Aquila Rithymna Beach

Recent Reviews: 3951

• User:LoveTravel519205

  Trip type: Couples

  The best of the best.

  26 Apr 2026

  Another wonderful vacation has come to an end. Once again, we stayed at our favorite hotel. This was our fifth visit to Aquila Rethymno Beach. We stayed there this spring from April 15 to April 26.We were probably among the very first guests of the season, as only the staff welcomed us — the only thing missing was an orchestra!This time we booked Bungalow No. 84, and we absolutely did not regret it. The bungalow was spacious, cozy, bright, spotless, and had its own pool. My wife hardly left it. The sea view from the room was simply breathtaking, and the beach was only about 50 meters away. Just magnificent — like a beautiful movie scene. The pleasure was truly endless.Food. The cuisine at the hotel is diverse and of excellent quality. Seafood is always available — it feels as if they catch it themselves. Fruits and vegetables are fresh and delicious. I personally saw the restaurant managers constantly supervising cleanliness and ensuring that every dish was perfectly presented and replenished. Truly top-class service.The hotel itself is huge, with multiple restaurants and bars. You don’t even need to leave the property — you can simply stay there, walk around, enjoy the sports areas, the beautiful beach, sauna, fitness center, massage services, and even play tennis. That’s exactly what we did — with great pleasure.Staff. We have stayed in many hotels around the world, but Aquila Rethymno Beach offers something special. The staff is friendly, always smiling, and gives personal attention to every guest — truly to everyone. That is remarkable.In the restaurant, you are warmly welcomed by the kind, cheerful, and highly professional Georgios Theodorakis, Sous Maître.Stelios Pavlakis, Commis Sommelier, is an absolute professional. He provides excellent wine recommendations, explains everything clearly, and makes every dinner a special experience.At the reception desk, Tatiana was extremely helpful with any question we had — she is fantastic.And very special thanks to Victoria Samusevich, Guest Relations Officer. She is wonderful, attentive, professional, and always ready to help with any matter. We adore her. She also introduced us to Andreas Manioudakis, Rooms Division Manager, who treated us with the highest level of attention and exceptional tact, and kindly assisted us regarding our upcoming stay this autumn.This is a hotel you can return to again and again. In short — a magnificent vacation. We have already booked our stay for autumn.Eduard Sapozhnikov & Elena Becker

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• User:ian k

  Trip type: Couples

  Well worth the price in April

  23 Apr 2026

  Arrived late at night after a 2 hour transfer from Chania, happy smily receptionist at a late hour ! Had no dramas through the week , really close to the beach, food was fine , rooms were fine. No complaints, I doubt we would pay for this as a 5 star in the summer as prices shoot up but in april its well worth the price . Well worth the cost outside of the main season General Manager, General Manager at Aquila Rithymna Beach Hotel, responded to this review Dear Valued Guest,Thank you for your wonderful review of your recent stay with us at Aquila Rithymna Beach Hotel.We are so pleased to hear that you received a warm welcome on arrival, even late at night, our reception team will be delighted to know they made a positive first impression. It is also great to know you enjoyed our convenient location close to the beach and found both the rooms and food to your satisfaction.We really appreciate your comments regarding value, especially during the quieter season. Many of our guests find this a wonderful time to visit and enjoy everything the hotel has to offer at a more relaxed pace.Thank you again for your feedback, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future , perhaps in another season to experience a different side of our hotel.Kindest regardsKostas DamanakisGeneral Manager

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• User:Gary C

  Trip type: Couples

  An amazing hotel in a beautiful location.

  23 Apr 2026

  Just returned from this wonderful hotel!All the staff are so pleasant and extremely helpful. The hotel has a wonderfully homely feel about it.The beach is so clean in fact we saw a member of staff raking up seaweed at 7.30am!The swimming pool areas as with everything else are spotless. There's a huge emphasis on cleanliness throughout the hotel.The food is exceptional and there is a great variety each day at both breakfast and dinner.We will ve returning very soon!! General Manager, General Manager at Aquila Rithymna Beach Hotel, responded to this review Dear Valued Guest,Thank you so much for your wonderful review !We are absolutely delighted to hear how much you enjoyed your stay with us. It is especially rewarding to know that our team made such a positive impression and we will be sure to share your kind words with them, as they take great pride in creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for every guest.We are also pleased that you noticed the care and attention given to our beach and facilities. Cleanliness is something we are deeply committed to, and it is lovely to hear that it enhanced your experience.Your comments about the food are greatly appreciated as well as our chefs work hard to offer a varied and high-quality selection each day.It truly means a lot to us that you are already planning to return. We look forward to welcoming you back again very soon!Kindest regardsKostas DamanakisGeneral Manager

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• User:tccretefan1

  Trip type: Couples

  Nowhere better.

  29 Nov 2025

  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. General Manager, General Manager at Aquila Rithymna Beach Hotel, responded to this review Dear Valued Guest Thank you so much for your incredibly kind and thoughtful review. It truly warms my heart to know that you continue to choose our hotel and feel at home with us. I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay from 4th to 14th September 2025 and that our team’s attention to detail and care made your experience so enjoyable. Our staff work tirelessly to ensure every guest feels welcome, comfortable, and valued, and your recognition of their efforts means the world to all of us.I also appreciate your understanding regarding busy periods during school holidays, and I’m thrilled that this did not impact the comfort and enjoyment of your stay. Knowing that we have been able to provide you with a sense of home while you are away is the highest compliment we could receive.We very much look forward to welcoming you back next year and to creating more wonderful memories together. Thank you again for your kind words and for being such an important part of our hotel family.Kindest regards Kostas DamanakisGeneral Manager

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• User:LK_MBE

  Trip type: Couples

  Good Stay

  06 Nov 2025

  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. General Manager, General Manager at Aquila Rithymna Beach Hotel, responded to this review Dear Valued GuestThank you so much for sharing such a thoughtful and detailed review of your recent stay with us. We are absolutely delighted to read that you and your partner enjoyed a wonderful two weeks, and that your room’s stunning sea views and breathtaking sunsets made your visit so memorable.It’s a pleasure to know that you found your room to be comfortable, spotless, and true to the images shown online. Our Housekeeping team will be thrilled to receive your lovely comments on their hard work and attention to detail.We truly appreciate your kind words about our food and service. It’s wonderful to hear that you particularly enjoyed the Rimondi Brasserie and found the brunch there to be a peaceful and delicious alternative. Manolis and Emmanouela will be overjoyed to know they helped make your holiday extra special – they really are a credit to our team.We’re also so pleased that you made the most of our pools, gardens, and beautiful beachfront – it sounds like you discovered some of our more tranquil spots during your stay. Your feedback regarding the Beach Bar closure and minibar has been noted, and we thank you for sharing these suggestions to help us continue improving our guest experience.It’s lovely to know that the small touches – such as our late check-out arrangement and the swift response to your app feedback – helped make your stay even more relaxing.All in all, we are truly delighted that you had such an enjoyable stay with us, and we hope that your next visit will be every bit as memorable.Kindest regards Kostas DamanakisGeneral Manager

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