It is a quiet resort with a small number of bars and shops. It is very Cretain and a large number of locals frequent the 'tourist' bars.
The town is clean and the sea is very clear.

The resort is very clean. We walked to the town centre and to the castle (about 15mins) worth talking a stroll, market a little like a jumble sale if you like that sort of thing(every sat) we didn't have the need to check out the resort entertainment on site was fantastic enough for us. Although a daytime stroll we had no problems with the bars on the sea front try the one with the parrots outside very friendly. The standards of the beach are far better than here at home, the life guards from the complex where constantly cleaning the beach front and very strict as to the sea conditions, we had a red flag day and was asked to come out of the sea. I would most definatley take my family back to this hotel as it has everything a family holiday needs for all ages.

you could not fault the cleanliness of this resort we stayed on the beach everyday a couple of times a day the lifegaurds came along picking any rubbish up again in the evening they came and tieded the sunbeds up, there are alot of stray cats and dogs in this resort, i was on the gtound floor and couldnt leave anything on my terrace because the cats slept on there but they did catch any bugs that were around so it wasnt all bad. there is a footpath that takes you right into lerapetra its all lit up and we felt very safe walking there of an evening the locals are very frienly.

resot was very clean with a shops and bars along the promenade.the beach was very clean but a little rocky in places

I wood visit the resort again and again and again

Only went into resort twice as the hotel kept us entertained all the other times

The resort is very clean and there is a small town 10 -15 mins walk from the hotel. We spent a few meals out at 'Cafe On The Rocks'. The owners of this cafe bar are very friendly and take the chance to welcome you and get to know you a bit. They offer good food and ice cold cider if you fancy a break from the hotel food.
There are also a few shops along the front selling souvenirs etc, though the hotel shop does not cost anymore than the locals really.
A few bars offered a variety of evening entertainment, perhaps more for those families with older children.
The beaches were kept clean and seemed to be respected for that fact from by tourists.
This is definitely a great choice to go for families with children under 14.

The Petra Mare hotel is situated at the edge of the town of Ierapetra, a quiet place whose residents we found to be friendly and hospitable. A 10 minute walk along the promenade (which starts just outside the hotel) takes you past a small sellection of bars and tavernas and a few tourist shops, before arriving at the harbour. Going on beyond the harbour towards the fort brings you more restaurants, bars and tavernas as well as a handful of clubs where the nightlife is focused. Away from the promenade in the town, there are quite a few interesting shops as well as banks, more bars, tavernas etc. We strolled into Ierapetra a number of times and found it a pleasant place to explore. It isn't Malia (thankfully) but provides enough to keep the whole family entertained in a relaxed manner (one of the sea-front bars even has, free of charge, an air-conditioned indoor play area for the little ones so that the grown-ups can have a more relaxing drink.

The beach at Ierapetra is fantastic - It is a clean mix of sand and stones (more sand than stones). Swimming is safe in the clean water with swimming areas segregated from the water sports by buoys.If you've spare baggage weight, take your snorkelling gear - there's lots to see in and around the rocky end of the beach. Water sports are offered by friendly Greeks outside the hotel. It is a bit pricy but the rides are longer than average and are safe. Warning - take beach shoes with you, the sand can get very hot during the day, and if you want a change from lazing around the pool, you can laze around on the beach (the sun beds in front of the hotel are free there as well.

We did not go on any excursions on this holiday so cannot really comment first-hand. However friends we made whilst staying at the Petra Mare enjoyed their day at Chrissi Island and thought the water-park was worth the visit. They also thought that the trip on the Banana Boat Express (provided by the Water Sports People on the beach) was well worth doing (see previous review).

Quite a lrge town that was spotless but very few bars and shops along the front - very pushy shop keepers kept trying to sell clothes to my 9 year old.

Not many hotels locally so not a great deal to do entertainment wise.

Quite but nice,especially the 'on the rocks bar' where the staff were mega friendly.