3 outdoor pools, pool umbrellas, sun loungers
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Reviews of Athina Palace Resort & Spa

5 out of 5
Athina Palace Resort & Spa
Lygaria, Agia Pelagia, Malevizi, Crete Island

Reviews

7.2

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 34 out of 135 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 49 out of 135 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 26 out of 135 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 15 out of 135 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 11 out of 135 reviews" "

7.6/10

Cleanliness

8.0/10

Staff & service

6.8/10

Amenities

7.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

8/10 Good

BP44

Business traveller, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Oct 2019. We arrived late evening and the man on the desk, was not very kind to us, very rude. Had to email a copy of booking to reception to prove who we was. The rest of reception staff was very good during our 2 weeks stay. Our room was located near the main road right at bottom of the steps. Lots & lots of steps, only suitable for anyone who is very fit 140 steps from top floor to our room. Was very fit at end of our 2 weeks. We had a excellent sea view from our room window. The area we stayed in was very modern, newer part of resort. New modern electrics with lots of USB points and wall mounted TV. so it was worth walking down all the steps to get to our room. We only took the transport occasionally. Restaurant - It is a bit disappointing when you first walk in, needs upgrading, redecorating. The staff in the restaurant did look after you, and food was very good standard. Some staff members did serve you most of the evening in different parts of resort, and they where very nice to us. Did try the Greek Restaurant & La Carte Restaurant as well. The Resort was good value for the price which we paid 42% off, but some areas like main restaurant are not 5 star. There was some entertainment, but we would have liked more entertainment most evenings and in the main hotel bar next to reception. Went down to the beach a few times, but it is a long walk down the hills in the heat, best to take the bus. local bus to Herakilion from the resort, it is in a remote area.
Stayed 14 nights in Oct 2019
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE TEAM on Nov 21, 2019
Dear Guests, Thank you for taking the time to share your comments with us. We always value our guests; opinions and we use them to become better!We hope to see you once again and give us the opportunity to welcome you and satisfy all aspects of your expectations.

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Rude reception staff including general manager, small dirty room not what we paid for or what is shown on the web site photos of a standard double room with sea view. We stayed a total of 10 hours and left for alternative accommodation at our expence .We have holidayed on Crete for the past 20 years 2 or 3 times a year and never experienced such rude staff or poor quality accommodation. Based on our brief stay at this hotel I would give it 2* max and that is being generous.
Stayed 10 nights in Oct 2019
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE TEAM on Oct 30, 2019
Dear visitor, We regret for not having completed your holidays in our hotel. Other hand we offered you alternative upgraded accommodation, since you were not happy. Unfortunately, you have been either not satisfied. We try to make our best, in order to provide as generously we can our services. Nevertheless, you are kindly invited to visit us for a second time if you decide to visit Crete in the near future. Wish you all the best and look forward to welcoming you again

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Awesome sea view, clean renovated room, delicious food, professional staff
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2019
Response from CHC ATINA TEAM on Oct 22, 2019
Dear Guests, Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. It is with great pleasure that we hear your satisfactions and we always value our guests' remarks. We hope to see you once again soon, Thank you very much!

2/10 Terrible

Kevin

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
stay here
Checkin was extremely rude, the food in the buffet was all cold and if you moved to get some you lost your table. The checkout was the only thing I would say was ok and that’s because we were getting out of there.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE TEAM on Oct 23, 2019
Dear Mr. Kevin, Firstly, we would like to thank you for choosing our hotel for your recent holidays. Other hand, we are really disappointed that you don’t meet your expectations. All the team is trying to offer its best services to all our visitors and we regret that our efforts are not recognized. We hope to host you in the near future, in order to have a second chance to change your opinion regarding our hotel and services.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I LIKE EVERYTHINK . WELLCOME , SERVICE , FOOD , DRINKS IT WAS GREAT , WONDERFUL VIEW THAT HOTEL HAS, THE PERSONAL VERY FRIENDLY AND THE FOOD FANTASTIC.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE TEAM on Sep 30, 2019
Dear Guests, Thank you for taking the time to send us your positive feedback!It is always with pleasure that we receive our guests' opinions which we greatly appreciate! Once again thank you and we hope to see you again soon!

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
On 9.11, we made a reservation (number 74738506303690 )for hotel named athine palace resort for2 rooms Unfortunately we received something completely different from the pictures in the hotel website. The corridors are dark and unpleasant to walk Rooms with a pungent odor of chlorine. The rooms look like hostel rooms and not 5-star hotel rooms. To get to the room, you have to climb 400 steps and I, as a pregnant woman,in 7 month certainly cannot climb this staircase The vacation became a nightmare The hotel is far from 5 star!!! We are very disappointed and angry. I feel like it's cheating to show different images from reality We asked to cancel the booking but unfortunately they did not agree and we had to stay at the above hotel on holiday without pleasure. we did a reservation through you on 3 rooms. 2 rooms on my name and one room on the name liran Yehuda. Thank you for your treatment and waiting for a response. I request a refund Kind Regards Nitzan Steinberg Phone-972504893595 .
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Amazing staff! Everyone was great!!!! This was a great experience.
Stayed 6 nights in Sep 2019
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE TEAM on Sep 30, 2019
Dear Guests, Thank you for all your positive remarks!It is our honor! We are always happy to satisfy our guests this way! We are looking forward to welcoming you again!

10/10 Excellent

Kevin

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2019
Response from CHC ATINA PALACE TEAM on Oct 22, 2019
Dear Guests, Thank you very much for sharing your opinion! WE are looking forward to welcoming you once again in the future!

2/10 Terrible

Dee, Melbourne Australia

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Was a great beach, and the room size was good but the rest was terrible. The room smelt mouldy and damp and we had a 2 bed 2 bath, The staff's attitude was terrible, they didn't greet guests they were rude. The dining experience was like a school dining hall and was a horrible experience. this is definitely not what I d expect of a all inclusive hotel. I think this is like a 3 star motel. the bedding was threadbare. the cocktails at night were in tiny glasses and was terrible. It definitely doesn't match the pictures on the website.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE on Aug 14, 2019
Dear Dee, We would like to thank you for choosing our hotel and you express your opinion about the recent stay. We are very happy that you like the beach and the room size. Other hand, we are sorry for not meet your expectations, although you had a spacious room and for sure there is any mold. Additional, we receiving very good feedback about staff for being friendly. We regret for not meeting your culinary tastes in our 14 theme dinner buffet or at lunch time. We try to provide as best with daily fresh cooked meals all our international clientele and to meet their tastes and to explore local as well. We are very disappointed from your feedback and we know that either our services or facilities are on high standards and we constantly try to offer as much a memorable and convenient stay. Thus, you are kindly invited to visit us in the near future to change your opinion and find your expectations

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This property is marketed as 5 stars but it is a 2 /3 star at best. Food is bad , room very basic. Not an enjoyable stay
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE on Jul 24, 2019
Dear Guest, Firstly, we like to thank you for your recent visit in our Hotel. Other hand, we are very sorry for not having exceed your expectations, although we try to provide our best services to our visitors. About food, we get really positive feedback and we deeply regret to not meeting your taste. Regarding rooms, we provide all facilities as mentioned on our web page. Nevertheless, we hope to restore your faith in the near future and host you with pleasure in our hotel again , if you decide to visit Crete

8/10 Good

Dean

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stsy
This is a very nice hotel. Probably more of a 4 star than 5. Food was good for an all inclusive. Staff is great. I would recommend it.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2019
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE on Aug 14, 2019
Dear Guests, Thank you for taking the time to send us your feedback. We greatly appreciate our guests' opinions and we really value them so that we may become even better. Thanking you once again for your positive comments, we are looking forward to welcoming you again in the future!

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019

4/10 Poor

ivy

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Amenities
Disliked: Staff & service
stunning view. no quality service. not feel welcome. food was terrible. no proper labeling on food display. werent happy to cater for vegetarian despite of asking and requesting. very basic for food quality and repetition on menu. bar staff in the main area very rude as if they are doing us a favour. On the last day early check in left our luggage in storage which was open all day no refeence or security given. so we all felt o management or service.
Stayed 5 nights in Apr 2019

4/10 Poor

Waheed, UK

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Food not so great. I am sure we can get better food elsewhere for the price I paid for this all inclusive. I would say very terrible food for the price I paid. Only plus side is very smiley staff.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Far from 5 star hotel
we was expecting 5* resort, unfortunately it was 5* but 30 years ago, in my opinion it was 2* star resort. first impression from the reception they clear do not know what they are doing, and it was look like Monty Phyton. If not the older gentleman in restaurant who delivered with his younger team 6* service and team from SPA we will be more than disappointing. If you have 5* hotel invest some money to give the feeling of 5*. There was other people who meet the same problems and get the same feel like we had about the hotel and been disappointed about the standards and service. Ladies in reception are talk to few different people at the same time, answering phones what call frustrations, and make you feel not important.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2018
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE on Oct 25, 2018
Dear guest, Firstly we like to thank you for choosing our hotel for your recent stay. We will forward your praises for the restaurant and Spa team, although the whole team is providing its best efforts. For us all guests are very important, nobody is ignored and we try as possible to answer all queries and solve arising issues. We are very sorry for not meeting your expectations, but we try as much to offer our services on the best and professional way. We would very happy to welcoming you back in our hotel, whenever you decide to visit Crete next time, to change your opinion and assist you during your stay.

10/10 Excellent

Gary, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Excellent beach, friendly and helpful staff.
It was great to swim at the private beach everyday. Very relaxing and you felt everything available. Friendly staff who went out of their way to make you feel happy and well looked after. Two special meal occasions: Greek Tavern and the A la Carte experience were stand-outs. Negatives? None at all. Luckily we had a room near the main reception and restaurants, as it appeared other guests further away had quite a treck up and down from rooms to get eat etc. Maybe the hotel could put on a better transport system to get about. All in all: a great stay and I'd recommend to anyone wanting a good relax.
Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2018
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE on Oct 15, 2018
Dear Mr. Gary, We like to thank you for sharing your opinion with other guests regarding your recent stay in our hotel. We are very proud for your flattering comments and we are very happy to exceed to offer you a memorable stay. Wish you all the best and looking forward to welcoming you very warmly in the near future

2/10 Terrible

Camilo, New York

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
The staff are very unpolite. They don’t have patience to explain or help with simple things. It was a terrible experience. The beds are very uncomfortable. And furniture are very outdated
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2018
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE on May 17, 2019
Dear guest, We regret that you did not meet your expectations. Other hand we have lot of praises for our staff and the provided services. About beds and furniture are renovated and majority rooms are refurbished and there are plans to proceed to further renovations Hope we will have the opportunity to welcoming you back, if you decide to visit Crete again and as well to meet you in personally.

8/10 Good

Mike, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great Resort Hotel
Great setup with lots to do. It was fun to walk around the grounds and discover new things at every turn. It is a massive footprint and not for folks looking to have everything in one spot. Each area offers a different feel and experience. However, the food was not too great and 3 of 4 in our party got ill from it. Biggest complaint was food and lack of ability to get room service.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2018
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE on Jun 24, 2018
Dear Guest, We like to thank you for choosing our hotel for your recent holidays and to share your opinion regarding your stay. Thank you for your flattering words about staff and services, our efforts are recognized. We are very sorry that your neighbors were loud, but this can happen in any place where more people are. In case you informed us, we could maybe manage to contact them. About mattresses there is always a possibility to cover with softer overtop, when requested. About food, 14 different theme nights , thus means that are daily different options and always receive praises about quantity and quality. The beach is 10min walk. Therefore there is every 20min a shuttle to avoid walking. We are sorry that your expectation were not fully fulfilled, other hand we try always to provide our best services and pay attention to needs of our guests, as 5* according Greek authorization. Thank you once more for your visit and look forward to welcoming you in the near future.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
All inclusive till 23:00 pm. Maybe you should tell us before.
Stayed 4 nights in May 2018
Response from CHC ATHINA PALACE on Jun 22, 2018
Dear guest, Thank you for spend your holidays with us. Regarding your issue, kindly note that on our web side is clearly and detailed mentioned that all inclusive is from 10:00 till 23:00. Additional on the information letter is a detailed description for the AI Program. We are at your full disposal next time to queries before arrival. Wish you the best and look forward to welcoming you in the nearest future.

8/10 Good

Wendy, Tunbridge Wells

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
lovely location and charmingly built hotel
We are a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 boys aged 6 and 8. My eldest wanted to go to Crete as he is very interested in Greek history and culture and we decided that Crete would be the best place for good weather as it was the easter week. The hotel was charmingly designed and built like a village of buildings tumbling down the edge of the hillside. The pools and the beach were great for relaxing and playing and the ample buffets were well replenished during each meal. The hotel met our needs very well, and the children enjoyed the mini disco in the evenings. We found the communal areas a little lacking in character, the main bar area had bad acoustics making it a rather stressful environment. The main restaurant was often very busy with long ques at the main grill station, another chef/server could have made a big difference there. The places to sit outside were lovely and the views were fantastic though, it was mainly the spaces inside that were a bit too hectic for my son who struggles in noisy and busy environments. The staff were all very friendly and hard working. The restaurant staff were particularly cheerful and welcoming. The only bad dining experience was our evening in the "Greek Taverner" which didn't suit us at all due to the slow service and the food not being to our children's liking. The a la carte night was great though. The only real complaint I have is the hugely inefficient Check in process! over an hour wait after a long flight was not good!
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2018
Response from The CHC Team on May 16, 2018
Dear Guest, We would like to express our appreciation to you for taking the time to write a review on our property, CHC Athina Palace Resort & Spa. We profoundly value all of your positive & constructive comments, which offer us not only happiness but also motivation to keep trying & working hard in becoming even better and offering our guests and our cooperators the ultimate holiday experience, combined with the best possible quality services. We look forward to welcoming you back to our hotel in the future! Thank you very much Sincerely, The CHC Travel Services Team

10/10 Excellent

Janet

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A well-appointed all-inclusive resort and spa
The staff are amazing - always friendly and cheerful, within special mention for Dionysus in the restaurant and Tina in the spa! The food offered in the all-inclusive is varied and of excellent quality. This was one of the reasons we returned to stay having heard many other hotels offering all-inclusive fall down on this. The hotel has undergone a number of improvements recently in its accommodation and facilities and the grounds are well maintained. The accommodation is built in a village style down the hillside to the blue flag beach, allowing the guests to wander around the resort without feeling crowded and due to the number of steps a great way to work off all the delicious food! The only negative comment would be the volume of music payed at the main pool area. Not all guests enjoy the high volume clubbing beat all day but may want to participate in the organised activities, restaurant and spa. The age range of guests is wide with families, teenagers to older couples. Thank you for a wonderful stay. We will definitely be back!
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

richard , sheffield, england

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice hotel ,
nice hotel , o.k maybe not a top rated 5 star hotel , but clean , good facilities ,nice staff and for what we paid excellent value for money. Food was good quality and good variety. A la carte excellent and taverna was well worth the visit . All in all a very nice experience, we would recommend and use again .

10/10 Excellent

jim, k

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hardly anyone speaks english
Basically a French speaking resort but we had fun anyway,. We were only Australians there.. It meant hard to follow animation etc but it was fine we enjoyed it..

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stunning views, close to Heraklion
My family stayed here last week and were so happy to have discovered it. We had booked a family room and were so impressed with what we got. There were two bedrooms, lots of space and an amazing balcony overlooking the sea. We enjoyed the all inclusive option which made it so easy. The kids could eat when they wanted and we found tons of options for food. The pools were great, but a bit cold this time of year. The only negative thing I have to share is that despite updating the lobby, common areas and rooms, they have some work to do on the tennis and basketball courts. These are a great feature, but they look as though they haven't been updated since the 1980s. They are fairly decrepit. While they are not the main draw of the hotel and not used by the majority of guests, updating them would improve the hotel's amenities.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Good family hotel
Lots of steps but that wasn't an issue for us, facilities ok, it was a good hotel overall and was a normal 5* aboard standard

8/10 Good

World Traveler, l

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing views, beautiful hotel.
We stayed for 7 nights at the end of the season (the hotel closes at the end of October) but there were still plenty of guests and activities. We appreciated the natural beauty of the location. It is somewhat isolated. We had a car which was nice. The meals were very good- buffet style with good variety. The staff was helpful without being overbearing. Laundry was an issue- very costly at the resort (3-6 Euros per piece) so we drove into Heraklion and had 2 loads done for 16E. Kids had a blast!

10/10 Excellent

Branislav, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Near Heraklion
On a cliff with a beautiful view over the sea. All inclusive service without bracelets. Themed dinners with plenty of choices.

8/10 Good

Emilia, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel built onto the cliff
Nice hotel built onto the cliff,with three pools and a small sandy beach.It had a good size,comfortable rooms with great views.Bathroom was quite dated but clean,with lovely toiletries provided so there was no need to bring anything.It had a main restaurant,where breakfast and dinner was served and A la carte restaurant that you could book once (highly recommend it).Main restaurant had a great choice of fresh fruit,salads,grilled meats,fish,olives and cheese for people like me,who don't eat chips and spaghetti on holiday.However drinks choice was a let down-no fresh juices at the restaurant,just those sugary mixers,and you had to pay for one at the bar!Also they charged for international drinks and wine and we had to pay for drinks after 11pm!Facilities were good.Three pools to choose from,two of them quiet ones and one with usual entertainment.Beach was small but very clean and lovely.There were three bars too,one of them at the beach.Three tennis courts were available too.Service of staff was ok,except Despina at the main restaurant and Sofia at the beach bar,who were fantastic!Always smiling and friendly but quick.As hotel is built on a cliff it might not be suitable for elderly people or people with very small children as there are steep hills and lots of stairs to take to go from rooms to reception and beach.However there is a free shuttle bus going up and down every 15 min or so that many people used.

8/10 Good

elad, canada

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
great place for families!!!!!
great location. spectacular views!!!

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful views if you get room with sea view position. Good beach. Food repetitive and poor entertainment.

8/10 Good

vipan, Manchester

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great option if you want to relax on holiday
All the staff were friendly and did as much as they could to ensure the holiday was enjoyable for the whole family. Beautiful location but isolated. You need a car or rely on taxis if you plan to explore anywhere other than Heraklion... There is a regular bus service to and from the city. Evening entertainment is fine for very young children but not for teenagers or older. Animation team work hard with plenty of activities on the program. Built on the side of a hill going down to it's own beach which has a shuttle service every 20 minutes... No problem getting loungers there. Wifi available across the resort, including the beach.

6/10 Okay

Robbo, W Yorks

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
Great location, customer service needs work
A wonderfully designed hotel with beautiful gardens and stunning location. For 5*, some of the facilities were lacking, e.g. rooms were clean but basic; most of the wooden sunbeds around the relax pool didn't have cushions which was pretty uncomfortable. The biggest issue was the staff who were, with only a few exceptions (the beach staff were great), at best surly and at worst downright rude. As a customer, you get the feeling that it is not a happy place to work and this cannot fail to impact on your own holiday experience. In summary we had a lovely time but it was tinged with a little disappointment.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent Hotel and an Amazing View
Our family stayed for ten days at the Athina Place Hotel. Really pleased with our experience. Beautiful hotel , staff and manager was very helpful and polite. The hotel was spacious and super clean. Nothing was any trouble for you to do and foods was fantastic great entertainment . Thank you for the fantastic hospitality that you offered friends and family.

6/10 Okay

US Traveler, corona, ca

Great family destination.
Many activities. Food available for kids all day long. Staff is great. Spa, bedding and curtains need upgrading.

10/10 Excellent

Tracy, San Antonio, Tx

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
10 perfect days in Crete
Beautiful location on top of a seaside cliff. Sea-view room was awesome! Food in the restaurants was good. About 20 minutes from downtown Heraklion, but far enough out of town to avoid the noise and the bustle. We had a rental car the entire time - highly recommend this.

10/10 Excellent

belle, canada

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was the best hotel we stayed at on our vacation the staff was friendly and so was their guest excellent view and was very beautiful

2/10 Terrible

Lisa, London

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
AVOID, AVOID, AVOID!!!
The development must have been ok years ago but it is now very tired. Rooms are sold as five stars but they do not go over three stars. Accommodation is miles away from luxury. To make our stay even more delightful, the hotel management decided to close the hotel half way our stay and relocate us with our two small children to another hotel. In the result we lost a day of our holiday to move and quite literally did not have access to a room for a half a day as the check in in the new hotel was in the afternoon. This stay tainted our view of the whole island. I do not think we will be going anywhere near Greece again.

6/10 Okay

Angie, Bristol, England

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Wonderful, quiet location
Our first all inclusive holiday and we had a wonderful time. Food of good quality, Staff friendly and helpful. Beautiful location.

8/10 Good

Arv, Kent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
excellent location
Got to the hotel very late because the transfer from the airport to the hotel did not turn up despite confirming it by email.Were greeted by friendly/helpful staff they left a couple of bottles of water and a not very pleasant bottle of wine in the fridge, no snacks or fruit. The size and location of the hotel were realised in daylight, it was an amazing sight absolutely stunning. The facilities were very good , a lot of thought had gone in designing and building the resort everything flowed well,despite the different levels, it never felt crowded. You could feel isolated, because of the terrain , if you needed to venture out you could not really do it by foot you needed a car, there were not many excursions to some peoples liking The a la carte restaurant was a major disappointment,we had to book it 2 days in advance but honestly it was not worth it, food took ages to come service was poor , salmon and steak overcooked , in fact we would have been better of by using the normal restaurant.

6/10 Okay

Karolsi , London

Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
nice views but....
Just got back from Athina Palace Staying until 18th of October. First impresion was very nice, receptionis was friendly, porter as well,you will be droped to your room by a van, so you dont need to walk. got upgraded to family room which was a nice touch. room was spaciuos with amazing view, but the bad frame haven't been cleaned for ages, you couldn't see the color of it because it was covered in dust, bed linen was not the cleanest one as well with stains here and there, even it was changed every day, but not even once you get it cleen. The food is nice but same every single day, maximum 2 items will be changed in 5 days. DO NOT ASK IN THE RECEPTION WHERE THE NEAREST SHOP IS BECUSE YOU WILL BE OFFERRED TO GET TAXI TO AGIA PELAGIA ( 15EUROS ONE WAY ) AND THEY WONT TELL YOU THAT THERE IS ONE SHOP JUST 2 MINUTES WALK FROM THE HOTEL. bars staff is very unpleasant, you will not see a smile, or here a word from them then you ask for something, unless you leave them tips, yoo will see a compleately diferent person, so... NO TIPS MEANS YOU ARE NOTHING TO THEM. once you give tips, your glas comes more full, better made and presented, you will get a smile, a thank you and if you lucky enough they will thank in your own language :)

2/10 Terrible

jules, bristol

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good view. Too far from anywhere else though
So bad we left after first day. Room and bed uncomfortable, poor food, rude staff

4/10 Poor

Graham, Horsham, England

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
3 Star maximum, never 5 Star luxury
Hotel needs total refit, bedrooms & bathrooms fittings over 20 years old, hotel over expanded for its core facilities. No Satellite TV in bedrooms. Bedrooms had a soap dispenser for hand, shampoo Restaurants inside more like School canteens. Waiters almost demanded you sit at tables where they wanted, rather than where you preferred, to save them work and time. 5 Star is not Buffet service for all meals, waiter/waitress service only comes in a la carte restaurant, which is chargeable on top of All Inclusive. Therefore main staff are no more than table cleaners, dish washers and probably paid as so, which is where the core problem lies. Always had to request drink and coffee top ups, they should watch and ask the guests for 5 Star all inclusive. Waiting staff often complained they were hot, ill or tired, excuse us, we are guests paying for 5 star service. All staff need complete customer service training, they don't smile when spoken to, everything is an effort, they do the minimum. Swimming pools dirty, brown scum and tide marks visible around the water line for whole two weeks, health warning. Life guards more interested in standing at the Bar and talking to guests than their job No significant Beach water sports. Evening entertainment very amateur and limited. What 5 Star places charge to use a pool table? When we checked out, the Receptionist said Goodbye, not "Did you have a nice break, everything all right, safe journey, come again" They don't care and don't try.

10/10 Excellent

D, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Mind the Step(s)
Despite what some reviews might say, this is a fantastic hotel. It has views to die for, a wonderful setting, great food, great staff, a spa, a gym, two pool areas with bars, a beach bar, an indoor bar and a delightful, bonus a la carte restaurant. My wife and I had a wonderful, relaxing two weeks here. I mean, yes, if you don't like the thought of walking hundreds of steps per day (the hotel is built onto a cliff-side hence the views) then you're it's not for you. We saw it as a way of off-setting the enormous amounts of food. However, you can order a mini-bus at the dial of a phone to pick you up and move you around this extensive resort. The beach is small but private and virtually exclusive. The water is clear,I safe and there is a life guard on duty. The entertainment could be better; if you are into big, animation then this is limited but the small team do work hard. However, if you like your holiday quiet then this it is perfect at the 'quiet' pool. Just a final word, this is an international hotel, not your average Brit style resort and this means many nationalities. It seems to be a particular favourite with Russians so if you like the 'fish and chips by the sea' type holiday this isn't that. It was fun to watch world cup games here.

8/10 Good

Michelle, Stuttgart, Germany

Nice hotel with magnificent views
The hotel has a spectacular view of the ocean....its best feature. You can tell the hotel has some wear and tear with the swarms of visitors throughout the years, but if you just need a place to put your stuff while you sightsee, no big deal. On the other hand, if you're the family that doesn't want to leave the hotel...it's perfect. There's so much to do--from the pools, to the beach, and all the programs the hotel provides (i.e. mini club for kids, game nights and dances). I thought the food was abundant and varied. It was also delicious--but I'm not a picky eater, so I might not be the best judge. Between meals, the hotel offered snacks, drinks, and ice cream to hold you over. The atmosphere was nice and relaxing. A great place for families with kids. And the rooms were kept clean.

8/10 Good

Mark, Chester, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful place, average food.
Absolutely great views throughout and the hotel itself is very nice. Lovely and very big rooms. Everything was good, except the food which was average. If you stay here and want to experience Cretan food, eat elsewhere. Other than that, highly recommended. Brilliant and friendly staff.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Hocus-Pocus
Don't be fooled by the photos on the website. While the view is beautiful the room is less than so. The photos on the website do not represent the room that we walked into on June 5th. The room looked like an army dorm room from the 70's. There was no decoration of any kind. No pictures on the walls. No decorative pillows or runners on the bed (as shown in the photos). No washcloths. Inferior (all-in-one) toiletries. We used our clothing to make pillows for ourselves because the rock-hard "pillows" on this bed would have ruined our necks. We paid extra for a private balcony and we did have a balcony. On the balcony were two, ripped chairs and no table. If there were a rating for the food, which is included, I would give it a 1 as well. The food was bland and uninteresting. There was no ice to be had and my husband was refused a 16 oz bottle of water. I appreciated the assistance the staff gave with our bags on arrival and departure. To navigate the stairs without their help would have been difficult.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Hotel a long way away from the main centre
The hotel looks very nice from the outside , with nice swimming pools, bar, shops and convenience store. All inclusive was a plus . Nice bar and disco tech on property. The rooms were in poor shape with very low and uncomfortable bed. Their were small ants and spiders in the room which after our complaints were taken care off. The bathroom looked run down with rust in the bathroom basin and peeling paint on the bathroom door. One day our bedroom was not done up when we got to the hotel back from sightseeing in the evening.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
Nice spot, amazing view, disappointing service
Ok overall but not a 5* at all, I was not expecting much for the price paid but still a bit disappointed, food was ok but not great, staff helpful to a minimum in particular the front desk. The room was big and with a stunning sea view but the bedding was terrible and that's a shame really.

8/10 Good

Louise, New Zealand

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent Value
Pleasantly surprised by quality of the hotel, its stunning views and food supplied on all inclusive basis. Friendly/genuine staff made this one of our best holidays yet.

10/10 Excellent

SSA, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stunning location, friendly staff and good food.
The reviews below initially put me off booking, but am very glad I chose to stay here in the end. The staff are excellent (shout out to the two Andrei's), the food buffets delicious and the various pools, beaches, games facilities are the perfect setting for a few nights of relaxation. Really lives up to its 5 star status.