Aquila Porto Rethymno

“October Sunshine Seeking”

We stayed at this hotel as part of our TUI package holiday. We chose the hotel in part based on the very positive reviews of the hotel in respect to the quality of the food, the staff and the general hotel facilities and we weren't disappointed! We were in fact very much impressed. I do though w… more

We stayed at this hotel as part of our TUI package holiday. We chose the hotel in part based on the very positive reviews of the hotel in respect to the quality of the food, the staff and the general hotel facilities and we weren't disappointed! We were in fact very much impressed. I do though want to start on a slight neutral point. The photos of the hotel (understandably!) are shot to show the hotel at its best. And they do. The two pools look large and in the sun. We were surprised (but in no way disappointed) at their actual size when we arrived. For a visit at this time of year (October) bear in mind that neither of the two pools is in the sun that much because of its lower position in the sky and the proximity of surrounding buildings. The beach is fantastic and for us we didn't even have to consider using the pool. As we arrived late, and after dinner service (we were staying half-board) we received a voucher for a lunch at the attached restaurant. A nice touch. The room was what you'd expect of a 4 star hotel. Very functional, spacious with a coffee machine (can be used for hot water for cups of tea), twin beds, balcony, dressing gowns, fridge, safe etc. The bathroom was slightly dated but clean and no blocked drain. Never an issue with hot water. There are sunbeds in the beach that can be used for free for hotel guests and this is where we spent most of our time. There is a beach drinks service, we didn't use it as we got our water/soft drinks from the supermarket no more than a 2 minute walk away. We also bought milk there and kept it in the fridge in our room for tea/coffee. Some reviews suggest drinks are expensive if you're not all inclusive. The prices didn't look unreasonable to us for a beach side hotel. We ate at the local taverna's for lunch each day but for the time we used our voucher. The set menu at the Piazza DI Porto was lovely. Stunning food. The quality of the food was echo'd at the buffer dinner in the main hotel restaurant. The same place as where the buffet breakfast is served. At all times of day the food was much better than we've had at other similar priced hotels offering buffer service. At dinner we often had a glass of wine or 500ml beer each. Our spend on drinks on that basis was £170 over 6 dinners (including a couple of coffees each). So not cheap but for us we wouldn't have got the value (at an extra £300 per person) had we have stayed all Inc. The staff were friendly and polite at all time and a credit to the hotel. We would definitely look to stay here again.

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“Quality all round at this lovely hotel.”

Comfortable and clean hotel with excellent friendly staff. Lovely buffet breakfast and evening dinner. Great value for the price we paid with TUI. Guest info is a bit sketchy when you arrive. You need to download the app. Handy for the lovely town.

“An absolutely wonderful hotel, exceptional staff, fabulous food and a great location. First class customer service.”

We had an afternoon flight which consequently meant we arrived late at the hotel mid-evening. The staff couldn’t have been more accommodating, helpful and attentive. They made us welcome right from the start. We were the last people in the dining room, the staff were delightful and we weren’t ru… more

We had an afternoon flight which consequently meant we arrived late at the hotel mid-evening. The staff couldn’t have been more accommodating, helpful and attentive. They made us welcome right from the start. We were the last people in the dining room, the staff were delightful and we weren’t rushed. A perfect start to our holiday. In the morning we found that our room had a balcony and looked out over to the beach and sea. The room was spacious, very clean and comfortable and nicely furnished. The breakfast had everything you could possibly want. The local honeycomb dripping with honey and the natural yoghourt were just two of the breakfast delights. Throughout our stay whether we went to the evening buffet or the a la carte restaurant the food was excellent. We also thoroughly enjoyed their Lobster evening which had to be pre-booked but was good value for money. The hotel also stocked a good range of Greek and Cretan wines. The evening entertainment was varied and very good. The hotel is in an excellent location, opposite the beach and a short stroll into Rethymnon with it’s beautiful old streets and architecture, wealth of shops and restaurants. This hotel has a wonderful team of people working for them, without exception they all made us feel welcome. A hotel we would definitely come back to. As an example of the first class customer service, I was contacted on the way to the airport to let me know my wedding ring had been found in our room. The hotel arranged for it to be returned to me and their courtesy is very much appreciated.

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“Great food/ expensive drinks”

The Hotel is very clean and tidy with very good food although the price of drinks in the bar and restaurants were excessive. The resorts was closing down for the season so it was a little difficult to judge and is a two hour coach journey from the airport.