Harmony E Rock Review: The Hotel of Almost
We booked Harmony E Rock for twelve nights on Crete’s south coast, in a private pool room, all-inclusive. The plan was simple: lots of sun, lots of doing nothing, and a pool right outside our door.
Some of that happened. Some of it almost happened. And by day three we had a name for the place: the hotel of almost.
If you’re wondering whether Harmony E Rock is worth booking, here’s our honest review: the rooms, the food, the all-inclusive, the people who made the stay, and the things we wish someone had told us before we arrived.
About Me
Hi, I’m Ralu, a passionate traveller who traded routine for the thrill of exploring the world. What began as a simple getaway soon turned into a journey of discovery, shaping Making Miles and Memories into what it is today. From stunning landscapes and hidden gems to local cultures and travel tips, I hope to inspire your next journey.
About Me
Hi, I’m Ralu, a passionate traveller who traded routine for the thrill of exploring the world. What began as a simple getaway soon turned into a journey of discovery, shaping Making Miles and Memories into what it is today.
From stunning landscapes and hidden gems to local cultures and travel tips, I hope to inspire your next journey.
Is Harmony E Rock worth it?
Short answer: for the food and a handful of genuinely lovely people, yes. Skip it if you want the kind of service where things just happen without you having to ask twice.
Harmony E Rock is currently a four-star hotel. What we didn’t know before booking, is that up until 2024, there was a three-star hotel in place called Eden Rock. You can feel both. The rooms, the minimalist design and especially the food have made the jump. The service and the communication are still catching up.
We booked all-inclusive, so in theory everything was covered. Then we spent more on site, mostly on drinks we bought from the hotel store to have in the room. On an all-inclusive. I’ll explain.
What's it like arriving at Harmony E Rock?
Our arrival started badly, and none of it was the hotel’s fault. We landed late in Heraklion, and from there it’s about a 2.5 hour drive to the hotel. You can do it by taxi, but it’s worth keeping in mind if you’re arriving late after a long travel day, like we were.
Our taxi driver was, let’s say, not having his best day. He complained our suitcases were too heavy (21kg so we didn’t overdo it), drove like he had somewhere better to be, and nearly pushed my husband Hans aside when he tried to help and take our suitcases out.
I don’t know what else he complained about when he chatted about us in Greek to the busboy, right in front of us, but there was something.
The busboy handled it beautifully (thank you, Kostas!).
He sat us down, gave us a drink, put us at ease, and wrote down his licence plate. That was the first moment we thought, ok, we’re going to be fine here.
Two things worth knowing before you arrive. First, the tourist tax is paid on arrival and only in cash. Hotel policy. Which would have been fine, except the site we booked through said you could pay by card, so of course we had no cash on us. There’s an ATM on site, and to be fair, it was cheap: we took out €150 and paid a €1.50 fee. In Thailand we once paid €7 to take out €100, so credit where it’s due. Still, bring cash.
Second, because we checked in around midnight, nobody walked us through anything: where things were, what the all-inclusive covered, what was on that week. We figured most of it out over the next few days, usually by getting it slightly wrong first or completely missing it.
Case in point: every guest gets a free 15-minute massage, valid for the first two days. We arrived at midnight on day one, and we were told then that we only had the next day to use it as arrival day counts as one. Either way, we didn’t find out where the spa was until day 3, so you can do the maths.
What are the rooms like, and is the private pool worth it?
The rooms are comfortable and properly soundproof, and yes, you do get your own pool. Private, though, is a strong word.
There are three kinds of pool rooms at Harmony E Rock, and they’re very different, so it’s worth asking which one you’re getting:
- Ground floor, by the main pool. Your own pool, with plenty of people walking past.
- Second building, pool on your terrace. Step out of your room and you’re in.
- Second building, top floor. To swim, you gather your things, leave your room, and walk to your pool, which sits right next to your neighbours’ pool on a small terrace you share. Nothing inherently wrong with that, it’s just not a private pool in my view.
Our first room had a pool we had to walk to, and we never got in it. After a rough first day we spoke to the manager and moved, and the new room had the pool right in front of the terrace. Which is the dream, in theory.
In practice, there was no umbrella and no shade, so the afternoons were too hot to sit outside. And the pool water was freezing. Not refreshing. Freezing. We got in exactly twice in twelve nights, and for both of those I boiled the kettle first so I could actually make myself get in. I’m not kidding.
Too hot out, too cold in. So we spent most of our time on the terrace next to the main pool. A shame.
Housekeeping was hit and miss. The housekeeping manager barged in one day without knocking, even though the Do Not Disturb sign on the door was lit, and on other days they didn’t come at all, even when we sat on our terrace with the make-up-room button switched on.
On day four we gave up and took fresh towels from the cart in the hallway ourselves, which felt a bit like stealing from our own hotel.
What's included in the all-inclusive?
Most of what you’d expect, with a few surprises nobody mentioned to us upfront.
In-room coffee and milk are extra, 50 cents a cup, after the free ones that are in your room when you check in. Normally that’s fair enough, plenty of hotels charge for it because they also sell room-only rates. But at Harmony E Rock you can only book all-inclusive, so it’s a slightly odd one. We found out on day three, after two days of wondering why nobody ever refilled them.
Drinks come two per person, per order, and the way we found out still annoys me.
Hans ordered four drinks for us at the pool bar because we were sat quite far away and didn’t want to keep doing the back and forth. The server asked if they were all for him. No, for him and his wife.
“It’s only two per person. Take two now and come back for the other two.”
Two people. Two drinks each. Four drinks. Where exactly was the problem?
Hans laughed, because what else do you do, and the server snapped: “Why are you laughing?” Hans asked if he wasn’t allowed to laugh. “I’m explaining something to you. You shouldn’t be so ironic. It doesn’t work like that.”
Doesn’t it now?
It was one of the rudest interactions we’ve had with hotel staff anywhere in the world, and on day one of twelve, it set the tone for the bar for the rest of the stay. From then on we avoided him wherever we could, and whenever he was working, we’d walk over to the restaurant to get our wine there instead.
And the lobby bar, which the website calls an all-day drinking venue, isn’t quite. It’s either the lobby bar or the pool bar, not both. We found that out when it started raining and we went looking for somewhere dry to have a drink. In itself, this is not an issue, but it should all be communicated upfront.
Is the food good at Harmony E Rock?
Yes. Honestly, the food was the best part of the whole stay for us, and if we ever went back, it would be for the kitchen.
This isn’t fussy hotel food. It’s proper home cooking, the kind that tastes like someone’s mum made it, and after twelve nights we still looked forward to every single dinner. Not once did we sit down and think, this again?
Thalatta, the à la carte restaurant, is worth booking at least once. Get the walnut pie. Thank us later.
But what really made the food was the people behind it. The chef, Manos, came out to welcome us, checked in on how we were doing, and kept bringing us figs and cactus fruit after lunch, outside, just because he wanted us to try them. He was genuinely one of the sweetest people we met in Crete. Anastasia’s fruit displays at lunch are a small work of art every day, so take a photo before you dig in. And on day eleven, while I was filming my dinner like any travel blogger, the team stopped me to ask if I’d take pictures of their creative setups. Then the chef put his chef’s hat on and took me behind the scenes into his kitchen. Manos, Nikos and Stasia played along with my video the whole time, and somewhere in my camera roll there’s a sizzle you can practically taste.
Breakfast was also ok but the busiest meal of the day. Lunch and dinner are where this kitchen really shines.
Where does Harmony E Rock fall short?
Communication. Almost every frustration we had came back to someone not telling us something, or telling us and then not following through.
On World Tourism Day there was a trip planned to Ierapetra. It was then cancelled due to uncertain weather conditions, and nobody let us know. We found out at reception, after we’d got ready and walked over to get on the bus. Again, not a problem in itself, but I’d have liked to know before I spent two hours getting ready.
One morning we asked reception for four small things: our room cleaned, more coffee and milk, a usable conditioner, and an ashtray (our neighbours had one, we didn’t). By 2:40pm, none of it had happened. On our first day, the maître d’ promised to sort out an issue we’d raised, and then we didn’t see much of him for the rest of the day.
And the pool bar server from the drinks story? On day six, he outdid himself. We walked up for another round and he asked if we could “handle it”, and when we asked why, he said it was because we’re “old”.
We’re not sure who was counting, but someone clearly was. When the free bar feels like more hassle than paying for your own drinks nearby, something has gone very wrong.
In fairness, it wasn’t personal. He was like that with everyone.
The pool bar playlist, though, was the best we’ve ever had at a hotel. I’ll give them that.
Is Harmony E Rock smoker friendly?
Yes, and properly, not grudgingly.
We smoke. Both of us. And we don’t book hotels where you can’t, ever. Not because we want to blow smoke in anyone’s face, but because a holiday where you’re sent to a bin behind the kitchen every time you want a cigarette isn’t really a holiday. For us it’s an inclusivity thing. Smokers are guests too, and a good hotel plans for all of its guests.
Harmony E Rock does. There’s a dedicated smoking area, and it’s signposted, so nobody has to guess or feel awkward about it. There’s a spot right on the way out of Thalatta, which after the walnut pie is exactly where you want it. And the bars have ashtrays everywhere, so you can sit with a drink and a cigarette like an adult, without anyone giving you a look.
It sounds like a small thing. It isn’t. It’s one of the things Harmony E Rock gets completely right, and it’s a big part of why, for all the almosts, we’d still recommend it to the right couple.
Special mentions
I always think staff deserve their own section when they shape the experience, and at Harmony E Rock, the good ones really did.
The hotel manager, Giorgos, left a big impression on us. He’s the one who sorted our room switch after a rough first day, and the very next day he came over to check how we were doing, and again consistently during our stay. He’s a proper hospitality person. Honestly, if everyone at the hotel worked the way he does, most of our misunderstandings would never have happened.
Manos, the chef, brought us figs and cactus fruit more times than we can count, and then let us into his kitchen. We loved him for both.
Anastasia, or Stasia, the sweetest lady in the kitchen, is behind the lunch fruit displays, and every day they’re a small work of art.
Efi in the hotel store made us a whole list of things to see nearby, which is exactly the kind of thing you remember.
Iraklis and Marianna from the F&B team were very friendly and helpful, which, as you’ll have gathered by now, is not a given here.
Kostas, the busboy, was lovely every single time we saw him. And Mihaelis at reception was kind when we needed to switch rooms.
There were others too, of course. But these are the people we kept talking about after we left.
Conclusion
So, would we recommend Harmony E Rock?
Depends on what your expectations are. If you’re paying for a stay where everything just works, it isn’t there yet.
We came to do nothing, and we did plenty of nothing, but too much of it was spent at reception asking for things or being scared to grab drinks at the pool bar for fear of someone being rude. By the end we were honestly ready to go home and that was a first for me. Not because anything dramatic happened, but because lots of small things added up.
And that’s the frustrating part. The food is there. Some of the people are wonderful. The rooms are comfortable. With better communication, this could be a really lovely hotel. It’s so close.
Location
It’s quiet and the beach is close, but it’s a 2.5 hour drive from Heraklion (bus + taxi).
Price
The cost isn’t outrageous, but for what you get, it is a tad overpriced.
Venue
The food, the soundproofing and the playlist pull it up; the freezing pools, the leaks in the restaurant and the random alarms pull it down.
Relaxation
The rooms were quiet, which was a plus, but too much of the holiday went on admin.
FAQ
Is Harmony E Rock worth it?
For the food and some genuinely lovely staff, yes. If you want seamless service without having to ask twice, not yet.
Where is Harmony E Rock?
In Agia Fotia, near Ierapetra, on the south coast of Crete.
How far is the beach? About 650m from the hotel.
Does the private pool room have its own pool?
Yes and no. Depending on the room, it’s on your own terrace, by the main pool, or a short walk away next to your neighbours’ pool.
Can you pay the tourist tax by card?
No, it’s cash only on arrival, even if your booking site says otherwise. There’s an ATM on site with a small fee.
Is Harmony E Rock smoker friendly?
Yes. There’s a dedicated smoking area and ashtrays at the bars. Ask for one for your room on day one.
Is the food good at Harmony E Rock?
Yes, it’s the best thing about the hotel. Don’t skip Thalatta, and order the walnut pie.
Packing Your Carry-On for Every Airline
Learn how to pack your carry-on flawlessly every time! This guide offers essential tips and tricks to help you maximise space and comply with airline regulations.
Share This Post
A hotel is only ever as good as the people in it.
ralu
FREE Guide: Packing Your Carry-On for Every Airline
Learn how to pack your carry-on flawlessly every time! This guide offers essential tips and tricks to help you maximise space and comply with airline regulations.