Archipelagos

We recently stayed at Archipelagos and had a wonderful experience overall. The location is ideal—the sea views are something you really can't find in many places, and the 15 to 20-minute walk along the coast into the Old Town was a daily highlight, taking us down streets we wouldn't usually see. Parking across the road was free and effortless, and we always managed to get a spot. The room was clean, practical, and had powerful air conditioning that kept us cool. A practical tip for future guests: bring your own milk and extra coffee if you like more than two sachets a day. We booked a room with a private pool, but because we visited during a storm and the pool isn't heated, it was too cold to use. Housekeeping came daily and was thorough, though occasionally a minor item got missed—for example, our pool towels were taken on day three and not replaced. The hotel communal areas are great and the lifts are straightforward to use, though it's worth noting the marble floors get quite slippery when it rains. Breakfast was fresh, continuously topped up, and well-stocked right until closing at 10:00 AM. It's self-service (including clearing your own plates), which makes complete sense for a small hotel. We spent two days by the main pool where there were plenty of sun loungers available. The pool food was great, the beers were ice-cold, and the mojitos were easily the best we had in Rethymno. A special mention has to go to the staff, who always had a smile and were genuinely friendly and helpful. Our only real complaint was other guests ringing room doorbells and running down the corridors at night; because of the marble floors, this echoed quite a bit. Aside from that, everything was great and we would gladly stay again.

Nice location with a little protected walled swimming area on the beach across the road and a free 7 minute shuttle bus into the old town/beach. The area was pretty remote however with zero bars/tavernas and no bar in hotel. Stelios was super friendly and helpful as was Anna on reception and Andreas on the upstairs bar. Room itself was fab with lovely balcony and sea view. Would consider larger canopies around the pool area (no shade) ,needs a make-up and full length mirror in bedroom and more drawer space and the aircon was temperamental.

We spent 3 nights at Hotel Archipelagos. Although the location and views are wonderful, the hotel itself leaves a lot to be desired. The rooms carry an unpleasant, old odor, and basic amenities like complimentary drinking water are not provided. ​The customer service felt cold and inflexible. We were stuck in the hotel due to severe storms, yet breakfast rules were enforced harshly—electricity in the dining area was cut off precisely at 10:00 AM, refusing guests even a cup of coffee at 10:01 AM. A little empathy and hospitality during bad weather would have gone a long way. Disappointing overall.

Beautiful, clean hotel. From reception to room to check out the staff work so hard to make sure your stay is as comfortable as possible. We were greeted by the gent who owns the hotel and he gave us lots of tips and info. The had a sea view room that overlooked the beach. The beach is small(bigger beach few mins walk away) but just beautiful and literally just outside. We arrived on August 5th and stayed 2 weeks, the walk is prob 20mins into the old town where shops restaurants and bigger beach is. There is a free shuttle just outside every 15mins but we seldom used it. Pool is so clean and no fighting for loungers.!!!! Breakfast was included and we were always met with a smile and plenty of cereals, fruits, breads, pancakes, hot options. Overall a very relaxing holiday and great owners and staff 😀

Great location, clean throughout, Stelios, the very friendly owner gave us a warm welcome and even showed us to our room, he was always around making sure everything was in order. The beach right next to the hotel, although small, was very nice to have a little dip if you want a change from the hotel pools and don't fancy a drive to another beach. The hotel has a small, quiet pool at the back where the kids bathed as well. The hotel is a short 10-15 min walk from Rethymno centre. We rented a car and did not have any issues parking around the hotel. The breakfast was nice and had a number of options, some of which changed from day to day.