Aquila Rithymna Beach

A little bit late writing my review but better late than never. We’ve been coming for a few years now, previously stayed at the Porto in Rethymnon, but Mr Damanakis is an exceptional general manager and his attention to detail and customer care is reflected by his entire staff so when he moved to this hotel so did we. We stayed 4th to 14th September 2025 and as always our stay was fantastic. The hotel is lovely, yes it does get busy with families in school holidays but that can be said of many places, the staff are all fantastic and nothing is too much trouble for their guests. We love them all and in all of our travels we have never found anywhere quite so comfortable and that makes us feel like we are at home while we are away. We will see you all next year.

My partner and I stayed for two weeks at this hotel mid October. Room 258 had fabulous sea views and most nights we were treated to the most wonderful Sunsets. People have mentioned that some of the rooms are dated which I don't understand because the room we booked was pretty much the same as the one pictured on the hotels and Jet2 s websites. Our room was slightly old-fashioned, but the furniture was comfortable and good quality and the room was kept spotlessly clean by Housekeeping. I was a bit dissapointed to not find any Beach Bags and Slippers in the room, as these are pretty much standard in a 5* Hotel, so when I was asked for feedback on their App, I told them, and the next day Beach Bag and Slippers were delivered along with some extra toiletries. Another slight gripe was the mini-bar in the room was not always topped up and there was a charge for crisps and Nuts! Comfy bed and a great shower in the bathroom made for a comfortable stay, but do take a multi pot adapter, as there are not many sockets. The hotel is massive, the gardens are beautiful well worth a stroll. Not much going on in the way of more traditional entertainment, to see the Cretan dancers, meant you had to go to the Mournies Tavern, which was very difficult to get a booking. You could get lunch bookings fairly easily, but the breakfasts were huge, so we skipped lunch most of the times. The food was generally very good and the service fantastic, considering how busy they were. My favourite place was the Rimondi Brasserie, they served a Brunch menu for AI guests which was a great and more peaceful alternative to breakfast in the main dining room. A special shout out has to go to Manolis and Emmanouela at the Rimondi, first class customer service, they made our holiday special. Afternoons on the beach, the Beach Bar was a great place to chill out with a book and a Cocktail (try Orchid Flower and Utopia). Dissapointingly, the Beach Bar closed on the last Wednesday were were there, completely without warning, there was a stream of disgruntled holiday makers, approaching the bar to be told it was closed. That was poor, they should have put something on the App. It didn't make sense, the hotel was still busy and was still open for another week. With not a lot else to do, most evenings were spent in the Lobby Bar, it sometimes took a long time to get served, because they were rushed off their feet. I needed to be able to swim in a pool with steps not a ladder, but there were no sunbeds available at the main pool, however there is a lovely smaller pool right at the other end of the complex, it has steps, and I was the only one in it! There were also plenty of empty sunbeds. The Spa pool also has steps and was lovely and warm. I didn't try the sauna, but it looked nice and all the pools were very clean. Outside of the hotel there are a few shops, restaurants, a pharmacy and a mini-mart. We hired a car which was half the price of the one on offer in the hotel. We used Minoan Car Hire, they were great. Because we arrived very late at 2am, the hotel allowed us to use All Inclusive on our last day, which was a bonus, we were getting picked up at 19:30, so we opted to keep our room until 18:30 for a small charge which made the last day stress free. All in all we had a lovely stay, the staff at this hotel are fantastic, friendly and helpful, there were just one or two little inconsistencies which stopped me giving 5/5.

one of the best hotels i have stayed at all the staff was brilliant check in was easy the food was fab room 239 will go baxk there

Stunning Sea Views and Wonderful Staff — Ideal for Families, a Bit Busy for Couples This was our first visit to the resort, and overall it was a lovely experience. The property is beautiful, and our room with a full sea view was simply breathtaking. Falling asleep and waking up to the sound of the waves made us feel as if we were right at the edge of the Cretan Pelagos — a deeply cleansing and calming experience that we’ll never forget. We had been hoping for a more peaceful, adults-only atmosphere, but the resort was quite busy and clearly family-oriented, which made it livelier than expected. That said, the staff were exceptional — warm, professional, and doing their utmost to look after everyone with kindness and patience. At the main restaurant, the quality and variety of food were very good, though the sheer number of guests made things feel a bit hectic at times. The staff worked incredibly hard under pressure, and their effort truly deserves recognition. We had trouble finding a parking space in the resort premises and had to drive in the local neighbourhood which is not ideal. Also, the interior swimming pool was packed with families leaving little choice for individuals to enjoy quiet swimming indoors. While it wasn’t the quiet retreat we were looking for, it’s easy to see why families would absolutely love it here — plenty of space, great facilities, and a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. For those seeking tranquility, it might be busier than ideal, but for families wanting comfort, great service, and beautiful sea views, it’s a wonderful choice.

I’ll start by giving the context that this isn’t the hotel we initially booked. We had booked the Aquila Rethymno Porto as we wanted to be in Rethymno itself, but Thomas Cook overbooked and moved us. So take this review with the context that we’d not choose to book a resort like this. Firstly, the hotel is huge and well maintained. It has everything from a shop, to a diving centre, even a church. It’s very clean, there’s lots of information about the part they play in conserving turtles and plenty of recycling bins to ensure those staying at the hotel can do their bit in protecting the turtle’s habitat too. This is 100% a family friendly resort, there’s a water park, kids club etc. If you’re looking for peace and quiet, I don’t think this is for you. There is a spa and wellness centre but children are allowed in the pool in there so it’s not somewhere you could go for a quiet swim. When we used the sauna and steam room, parents had to be told they couldn’t take their children in with them. With so much catering to children it would be nice if there was, at least, some adult only hours. We didn’t use the main pool but a quieter pool near the wellness centre. It was lovely but really cold (we went in October so perhaps it’s better in the height of summer). The beach was huge and beautiful, with plenty of sunbeds. It is, however, more pebbly than sandy and it can hurt your feet. Water shoes would probably be helpful. There’s also a line of big rocks about 5 metres into the sea which can be hard to notice and make it hard to get in. Obviously there’s nothing the hotel can do about this, but just a flag of you’re going there for the beach or have children that love the sea, it’s probably a bit treacherous. We went into Rethymno every night and one day. It takes about 20 minutes on the bus that comes every hour. It costs €2 and you can get tickets from the shop in the hotel. For us, it was too far out of town. By the time we were ready to come back the bus had stopped so we had to pay for a taxi which was €15. It’s just time and expense we didn’t want. I didn’t like running my evening by a bus timetable for a bus that was always late and only came once an hour. It was also very busy in October so I imagine during summer it would be hard to even get on. Again, not the hotel’s fault, and if you aren’t bothered about venturing out it won’t be a problem but it didn’t suit us. I’d suggest a hotel of this size and stature could provide a shuttle bus service. We were upgraded to half board due to being moved and had breakfast most mornings and as we wanted to go out for dinner they were happy to let us have lunch instead. The food is good quality and there’s lots of choice. Breakfast has a pancake and egg station, in addition to bacon, sausage etc., bread, pastries and continental. Lunch always had pasta, a meat carving station, salad, and plenty of other tasty options. The drinks are very expensive, but then what do you expect in a 5* hotel. Overall, it is a fabulous hotel especially if you have kids or like to stay in the resort. It has lots of amenities. We had a great holiday, it was just different than the usual holiday we would have had.