Aquila Rithymna Beach

We have just returned from a fantastic 10-night stay at Aquila Rithymna Beach, and from start to finish it exceeded our expectations. On arrival, we were delighted to be upgraded to a side sea view room, although, to be honest, any view at this beautiful resort would have been lovely. The hotel is spacious, immaculately clean and incredibly well maintained. Every member of staff we encountered was friendly, welcoming and genuinely seemed to enjoy making guests feel at home. Our room may have been a little dated in terms of décor, but that honestly didn't detract from our holiday for a second. It was comfortable, spotlessly clean and, given how little time we actually spent in it, it certainly wasn't an issue. The facilities are second to none. Whether you want to relax by the pool, spend time on the beach, enjoy the water park or take part in activities, there is something for everyone. A special mention has to go to the Pink Wave animation team, who were absolutely fantastic throughout our stay. In particular, Maksymilian deserves a huge thank you for his kindness towards our son and for helping solve a little "ball problem" that was very important to him! It's these small moments that make a lasting impression. However, I would like to add, they all work so hard! The Kri Kri Kids Club was exceptional. Our son was genuinely upset to leave because the team made him feel so welcome and included from day one. He even took part in the overnight sleepover, which became one of the highlights of his holiday. It was wonderful to see him enjoying his own adventures and building confidence, while giving Mum and Dad the chance to enjoy a little relaxation too. We loved that the club was so flexible, allowing children to drop in and out rather than committing to full days. The children's restaurant was another brilliant touch, and our son loved deciding each day whether to eat there, at the main buffet, or sometimes both! The food throughout the resort was excellent, with an incredible amount of choice. The main buffet never became repetitive, and it was lovely to have the opportunity to enjoy some of the à la carte restaurants during our stay. The pool restaurant lunches were another highlight. Again, all the staff were attentive and work hard to turn around tables so there is no wait at busy times. The drinks offering was equally impressive. The cocktails were excellent, and the wine selection was unlike anything we've experienced at an all-inclusive resort. A special thank you to Vangelis in the main lobby bar, who took the time to explain the cocktails, happily adapted drinks to suit our tastes, and was always so kind and engaging with our son. He is a real credit to the hotel. The beach is beautiful and having it directly on the hotel grounds is a huge bonus. The pools were excellent, and we also treated ourselves to the spa, which was reasonably priced and provided another wonderful experience with friendly, professional staff. The water park was another fantastic addition. Having a bar there, along with freshly made pizzas available from lunchtime, made it a great place to spend part of the day. If I had to mention one area for improvement, it wouldn't really be the hotel's fault. As with many resorts, some guests reserved sunbeds early in the morning and then disappeared for several hours, sometimes until well into the afternoon. We saw the security staff doing their best to manage this, but it's clearly a difficult situation to police. We personally always managed to find somewhere to sit, but I can imagine it becoming more challenging during peak season. Perhaps there is scope to add additional loungers on the grassed areas or even introduce a drinks service at the quieter pool, which might encourage guests to spread out more evenly across the resort. Overall, we had an amazing holiday and genuinely struggled to find fault with anything. The warmth of the staff, the quality of the facilities and the family-friendly atmosphere made this a holiday we'll remember for a long time. Thank you to everyone at Aquila Rithymna Beach for helping create such wonderful family memories. We would happily return and wouldn't hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone considering a holiday in Crete.

We have just returned from our first family holiday abroad as a 4 to Aquila Rithymna Beach Hotel, and had a great time. The staff were friendly & polite, and the rooms spotlessly cleaned every day. We were Bed & Breakfast, and found the morning buffet to be excellent. So many choices - pastries, bread, cold meats & cheeses, fresh fruit and vegetables, olive oils, cooked options, crepes, juices and even prosseco! Fresh pots of coffee made for your table were also very well received by 2 tired parents. Our kids especially loved the Greek yoghurt, crepes and traditional Greek pastries :) The en site mini market is really well stocked with everything from sun creams, postcards and water to confectionery, hats, sanitary products, children's toys and swimming gear. Pricier than the local strip shops, but obviously very handy when you can't be bothered going further afield. The pools were lovely - we found the smaller two to be the most pleasant. More chance of nabbing a sunbed turning up after 10am, and still plenty space for the little ones to splash about and hone their swim skills. We could never get the app on the sun loungers to work for ordering drinks which was quite frustrating though! I used the spa one day for a facial and Cretan massage, which I cannot recommend enough. Very relaxing space with lovely ambiance, I wish I'd had time to return before we left! Tasty Corner was an amazing find, children of all boards can eat for free there from 11am every day (snacks, lunch and dinner provided). This was the best find of our holiday - both boys loved the food and we discovered some new things they love eating which we have gone on to buy since getting home! Especial shout out to the really lovely staff there who were super friendly, and even made some baby food especially for our youngest on one occasion :) it was a lovely atmosphere, very clean, and a highlight of our day wandering up. They also had kids sized toilets which were very useful! Special shout out to the kids entertainers as well - our eldest was especially taken with some of the evening shows. Most visitors seemed to be Czech, French or Italian but there was plenty going on in English so he didn't feel left out. Only downside was the extend to which the beach was pebbly. I would say swim shoes are a necessity rather than a nice-to-have, as we found barefoot walking very painful. This also put paid to our sandcastle dreams, so I would bare this in mind if you are looking for a soft sand beach. All in all, a lovely introduction to one of our favourite holiday destinations for our kids and somewhere I would recommend to any family looking for an easy and restful break in the Greek sunshine.

We would like to share this review based on our wonderful experience at your resort. Our older son has multiple food allergies, which can make travelling quite challenging. Last year, we spent our holiday at your resort, and thanks to your incredible team, it became one of the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations our family has ever had. When planning this year’s holiday, we knew we wanted to come back. This time, we also invited two other families to join us because we were confident they would love the resort as much as we did. They were absolutely amazed. We would especially like to thank Maria, the General Manager, whose kindness, professionalism, and willingness to help made everything possible. She brought together an outstanding team that ensured our holiday was truly stress-free. A special thank you also goes to Antonia Foraki, who, even though we spent only a short time together, immediately understood our son’s dietary needs and took wonderful care of him. Our deepest gratitude goes to Executive Chef Vagelis and the entire restaurant team, where we enjoyed all our meals. We would also like to thank Marielene, Konstantinos, and everyone else who looked after us with such warmth and attention. We also greatly appreciated the friendly atmosphere throughout the resort, especially the kindness of Clio, the bar captain, and all the other staff members who always greeted us with a smile. What means the most to us is that, despite our son’s medical condition, your exceptional team made it possible for our family to enjoy a truly relaxing and unforgettable holiday. Thank you for making our family feel so welcome. We are already looking forward to coming back again. With sincere gratitude, The Hudec Family Boris, Maria, Daniel and Dávid

Very good 9 night family stay. Positives were cleanliness throughout the hote and facilities althoughthe main pool area did seem at times to have had insects in it more than we have experienced in other hotels. We were half board and food options and quality were very good. Special thanks to George and Anna and thd rest of tje main restauraunt catering team for excellent customer service during our stay , they are a credit to the hotel. Kids club very well run with great staff. Waterpark is a great addition and one of the reasons we booked. Beach bar excellent. Most beautiful sunsets are seen as well. Not really any negative just a few things that that either didnt suite our family needs or could be improved. Rooms are slightly dated however we did have a nice partial view towards part of the beach whichwas good. Maybe just the time of season but not a lot of British tourists so our son found it difficult to communicate with other kids and also a lot of the evening entertainment we found slightly boring but other families may enjoy a more sedate atmosphere. All in all a very nice holiday and if you want a relaxed calm atmosphere as a British family defientely choose this hotel.

We’ve just returned from a one-week holiday at Aquila Rithymna Beach, and we were extremely happy with our stay. We enjoyed every moment of our holiday from start to finish. The hotel is beautiful, clean, right by the sea, and everything was exactly as we expected. The food was excellent, with a great variety every day, and the staff were always friendly and helpful. The rooms were cleaned regularly, and the whole resort was well maintained and pleasant. A special thank you goes to the entertainment team. Two members of Czech team Dory and Oli were absolutely amazing – always smiling, full of energy, and creating a fantastic atmosphere. They made every activity fun and helped make our holiday even more enjoyable. Children and adults love them, and we miss them already. We honestly have nothing to complain about. Everything was great, and we would happily recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a relaxing and enjoyable holiday in Crete. Thank you for a wonderful week. We would love to come back again one day. 5 stars out of 5!☺️