Grecotel Creta Palace - Rethymno, Greece 

We (my wife and I) stayed in the hotel in June 2008 for a relaxing week. The hotel is situated just on the beach which is very nice so the hotel, pool and beach are just beside each other. The beach has comfortable beds and umbrellas and was nice for swimming. It is a bit rocky getting in but otherwise fine. There is a lifeguard and the sea was a bit rough on 2 days. On the others it was very nice. The staff in the hotel were very helpful and we received a welcome drink at reception and were escorted to our room. We stayed in a standard room overlooking the pool. The bathroom had been renovated and was very modern whereas the room was a bit dated, still nice but not as nice as the bathroom. The room had a balcony for 2 people which got sun late in the day. There was a fridge and safe in the room which were part of the price (unlike other hotels where we stayed). There was a welcome bottle of wine in the room on arrival. The restaurant (buffet) has also been modernised and has a terrace. The food was fine with a nice choice. The price of food and drinks etc at the hotel was fine with the exception of sandwiches which were ?8. There is small shop located at the complex which was also reasonably priced. The hotel is 90 to 120 minutes transfer from the airport in Herakalion. The hotel is located about 4km from the centre of the town and we took the local bus or taxis to the town as it was difficult to walk on the beach and there were no paths on the main road. The taxi cost ?6-8 for the journey. Bus tickets can be purchased at the shop and the bus was every 1/2 hours and was fairly reliable. The evening entertainment was a bit limited so we went to town after dinner some evenings. On other we sat around the pool for a relaxing drink. The town itself is very nice with loads of bar and restaurants. We would probably go back to the same hotel again either for quiet week or for 2 weeks where we would travel around the island.

I visited the Creta Palace in May 2008. The hotel is rated as a 5 star hotel. I would say that the service and the public areas definitely warrant the 5 star rating, as they were lovely. The staff could not be more helpful and did their absolute best to make you feel at home - which I really appreciated as I was travelling on my own. I had a double room in the hotel. The room was well furnished and very spacious and the bathroom was immaculate. I also had a huge terrace overlooking the pool with a sea view. I would say that the decor could do with a little updating, and in relation to carpets etc, I would describe this more as 4 star - but then you are not paying true 5 star prices so this is okay. I would not bother booking half board as this is a buffet restaurant only and you would be better off going out of the hotel to local restaurants in Rethymnon, about 5 euros in a cab, to experience proper Greek cuisine. The hotel is currently upgrading its facilities by adding a spa area which will open in July 2008, which I'm sure will be wonderful. This does mean that there is a little building work being undertaken at the moment, but this was so minor and unobtrusive that you would not even know it was going on. I would definitely recommend this hotel. I would not, however, recommend Thomson as a tour operator to travel with. I booked this hotel as part of their A la Carte range, but then did not get half the additional benefits due to an airline change. Tours were cancelled at the last minute, and I even had to call the 24/7 helpline to find out about my return transfer, as the rep had not bothered to post this information prior to my last day.