Staying At Olive Green Hotel In Heraklion Crete

Although it’s been close to a month since our trip to Crete, we still think about our time there. The fresh scent of the seaside, the delicious food we indulged in and the gorgeous mountains we photographed.

As part of our journey, we stayed for two nights in a certified sustainable hotel called Olive Green. The hotel is located in the heart of Heraklion, just minutes from the main shopping streets. We were fortunate enough to stay at an upper level and our large balcony offered us stunning views of Heraklion’s roof tops.

Beyond our hotel room, we explored some unexpected parts of Crete, which showed us an authentic and traditional side of the island which was more incredible than we ever imaged. Think rugged mountains, Zeus, sandy snows and herbal tea in a family-run cafe in remote parts of Crete. So let us tell you the story, of how you can have a sustainable trip around Greece’s special island of Crete.

Getting to Olive Green

Getting to Olive Green couldn’t be easier due to its key location in the heart of Heraklion. We recommend aranging a transfer prior to your arrival. The hotel can help you with that.

A taxi transfer takes less than 15 minutes from the airport to the hotel’s door. Heraklion is a port city from where you can take various ferries to enjoy day trips on other Greek islands. Olive Green is perfectly located just walking distance from the ferry terminal as well.

Read more: Staying At Legacy Gastro Suites In Heraklion Crete

Once you arrive at the reception, you’ll be welcome by friendly staff who can recommend you interesting things to do around Crete and Heraklion.

When we arrived at Olive Green we had a coffee and late breakfast at 626 lounge which is an all day lounge and city garden.

Read more: How to organise an unforgetable Cretan honeymoon

The concept of Olive Green

Olive Green has been designed with the concept of contemporary, high-tech luxury, combined with nature’s marvels and tradition. Olive Green believes in respecting our environment which is why they created an 100% eco-friendly building.

Read more: Finding an authentic Heraklion hotel in Crete

The moment you enter the hotel, you’ll fall in love with the nature inspired surroundings. Everything is inspired by the eternal trademark of Crete: the mighty olive tree. the hotel is self sufficient due to its power generated by solar panels and other inovative features.

Beautiful Hotel Room Olive Green Crete

The rooms at Olive Green

There are three different rooms available at Olive Green: popular, urban and club.

The popular rooms are suitable for one or two people interested in experiencing the modern Cretan accommodation in style. There is wood and earthly tones with beautiful sunlight. Each room features a walk-in high pressure rain fall shower. Above the bed, you’ll have a lovely image of a gorgeous Cretan landscape.

Beautiful Lounge 626 Olive Green

Urban rooms are modern with minimal décor and refined aesthetics. These rooms feature the same high pressure rain fall shower, yet they are more spacious for your comfort and can accommodate up to 3 people.

Located mostly on the 6th floor, the Olive Green Club rooms are moden, elegant and sophisticated. They offer stunning views of Herklion’s rooftops and large balconies for abundant sunlight.

Olive Green Outside

All rooms feature olive oil with Cretan bread, a bit of salt and raki to welcome the guests in the typical hospitable Cretan style.

Every room features a tablet which allows you to control everything in the room like the TV, the lights and the air conditioning. You can also use the smart concierge app on your tablet. This is all complimentary. There is also a handy mobile which you can use for free and make international phone calls or use the internet when you need to.

Olive Green Hotel Room View

The Breakfast at Olive Green

There are two ways to enjoy breakfast at Olive Green: you can order an a la carte breakfast at 626 lounge or can indulge in a buffet style breakfast served in the hotel’s own dedicated area. We tried both so we can compare them.

The 626 Lounge served incredible coffee and we absolutely adored the fluffy pancakes. We liked the ambiance a lot, comfortable and relaxed, with straw chairs and modern furnishing.

Delicious Breakfast Olive Green

The hotel’s own breakfast area was beautifully decorated with large olive tree wallpapers, making us feel like we are eating outdoors.

There are a variety of items you can indulge in for breakfast, including traditional biscuits and cakes, cold cuts, eggs and hot items. There are cereals, lots of sweets and jams and you can enjoy unlimited coffee as well. If you have a special dietary requirement just make sure to tell the staff so they can help you. In our case, they brought soy milk for our coffee for example.

Olive Grove Crete

Activities with Olive Green

We did so many interesting things in partnership with Olive Green that we will write a dedicated post for all the activities.

We started the day with a healthy breakfast, then went on a drive towards the village of Anogia. The trip is just over an hour by car. the roads are great for driving, with incredible landscape and beautiful chasms along the way. You’ll see a sea of olive trees and as you get closer to the mountains, you might even see their peaks covered in snow. It was certaintly the case for us as we visited in April when it was still quite cold in the mountains.

Gorgeous Delina Mountains Crete

En route to Anogia, we stopped at Delina Mountain Resort, where we had lunch. Delina is very special as it hosts many weddings during the summer. It’s a traditional place with a spa, where you can see how cheese is made, walk around the grounds which are perfect for photography and see how lamb is being cooked in a traditional way. Delina is a family run business with a great history and heritage. The owner, Michalis, showed us around and told us that during summer, on a clear day, you can see Santorini.

We tried visiting Zeus’ cave, but unfortunately there was too much snow to continue driving. After lunch, we went to visit the beautiful Sfendoni Cave in Zoniana then we had a traditional mountain tea with a cake in the heart of Anogeia at Cafe Michalos.

Cute Greek Countryside

The second day, we went on a road trip to Vassilakis Estate to enjoy an olive oil tour and learn how it’s made. We tasted some olive oil as well to understand the difference between types. It was great.

There are lots of options for all type of travellers and adventurers. Simply ask at the reception of Olive Green so they can recommend you something suitable for you personally.

Beautiful Cretan Countryside

Overall

Olive Green is a fantastic luxury and sustainable hotel with a modern interior and a eco concept. We loved the welcome, the staff and the food. The rooms were comfortable, with a lovely decor which made us feel at home.

We especially enjoyed the large baconies with the views and were touched by the welcome olive oil and bread so we can experience a true Cretan hospitality.

Original, sustainable and fun, that’s how we would describe Olive Green Hotel in the heart of Heraklion, Crete.

More Info

Olive Green Hotel

Idomeneos 22, Iraklio 712 02, Greece

Book your room here

Thank you Olive Green for sponsoring this post and making our stay in Crete possible. We loved your club suite and we are impressed by your truly eco-friendly concept and traditional Cretan hospitality. All opinions in this piece are our own.

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Cory Varga – Cory Varga is a Tokyo-based licensed travel agent and published travel writer. Her main expertise is writing about Japan, where she happily lives with her husband.
Cory published her first book on Japanese customs and manners because she’s obsessed with everything Japan and wants to share more about the local customs with the rest of the world.
While Cory has visited hundreds of destinations and has lived in 7 different countries, Japan remains her favorite place to live and write about. Cory is multilingual, and she lives in Tokyo, Japan with her husband.

Comments

One response to “Staying At Olive Green Hotel In Heraklion Crete”

  1. Wendilyn Emrys, MA Avatar
    Wendilyn Emrys, MA

    I had a lovely (overall) stay there last Summer July- August 2021. Albeit, my stay was not SPONSORED by the Hotel. I paid full price for a Club Room on the 6th Floor. I had booked a Queen Club Room months before, on arrival I was placed in a twin. A quick email to the Managers resolved this when a call downstairs did not. Room changed to a Queen next door, in fact it looks as if we might have had the same room. During my time there I had some minor complaints.

    First, deferred maintenance on some broken parts of the room, and the sink stopper did not work. Most of the time the television did not work. They would send up a very nice older maid to try and fix it, to no avail. However, as I was not there to watch television it didn’t matter much. Breakfasts were very nice and hearty, and the staff very helpful in the breakfast room and lobby. The food from 626, room service, was hit or miss. It was high summer, so they were slammed. Just don’t expect real American comfort food. It is more a Cretan take on American Comfort food, and if you have allergies be sure to remind them. They get busy. Still, they were super sweet and the staff were great. The Hotel, which also caters to families, and Green travellers, needs a laundry room. The laundry up the street is exceptionally nice, but uses rather harsh products.

    I rented a car, so a car park up the street was great, and one only had to pay six euros per entry, or 24 hour period, because of a deal with the hotel. At the car park, there is a small grocery where one can get food for their mini fridge in the room, and save on restaurant costs. Most importantly, during my stay they, most helpfully, arranged for a Doctor to come to my room and give me a PCR test before my departure home. This was added to my bill. Really a GREAT service in the time of COVID-19.

    All in all, a Great experience, great view from my room, super nice staff, but the management needs to do more small maintenance of rooms. As I said, sink stopper didn’t work, television didn’t work reliably, and small broken bits in bathroom. Also, they really need a guest laundry room. So, having come from staying at a luxury boutique hotel in Athens, I was slightly disappointed.

    However, the kindness of the staff, the breakfast food quality, and the niceness of the 626 staff made up for most of it. I wouldn’t call the hotel “luxury” but it is very nice, clean,food choice for breakfast generous and tasty, 626 food good, and the staff are ultra nice and helpful. Also, perhaps it is a difference in six months. Perhaps things have been worked on. I would definitely give them another try.

    On a positive note, they are located a short walk from the Iraklion/Heraklion Archaeological Museum, shops, restaurants, and sites. You can even get a tattoo around the corner or a haircut at Zen Salon down the street. Another plus, the windows are soundproof. You need that when facing a busy square.

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