Royal & Imperial Belvedere Resort

The room was spacious, modern and clean, and the resort is a nice place to relax by the pool. It’s also well placed for walking to local shops. We ate well, and parking for our rental car was free. Only thing I missed was a decent pina colada. I’d recommend it to anyone staying in Crete.

The food was better than at most all-inclusive places we’ve tried. There was fish on Tuesday and Mexican food on Thursday, and chips were always available. The lunch choices differed between snack bars, though, and the Pita Gyros were at the Olympic Pool snack bar. We stayed as a family of four, with our children aged 8 and 12 in room 8006, while my mum had single room 1006. We were impressed by the entrance and service when we arrived from the airport. If someone drives you to your room, they’re just saving you the walk with your suitcase. In May, the pools were at 23 degrees. There are three main ones worth using: the Olympic Pool, the pool by the splash park, and our favourite, the one up the steps to the right of the main stage. The scenery there is nicer, and the bar is close by. The hotel was clean, the rooms were nice, and the food was above average for an all-inclusive.

We loved our ten-night stay and will come back. The gardens were lovely and well kept, and we enjoyed visiting the tortoises across from the main building and seeing the donkeys, birds and goats on the walk by the main entrance. The old town, reached in ten or fifteen minutes through the back gate near the Greek restaurant, is a must. It’s a beautiful area with great views and welcoming locals. The hotel makes a fab base for exploring Crete. There’s lots of food available, including a late buffet from 10:30 pm to 3 am, early and regular breakfasts, and two snack bars with pizza, chips, sandwiches and gyros. The all-inclusive food was some of the best I’ve had, with a good range and Mexican and Asian themed nights. We enjoyed the on-site Asian restaurant, which was included. For the three days we had a rental car, we ordered basket lunches through reception the day before. They were ready in the morning with sandwiches, crisps, water, apples and cereal bars, and were handy for the drives. There are several bars, a good choice of branded spirits and friendly staff. Some snack areas also have self-serve soft drinks, beer and wine. Once we got settled, the staff were polite and helpful, and I couldn’t fault how hard they worked. Even when things were quiet, they were busy looking after the spaces and guests. The pools were tidy, and we always found a sunbed when we wanted one. We rented a car on site and had a fabulous experience. The prices were good, and it let us see more of the island. We didn’t watch much of the evening entertainment, but there seemed to be plenty of seats. The two small hotel shops were useful and reasonably priced, with a larger Spar farther down the road. Our superior garden and mountain view room was on the fifth floor of the main building, with good space for two. It had a fridge with two bottles of water, refreshed each day when the room was cleaned. The hotel and rooms had nice finishes and were clean throughout. A couple of small things were the hallway noise and no bin in the main room. We did have an issue on arrival at 10:30 am: despite booking ten months earlier, we were told the hotel was overbooked and had to spend the first night elsewhere. The upgraded wristbands they gave us included all-inclusive perks. It seemed to be EasyJet and Love Holidays bookings that were affected.

The location was just right, and we really appreciated the upgrade to a room with a private pool. The staff were so nice, especially Mirto at the restaurants we booked. She was lovely and recommended them. The food was superb, and I’d definitely recommend staying at the Belvedere.