car park by 9am (or pay €5 to park your car there), at the car park cafe buy €7 bus ticket for ride back from Sougia to Omalos, at the NP entry point buy entry ticket to NP, hike down to Agia Roumelia and have a nice swim at the beach before the ferry leaves at 5:30pm, At Agia Roumelia buy the €15 ferry ticket which takes you to Sougia where you get the bus that is waiting for you, even if the ferry is late. The bus driver was lovely and can drop you either at the car park or Omalos Hotel. I did the hike on last day of season 31 Oct so return bus trip was in the dark, from 6:30-7:30pm.

Cons: Mosquitoes can get in if not careful. Temperature of heating can be adjusted but it was turned off during the day so my towel didn’t dry (It was October).

Pros: It was our second stay at the Neos Omalos hotel and we would certainly return again if walking in the area (we tackled Samaria Gorge both times we stayed here). The staff are welcoming and the food is lovely (be prepared for a large breakfast!).

Pros: A cozy place with very pleasant staff. A great base for hiking and visiting the gorge. They do free taxi to the gorge entrance which i thought was very thoughtful :)

Good rest in the middle of hike

Pros: Spotless room with great design. Great shower with high pressure. Big comfy bed. Cozy hotel hall area. Great restaurant in the hotel downstairs. Welcome staff, possible to arrange free transfer to the starting point of Samaria gorge route.

Cons: Bathroom door opens only at one half because of small space.

Perfect and wonderful hotel for the Samaria Gorge

Pros: It is set up so well for the Samaria Gorge and other hiking. Wonderful staff, and the whole atmosphere/mood is of positive excitement. Comfortable rooms, a really cool breakfast, and the morning shuttles to get to the gorge were so helpful. We stayed a night here before hiking the gorge, stayed a night at the bottom, then walked back up and stayed here again! Thank you so much for letting us park our car for the three nights.

Cons: 2 single beds pushed together doesn’t quite make a double bed, as it leaves a small hole in the middle! A bit old-fashioned, and not luxury, but that rather adds to the charm - I loved it!

Authentic Cretian hospitality

Pros: A family owned authentic Cretian hotel in the perfect mountain location for the Samariá gorge walk and the bus to Sougia/Chania which stops outside the hotel. The rooms are clean and comfortable with a small balcony. The beds had comfy mattress toppers, the towels were quite new and the hand held shower had good pressure. The food served was wholesome and reasonably priced. The staff were all very kind and helpful and there was a notice board in reception showing timetables and local information.

Cons: To be expected but be prepared for it to be much cooler than the coast.

Pros: Great staff! Very helpful and informative!💜very good location to hike the Samaria gorge+free drop off at the entry of the gorge. Good food, very nice atmosphere💜

Cons: The shower is not great. Its a travellers hotel, no luxuries, good value for money!

Traditional mountain hotel

Pros: Comfortable traditional mountain hotel. Staff are all excellent, beds comfortable and plenty of hot water. Free parking on site. Breakfast offered a good choice of options. Menu for evening meal limited but what we had was very enjoyable. The White Mountains are beautiful.

Perfect homey stay near Samaria Gorge

Pros: We felt instantly at home here. It’s a proper family-run hotel, and everyone was so kind and helpful. They helped us plan our hike, drove us to the start of the gorge, and prepared some sandwiches to take along. We were meant to stay just one night but ended up adding an extra after the hike because we didn’t feel like driving two hours in the dark to our next accommodation. Breakfast was very tasty, with a nice mix of sweet and savoury. Loved the fresh orange juice (feel like nowadays it's always bottled and artificial!) I also really appreciated that they avoid single-use plastics. We had dinner here too and loved it. Great homemade local food and such a relaxed, friendly atmosphere in the evenings. Our room was spotlessly clean, big, with a comfy bed with plenty of extra blankets and a duvet for a chilly night. It feels like everything has stayed frozen in time since the 60s, and we actually loved the vintage signage and graphs in the bedroom.

Cons: The only thing I’d change is the bathroom setup: it's quite small and the shower just has a curtain and no holder for the shower head, so water goes everywhere and you have to hold it the whole time. Not a deal-breaker, though. We’d definitely stay here again.

Comfortable & convenient stopover for Samaria Gorge hikers.

Pros: A lovely comfortable stopover before our hike through the Samaria Gorge. Dinner in their restaurant was delicious home style cooking. Staff were very hospitable. They offered a free shuttle to the gorge entrance after the included breakfast.