Aquila Porto Rethymno

Well been at this hotel for 10 days Half board where to start first day at breakfast we had to ask 5 times for some coffee, breakfast food was very salty, but the fruit selection was ok. Evening meal you helped yourself as it was buffet, the food was always cold and didn't taste to nice whateva we ate it was very oily rice and not much choice for vegetables, they did have bowl of cold peas in the salad bar each night tho, they did same meal s every day pasta tomato sauce bolognaise sauce. The only thing edible really was the salad as too much salt in the food. The same potato dish, sliced potato's cooked with onions, some nights chips, we had a Greek bbq night and some food was edible, we were charged 12.5 euros for small glass of merlot, drinks were so expensive. Some of the staff were rude and ignored you at times, the room cleaning staff were lovely and nice and polite they did excellent job cleaning room. The hotel is directly on main road so lots of traffic noise all day and night, we paid for sea view room with tui and our room had very limited sideways look sea view I asked for a better sea view and was told I would have to pay to upgrade view no way when already paid. The beach was lovely but across a very busy noisy main road so traffic noise all day on beach spoilt the beach and sunbathing too. We also got stuck in lift but no apologies or anything for that either. The transfer to and from hotel was well over 2 hours by time everyone was picked up and then dropped off we arrived at hotel at 4am. VERY disappointed in this hotel it's definitely not 5 star very expensive and definitely not worth the stay it's spoilt our first holiday in crete to be honest I don't think we will travel here again

What an amazing place! This was our second visit to Aquila Porto Rethymno, having been there last year. Naturally you compare everything to your first visit, which was absolutely great. Well, all I can say is that this time was better! Not sure how, but the service levels, location, accommodation were just fantastic. The food is out of this world and the staff are just amazing. They go over and above to ensure you have a fantastic holiday and experience and I could not recommend this hotel any higher. You need to go! Thank you guys for making our holiday so wonderful, we will be back! Yamas!!

This was our fifth stay at Aquila Porto and our seventh time visiting Crete – we absolutely love Rethymnon and have always chosen this hotel for its ideal location, wonderful service and relaxing atmosphere. Situated right on the seafront and within walking distance to the town and many lovely tavernas, it's always been the perfect base for our holidays. However, for the first time, I’ve returned home feeling disappointed, something I never thought I’d say about this place. I’ve always recommended this hotel to friends and family but after this visit, I’m genuinely considering whether we’ll stay here again. We arrived at 3:30am due to a late flight change by TUI. The receptionist was very welcoming and efficient. That said, no porter assistance was offered, something that had always been standard in the past and would have made a difference at that hour. The room itself was clearly in need of updating. The bathroom had crumbling and stained grouting, a rusty bin lid, and a mouldy-looking shower head. Overall, it just didn’t feel clean. Daily cleaning was minimal – I’m not convinced the bath or sink were cleaned regularly, or that the bed sheets were ever changed during stay. It also didn’t feel like the room had been properly prepared for our arrival. There was a bottle of water and an empty welcome box where in the past there had been sweets inside and a fruit platter. A bottle of wine did arrive two days later but the overall welcome felt lacklustre compared to previous years. We chose All Inclusive, not because we indulge heavily, but for the convenience – especially when enjoying days on the beach. Sadly, this package has changed significantly. On the beach, the range of drinks are now limited and snacks are no longer included. The lovely touch of fruit being offered on the beach by hotel staff has disappeared. These may be cost-saving changes, but they do take away from the experience we once valued so much. We had lunch at the hotel restaurant a couple of times but preferred to buy locally and take food to the beach, which suits our holiday style. We only dined at the hotel in the evening twice, the food wasn’t really to our taste and the atmosphere didn’t feel like a proper dinner setting. It was too casual, no tablecloths or effort to elevate the dinner service, which was a shame. That said, all the staff throughout were friendly and polite and that’s something I’ve always appreciated. Did we enjoy our holiday? Yes, because Crete and Rethymnon never fail to delight. However, I can't ignore the sense of disappointment with the hotel. I’ve always praised Aquila Porto and genuinely loved staying there but it may no longer be my "go to" hotel on this beautiful island.