Elliot B
29 Mayıs 2024
Just returned from a 3-night couples' stay here and had a great time overall. We did experience some maintenance and service inconsistencies and some strange management decisions (kids in spa pool?) which prevent us from leaving 5 stars. Based on our experience with other resorts, this is probably closer to a 4.0-star property than a 4.5 or 5-star property. Pros: -As Diamond members, we were upgraded from a private pool room to a duplex Royal Senses Villa, which was gigantic and lovely and was much appreciated. The beautiful, light-filled marble shower on the second floor was a treat as was the 2nd floor balcony w/ daybed and the huge 1st floor patio and pool -The facilities are new & clean, and the common spaces are beautifully designed -Panoramic views of the ocean from what seemed like most rooms' balconies. Ironically, you may end up with a better view from the lower-elevation rooms, because our top-end, highest-elevation Royal Senses Villa balcony was high enough to see the busy road and tops of other buildings which somewhat detracts from the otherwise gorgeous view of the ocean. The surrounding area (to the left and right of the resort) is largely empty lots which are not particularly picturesque. -Large breakfast buffet with lots of high-quality options -Unique glass funicular elevator/lift with beautiful views. As some reviewers noted it's slow, but that didn't bother us as we weren't rushing around and loved taking in the view -Staff we interacted with were for the most part super friendly and welcoming, in particular the check-in staff and those at the spa -Location is a nice jumping-off point to explore the middle of Crete (a few beautiful beaches are within an hours' drive, great restaurants in Rethymno within 30 mins) Cons: Cold private pool & outdoor shower temps -Many rooms here have private pools (amazing!), but they are not heated (with the exception of a minority of the top-end rooms which can be heated for 150 EUR). If you go in the shoulder season, just be aware that this essentially renders the private pools unusable / a cold plunge if the weather isn't super hot. We could only reasonably use the private pool for a portion of one day of our 3-night stay in late May and even then only briefly due to the cold water temp. Similarly, the outdoor showers do not have a hot water tap which leads to the same issue :( Lack of hot tubs -Although the adults-only outdoor pool near the spa has sectioned-off areas which look like they would be hot tubs, and they do have jets, they are not actually a different temp than the rest of the pool (at least during our visit). It would be nice to have a hot tub available during the shoulder seasons. Spa --Allows anyone (including children!) into the indoor 'spa pool' area. Typically spas only allow guests with same-day treatments in order to maintain a serene / uncrowded environment; this was not the case here which is a big mistake in my opinion (imagine paying a few hundred euros for a t
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