Clean and Friendly
by TripAdvisor Member FlyByTheSeatOMyPants
I highly recommend the Lato Boutique Hotel. The hotel was easy to get to because of its very large sign. The hotel was highly visible and within walking distance from the ferry terminal, the bus station and the venetian fortress. There are a number of very good restaurants, shops and sights closely nearby.
We arrived on foot at 7AM and the desk was kind enough to store our luggage until check-in. They then offered us a full american breakfast while we waited, which was the absolute best we had ever had.
The front desk went out of their way to assist us with everything from calling for bus schedules and car rental to lending us an electrical adapter and cable for our laptop. They offered suggestions for sightseeing. The rooms had free internet but they also allowed me to use their front desk computer to print out some itineraries from the web.
The room was typically small but had an incredible view of the harbor and Venetian Fortress from our small, but private terrace. The shower leaked onto the floor, but towels were replaced daily. The bed and bedding were comfortable. A complimentary bottle of wine and basket of fruit was in our room after turn down.
The rooftop garden had a view of the harbor, the lobby bars were nice and the service was good.
Overall, we got what we expected and more from the Lato and would recommend it.
Great Boutique Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member Ellen43
We stayed at the Lato toward the end of April and had a great stay. The room was very pretty and the view was gorgeous. The staff at the hotel were extremely helpful and pleasant. The breakfasts were quite good. There are many good restaurants within easy walking distance and the wonderful archeological museum is within walking distance as well. My only complaint was that the water pressure in our bathroom was a rather weak.
Small rooms however good location
by TripAdvisor Member onatrail
We stayed at the Lato hotel mid May 2006. We booked a package drive-and-stay for which they organize the leasing of a car for you and it is included in the hotel price. First mishap happened when the car that was supposed to wait for us at the boat dock in the harbour was not there. The 2 rooms we were given were very ordinary with barely no decoration except for a dark wood plank. Bathrooms were very small, precarious and looked old. The beds are real double beds so we recommend to take a twin room with beds placed next to each other to have more space. Breakfast was very good with a large food selection. The hotel is within the forteress and the main tourist area where all shopping and visiting is done. It is 5 mins walk to the Heraklion museum, 5 mins drive to the Harbour where ferries dock and 10 mins drive to the airport. You can easely access the road that links the city to Knossos. Average asking price fora room at this hotel is 90 euros on the hotel's own website...I would not pay much more. If you take the drive-an-stay package, please remember it is for a manual car only. You can get an automatic for 75 euros more. Hotel has free parking.
Fine hotel for Heraklion
by A TripAdvisor Member
Stayed at the Lato for one night each on two separate occasions for practical reasons during an extended trip to Crete. Heraklion was not a highlight of our visit to Crete -- would not recommend staying there as it is a busy city. The archealogical museum was wonderful and the street life in the center of the city is lively. There was a lot of road resurfacing being done during the time we were there, it was rather dusty, and getting to and from the hotel with our rental car posed some challenges as they were closing streets without warning (even the hotel staff were not aware when streets were closed.) Getting to the hotel with a car is not that difficult if the streets are all open. The hotel has a tiny parking area and takes charge of finding close by street parking for your car if their small lot is full. The room was a fairly typical European style room with dark decor and a functional small but pleasant bathroom. We had a discount rate and were given a room with a limited view of the harbor and twin beds. The breakfast buffet was very good. There is a restaurant on the lobby level and a small roof deck restaurant that appeared to have high prices -- we did not eat at the restaurants in the hotel. There are plenty of restaurants within easy walking distance including on the harbor. The staff was friendly and accomodating. We would stay there again if we needed to stay in Heraklion. This hotel was highly recommended on this site and in other publications. We do not know how it compares with others in the city.
Convenient and Modern Lato Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member clevehts
We stayed at the Lato for one night in May before leaving Crete by Ferry for Santorini. This hotel has a great location - it is very close to the bus station (buses to Knossos, as well as other destinations in Crete), ferry port, and walking distance from the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.
I was a little disappointed when we checked in. Our room had been booked in Jan. by a travel agent. On check in the reception clerk told me she had emailed me that the hotel was overbooked and we were being moved to another hotel 10 min. away. Since I had left home several days ago and was almost 5,000 miles away I hadn't checked my email in sometime. I obviously hadn't read this message - and upon my return home never found this note in my email box. When we seemed hesitant to move, the receptionist told us we could stay there - so apparently there was some room.
Our room was a corner room - it had a separate sitting area, bedroom area, and bathroom. Each of the individual areas in the room was pretty tiny - but it was very modern and recently renovated. The air conditioner also worked well, which was important given it was 91 degrees Farenheit. Unfortunately we didn't get a harbor view.
We were able to see both the Archaeological Museum and Knossos that day - which was all that was on our agenda. We didn't love Heraklion and I felt one day there was enough.
We ate at the rooftop restaurant that evening - which had a nice harbor view.
The included breakfast was probably the best of our trip - rice pudding (awesome!), crepes, eggs, greek donuts, pastries, etc. It was great - but getting breakfast at the buffet was a bit hectic due to several tour groups.
It was an easy 5 min. cab ride to catch our high speed ferry at the port to Santorini.
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