Blue Dream Hotel

The Blue Dream Apartments is a no-frills hotel on the island of Crete consisting of whitewashed boxy structures with typically Greek blue trim. The tile lobby has wicker furniture and a few cushioned chairs, and yellow and reddish walls give it a warm, welcoming feel. The poolside restaurant and bar is where most of the action is -- in fact, sometimes parties can go on into the wee hours of the morning. A mashup of plastic, wood, and metal tables and chairs, the restaurant nevertheless has a homey vibe, with soccer jerseys hung behind the stone bar and the names of yearly guests on the bar stools. The restaurant is covered, offering respite from the sun while guests eat, and sits underneath a small sun deck that could use a few more chaises but offers nice views of the water. The grounds have sculpted shrubbery and a range of greenery, but a good portion of the grass is dead and dried out, putting a bit of a damper on the scene. 

The Blue Dream Apartments is off a fairly idle road that runs parallel to one of Crete's highways and is lined with fields. While there are a popular bakery and a few other shops nearby, the heart of Rethymnon is about 10 to 15 minutes away by car. The Archaeological Museum of Rethymnon is about 20 minutes away. Unless guests truly intend to stay at the hotel for the duration of their stay, it's likely they'll want a vehicle, though there are public buses as well. A beautiful rocky beach is just beyond the hotel, and there's a sand beach about a five minutes' walk further. The hotel is about an hour's drive from the Heraklion Airport. 

Guest rooms at the Blue Dream Apartments are fairly large and simply furnished. Decor includes beige tile floors, and an otherwise blue and white color scheme mimicking the building facade. The standard Double Room comes with two twin beds, a small wood table and chairs, and a long desk/table with a few drawers. The two-burner stove in each has seen better days -- the top layer of the hot plate is burned off in some -- but there are dishes and a mini-fridge for those who want to eat in. Rooms have air-conditioning, but use of it requires a fee. The bathrooms are clean, but quite small. The curtained stall showers come with hoses that cannot be docked on the wall, making splashes and spills almost inevitable. 

The hotel has a bright blue pool that's clean and fairly large for the size of the hotel. Next to the patio bar/restaurant, it is a popular communal area. Above the bar and up a flight of stairs up from the pool is a small sun deck, which only has a few chairs but offers a peek at the ocean nearby. The beach off the hotel is rocky and not very swimmable, but is quite beautiful. Reaching the sand beach is more of a trek, but it's still only about a five minutes' walk. The playground at the Blue Dream Apartments is downright bleak: a swing set missing one of it swings and a faded teeter-totter, set in a small pit of sand is all you'll find. Wi-Fi is free throughout, but it can be spotty.