The Bottom Line
A great location and a great value.
Pros
- Excellent location steps from the beach .
- Large rooms, many with big balconies.
- Lovely veranda for breakfast, drinks, snacks.
- Very good value, including a newly-installed pool.
- Lively bar, internet cafe, and restaurant wrap it all up.
Cons
- Streetside or beachside rooms can be noisy, especially in July and August
- Visitors either love funky, artsy Matala or hate funky, artsy Matala; not much in-between
Description
- Unobtrusive housekeeping service does an excellent job.
- The breakfast buffet is basic but good quality, often serving thick Cretan yogurt and honey.
- The veranda offers terrific people-watching, including glimpses of some '60's-era hippies who've never left.
- Nearby small shops provide for most needs.
- Some rooms offer views of the famous Matala cliffs, but rooms in back are quieter.
- A few rooms above the bar across the street are open year-round, but the main hotel is open April-October.
- Doubles start at Euro 40, depending on season.
Guide Review - Hotel Zafiria
The Hotel Zafiria is the largest, most full-service hotel in the heart of Matala, providing 70 rooms, a new large swimming pool, a tempting terrace cafe, and a hotel-owned restaurant and internet cafe/bar directly across the street. The front desk is staffed 24 hours a day, and an elevator provides an alternative to the marble stairways.
The housekeeping staff is cheerful and detail-oriented. Once, a sweater I left in a knot on the chair was carefully folded on the bed in a decorative Minoan double-axe shape and left for me to discover when I returned - something I wouldn't expect even at a high-end luxury hotel.
Hotel Zafiria
Matala, Crete
Greece
Telephone: (011) 30-28920-45366, 45112, or 45747
Fax: (011) 30-28920-45725
E-mail: info@zafiria-matala.com
Web Site: Hotel Zafiria
Matala in general is fortunate in places to stay - check out the other small hotels along the Road to Red Beach.
Full disclosure: I first stayed at the Hotel Zafiria as part of a kayaking press trip. I've subsequently stayed there several times as a paying customer.
