NIKO Seaside Resort Review: Sea Views, Plunge Pools and a Very Famous Shih Tzu

This stay was self funded. Our room upgrade was a kind surprise from the hotel, who knew Daisy of Crazy Daisy Travels was coming. As always, every word is my honest opinion.

Some hotels you research for months. This one landed in my lap. My friend Pam booked us into NIKO Seaside Resort, an adults only seafront hotel in Agios Nikolaos on the eastern side of Crete, and all I had to do was turn up with a suitcase and an open mind. Well, that and one very important travel companion.

Because we were not travelling alone. Daisy, Pam's Shih Tzu, came too. If you have not met her yet, Daisy has her own TikTok travel account, Crazy Daisy Travels, and she is a little bit of a VIP. Keep that in mind. It becomes relevant almost immediately.

This NIKO Seaside Resort review covers everything from the room and the plunge pool to the food, the pools, the slightly underwhelming spa and the manager who quietly made our entire holiday. As ever, the good and the not so good. That is the deal here.

A little context before we dive in. NIKO Seaside Resort is part of the MGallery Collection, sitting right on the waterfront at the edge of Agios Nikolaos with views across Mirabello Bay. It is adults only, rooms come with balconies or terraces and many have their own plunge pools, and the whole proposition rests on a combination I love: resort calm with a real Greek town on the doorstep. On paper, exactly my kind of hotel. Here is how it measured up in person.

First, learn from our mistake. We flew into Chania, which is a long drive across the island from Agios Nikolaos. If you are heading to this corner of Crete, fly into Heraklion instead, which is around 50 minutes from the hotel. Your future self will thank you.

We eventually pulled up outside the hotel to be met by Manoli, who I can only describe as a one man welcoming committee. Would we like the car parked? No problem. Luggage out of the boot before we could touch it. And a proper fuss made of Daisy, who was beside herself with excitement. First impressions matter, and Manoli set the bar high.

Pam had originally booked a garden room. What we got was the sixth floor. Sea view. Private plunge pool on the balcony. We stood there for a moment doing the maths, then realised we had been upgraded, courtesy of Daisy's growing fame. Thank you, Crazy Daisy Travels. Drinks are on you.

The view is the headline. Floor to ceiling glass slides back onto a private balcony with a glass balustrade, a rope woven chair and your own plunge pool, and beyond it Mirabello Bay stretches out towards a small scrubby island and the mountains on the far side. From the sixth floor you also look down over the infinity pool terrace and the pergola shaded restaurant below, which is quite the thing to take in with your first coffee. More on the sunsets in a moment, because we watched the best one over dinner.

The room itself is calm and quietly glamorous. Warm oak floors, a low wide bed dressed in crisp white, a soft upholstered headboard and a mirrored wall behind it that bounces the sea view right around the room. Linen shaded pendants hang at either side of the bed in place of table lamps, the television sits flush within the mirror, and the whole space glows in that warm, flattering light hotels seem to reserve for their best rooms. Daisy inspected the bed and approved it within about four seconds.

Waiting on the console was a bottle of champagne wrapped in white linen in a silver ice bucket, two glasses, and a handwritten welcome card from the NIKO team, which is exactly the kind of detail I love. Soft white robes folded on the bed, slippers at the ready, and Clarins products lined up in the bathroom. All present and correct.

Now. One thing you need to know before you book, and I say this with love. The bathroom is open plan with the bedroom. From the bed you look straight through to a backlit oval mirror, a double basin carved from a single piece of dark grey stone with matte black wall mounted taps, and a walk in rain shower set against a textured stone wall, with the Clarins lined up in a softly lit niche. It is genuinely beautiful, all moody stone and black fittings. It is also, and I cannot stress this enough, in the bedroom. Pam and I are old friends and not remotely prudish, but we did look at each other and laugh. If you are here on a romantic break, this layout is fantastic. If you are travelling with a friend, a sister or a colleague, just know what you are signing up for. It is a stunning room, but shy showerers should read the room descriptions carefully.

We arrived hungry at half past six, so after a quick look at the rooftop bar on the ninth floor, we headed straight down to dinner at Mira Restaurant on the fifth floor, where the tables look out over the sea. As we ate, the mountains across the bay turned orange, then purple, then a deep navy before the light went completely. I have watched a lot of sunsets for this blog. This one is right up there, and I would book at least one dinner at Mira for the view alone.

Starters arrived that we had not ordered, which threw us for a second until we realised they come as standard. Arancini, chicken and vegetables in a mustard sauce, and stuffed peppers. Perfectly fine, though honestly a little forgettable. For mains, Pam and I both went for the grouper, served with corn fritters, and this was a different story altogether. Beautifully cooked, and easily the best plate of the night. A solid four out of five.

Dessert was buffet style, where you get up and choose your own. Pam and I are not natural buffet people, but there is something to be said for trying a little bit of everything, from fruit and cheese to chocolate desserts and pastries. We took full advantage. For research purposes, obviously.

The real star of the meal was the wine. Pam lives in Greece and knows her way around a Greek rosé, and she came through with an absolute blinder: the Alpha Estate Single Vineyard Rosé 2025. Crisp, delicate and dangerously drinkable, and it turned a good dinner into a proper evening. If you see it on the list, do not think twice. Trust Pam.

Honest verdict on Mira? The main was excellent, the starters were average, the dessert buffet was fun rather than refined, and service needed sharpening. We had to go and fetch our own bill despite there being plenty of staff on. If you arrive late or want an easy night, the food is a good standard and the view alone earns its keep. But if you are in Agios Nikolaos to eat brilliantly, and you should be, the best meals are a short walk away. When I am on holiday I want to be bowled over at every meal, and this was more of a gentle nudge.

The ninth floor rooftop bar is where you want to be as the day cools down. We had a Hugo Spritz up there with the last rays of the sun and the whole of Mirabello Bay laid out below. If you only do one drink at the hotel, do it here.

There are two pools. The main infinity pool is very beautiful and, as a direct result, very busy. We wandered down at five in the afternoon expecting it to have emptied out and found people happily settled in for the duration. You cannot blame them.

The rooftop pool is the insider move. Smaller, quieter, with an even better view because of the height. One thing to know: it is around three feet deep from end to end, so this is a pool for cooling off and posing in, not for swimming lengths. Swimming happens on the lower deck. Cooling off with a cocktail happens on the top one. Now you know.

Across the road from the hotel is the beach, where sun beds are included as part of your stay. When the pool filled up we decamped down there and had some of our favourite lazy hours of the trip. One practical note for the whole of this stretch of Crete: the beaches are stony, so pack water shoes. My delicate London feet, which see nothing tougher than soft slippers at home, learned this lesson quickly.

Time for some honesty. The gym does the job if your workout is cardio shaped. Running machines, bikes, and a few weights. If you lift anything heavier than eight kilograms you will find it extremely basic. It has the potential to be better than it is.

The spa was the one real disappointment of the stay. I went expecting a lounge area, somewhere to drift about in a robe feeling expensive, and instead found a couple of treatment rooms, a sauna and a steam room. We did not have treatments so I cannot speak to those, but as a space to spend time in, there is no spa area as such. If a proper spa day is central to your holiday, this is worth knowing before you book.

Given this is an adults only hotel, we were not sure how Daisy's arrival would land. We need not have worried. From Manoli's fuss at the kerb to the manager greeting her by name, Daisy was treated like the celebrity she firmly believes she is. If you follow Crazy Daisy Travels on TikTok you will already have seen her verdict. Two paws up.

The hotel sits right on the edge of Agios Nikolaos town, which means restaurants, shops and the harbour are all within an easy walk. On our first morning we set off in completely the wrong direction, which turned out to be a happy accident because we found the streets where all the restaurants are and got our bearings for the week.

A word on beaches. Ammoudi Beach near town came highly recommended online, but as we got closer the screams of very happy children got louder and louder, and Pam and I quietly agreed it was not for us. By a long shot. Instead we drove twenty minutes to a small local beach where we were, as far as we could tell, the only British people there. When we arrived every sun bed was taken, so we threw our towels down, went for a swim and waited it out. Half an hour later a couple of families packed up and we claimed their beds and umbrellas. A bring your patience beach, and all the better for it. A few sun beds, clear water, and locals all around us. Exactly what we wanted.

Agios Nikolaos itself deserves a moment. The town wraps around Lake Voulismeni, a small round lake that local legend insists is bottomless, and the stroll around it and along the marina makes for an easy, lovely evening. There is an archaeological museum in town if you want a culture fix, and boat trips run across Mirabello Bay to Spinalonga, the former leper colony island that ranks among Crete's most fascinating day trips. The point is that you are not marooned in a resort here. You are staying in a real, working Greek town, and that is a huge part of the appeal.

Lunch on our beach day came from the most niche request I have ever made of a restaurant search: a traditional mountain taverna where the family's grandma cooks all the food. Twenty minutes up into the hills, at a place called Paradise Snack Bar, we found exactly that. Very traditional, very Greek, proper Cretan home cooking, and at one point grandma herself came outside in her apron and gave us a wave. We left glowing, and left them a glowing Google review to match.

Dinner that first full evening was at Piato, five minutes around the corner, and it was outstanding. I have written a full review of Piato so I will not spoil it here, but if you are staying at NIKO it should be top of your list.

A confession from the same trip. The World Cup quarter final fell during our stay, England against Norway, so in true British style we found ourselves in a local bar called Friends, watching the match with a crowd. With a midnight kickoff Greek time and the game going to extra time before England won 2 to 1, we did not get back to the hotel until three in the morning. That is not remotely how Pam and I usually roll, but England reached a World Cup semi final, so we regret nothing.

On Natasha's recommendation we also drove up to Kritsa village, stopping on the way at the Church of Agios Ioannis Prodromos, the church of St John the Baptist that sits in the cemetery of Kritsa. It was built and decorated in 1360 at the expense of the local Skordylis family, and inside, the stone barrel vaulted walls are covered in frescoes, from scenes of St John's life to a Last Judgment spread across the west wall. It was carefully restored between 2011 and 2013, and standing in a fourteenth century church you have just stumbled across on the way to lunch is exactly the sort of moment Crete does so well. Kritsa itself is a steep, winding little town full of shops selling local honey, olive oil, handmade crafts and jewellery. We had a late lunch, bought more than we intended, and I highly recommend it if you want an afternoon that feels properly Cretan.

Still to come from this trip: a VIP olive oil tasting at one of the top farms in the area, and Karnagio, the restaurant with the colourful chairs that became one of our favourite evenings of the week. Both are getting their own posts.

Here is where NIKO Seaside Resort really earns its stars, and her name is Natasha. When we mentioned in passing that we fancied an olive oil tasting that afternoon, she gently explained that weekends book out, then told us to come back down to reception so she could sort it. She talked us through the options, recommended the best farm, called ahead, navigated the Sunday premium pricing on our behalf and booked us a private VIP experience for the Tuesday instead. Then she recommended Karnagio, describing the colourful chairs and the atmosphere, called ahead for a table at half past eight and mentioned we would be shooting content, which made a genuine difference when we arrived. Above and beyond does not quite cover it.

The turndown service deserves a mention too, partly because it was lovely and partly because it gave us the running joke of the holiday. We came back one evening to chocolates on our pillows, and Pam's pyjamas folded beautifully on the bed with her slippers placed neatly alongside. Mine had been left exactly where I had abandoned them, screwed up in a ball on top of the covers. I do not know what I did to offend the housekeeper, but Pam and I have not stopped laughing about it since.

The only service miss came at checkout. We asked for a late checkout and could not have one because the hotel was in peak season, which is fair enough, and we were welcome to keep using the facilities after the eleven o'clock cutoff. The luggage team came up to collect our bags, and we squeezed in a final morning at the beach before leaving.

Couples, first and foremost. The adults only setup, the plunge pools, the bedroom shower situation and those sunsets are practically engineered for romance. It also works brilliantly for a grown up friends' trip, as Pam, Daisy and I can confirm, provided you have the kind of friendship that survives an open plan bathroom. If your holiday hinges on a serious gym or a full spa day, look elsewhere or manage your expectations. And families are a non starter here, because adults only means exactly that.

• Fly into Heraklion, around 50 minutes from the hotel. Chania means a long drive across the island.
• The hotel is adults only, so this is one for couples and grown up groups.
• In some rooms the shower is in the bedroom. Wonderful for couples, a conversation starter for friends.
• Beaches on this stretch of Crete are stony. Pack water shoes.
• Sun beds at the main infinity pool go early and stay claimed. The rooftop pool and the beach across the road are your fallbacks.
• The rooftop pool is around three feet deep throughout. It is for cooling off, not swimming lengths.
• Book experiences like olive oil tastings in advance, especially at weekends. Better still, ask Natasha.
• Late checkout is unlikely in peak season, but you can keep using the facilities after the eleven o'clock checkout.

Yes. NIKO Seaside Resort is an adults only hotel, which keeps the pools and terraces calm and makes it best suited to couples and grown up group trips.

Selected rooms and suites have private plunge pools on the balcony or terrace. Our sixth floor sea view room had its own plunge pool overlooking Mirabello Bay.

Our travelling companion Daisy the Shih Tzu was made wonderfully welcome throughout our stay. Check the hotel's current pet policy directly before booking, as terms can change.

The hotel sits on the seafront within a short walk of the centre of Agios Nikolaos, so restaurants, shops and the harbour are all easily reached on foot.

The beach is directly across the road from the hotel, and sun beds there are included as part of your stay. Beaches in this part of Crete are stony, so pack water shoes.

Fly into Heraklion, which is around a 50 minute drive from the hotel. We flew into Chania and faced a long drive across the island, so learn from our mistake.

No, it never descends into towel wars. But the main infinity pool does get busy in peak season and beds stay claimed for the day, so head down early if you have your heart set on one. The rooftop pool and the beach across the road are your quieter fallbacks.