Outstanding Wedding Venue
When my husband and I started to plan our wedding we decided we’d like to get married abroad – an outdoor location in the sun and somewhere in easy travelling distance from the UK. We began to search for ‘luxury wedding hotels’ online and discovered St Nicolas Bay Resort Hotel in Crete. We decided to take a trip to Aghios Nikolaos so we could visit the hotel for ourselves to see if it was what we were looking for. My husband and I arranged to meet with Yiannis and Maria who were both very helpful and gave us a guided tour. We visited the hotel during the day but as we wanted to get married at sunset, Yiannis suggested we visit again in the evening when the look of the hotel and atmosphere would be completely different. We took his advice and within minutes of visiting the hotel for a second time, we were sold. The hotel looked absolutely stunning in the evening – various outdoor areas of the hotel were lit up [including the sea] and we just knew it would be the perfect venue for our wedding. We returned home feeling very happy and started to plan our wedding. I spent quite a lot of time speaking with and emailing Maria who was very helpful indeed. I had a lot of questions for her and if any brides-to-be are reading this review, you’ll appreciate that it’s very difficult trying to envisage what things will look like when you live in a different country and haven’t had the opportunity of seeing what the hotel looks like when dressed for a wedding. The wedding date soon came around and my husband and I flew out to Crete to spend 10 days at the hotel before the ceremony. We had a few discussions with Yiannis and Maria prior to the wedding but they ensured they didn’t take up too much of our time as they had everything covered. They made everything so easy for us. We’d booked Graham Hodgetts, a local photographer in Crete and Pat, a local hairdresser with a salon overlooking the lake. Both did a great job and we’d highly recommend them both. Our wedding day was absolutely fantastic. We had our wedding ceremony on the decking area next to the hotel’s chapel overlooking the sea, followed by a drinks reception at the Bonatsa Jetty Bar and our wedding reception at the Greek Kafenion. The whole area looked breathtaking. The tables were dressed beautifully, the fairy lights were shining in the trees and the food looked and tasted amazing. We’d hired some Greek dancers for a little later in the evening and before we knew it we were into the early hours of the morning and our big day was over. Although we’d already been upgraded to a room with a private pool prior to the wedding, we were upgraded again to the honeymoon villa which was just the perfect ending to a perfect day. It was spacious and beautifully positioned overlooking the sea. I cannot stress enough how impressed we were with several members of the team who helped us throughout our stay. We’d like to give a special mention to the head chef who met with us prior to the wedding to devise our buffet menu. He really exceeded our expectations and the presentation and quality of the food was outstanding. Thanks also to Nikos, the front of house manager who was very efficient and helped us with several arrangements and not forgetting Michael, who has to be the best barman in Crete! He was so friendly and “couldn’t wait to meet the 70 Geordies” who were attending our wedding! Most of all, I’d like to say a big thank you to Yiannis and Maria who are a fantastic team. Maria is extremely efficient and is a brilliant wedding planner. Yiannis practically lives at the hotel and was present throughout our wedding celebrations to ensure everything was running smoothly, is incredibly helpful and goes above and beyond to ensure that everything is just perfect during your stay. We cannot praise them highly enough and nothing was too much trouble for them. I appreciate this review is rather lengthy, however we thought it may be helpful to those who are considering getting married here. My husband and I would have no hesitation in recommending St Nicolas Bay as a wedding venue and we look forward to visiting again. Trust us, you will not be disappointed!