Theartemis Palace

We’d definitely recommend this hotel. The pools and sun loungers were in great condition, and the fitness room was clean, well kept, and quite well equipped for a hotel. The food and drinks were excellent at the restaurant, café, and bar, with a varied, tasty buffet in the morning and evening. The hotel was very clean, and all the staff were extremely friendly. Reception was especially helpful, even assisting with booking a rental car.

The location is still excellent, and the renovations look fantastic. We also really enjoyed the much-improved gym and appreciated being able to request access after 6pm. The staff stayed friendly and polite throughout. Those positives made this especially disappointing, since we returned to Theartemis Palace because we’d loved our first stay. This visit felt completely different, and we won’t be back. We knew we’d booked a basic room, but it felt outdated and below what we expected from a 4-star hotel. The shower leaked every time we used it. The safe was also very old-fashioned, needed a physical lock and key, and cost around €4 a day to rent. Housekeeping was inconsistent over our 9 nights, and sometimes used cups weren’t replaced. Breakfast was okay and had a decent range, but became repetitive after a few days. Fresh fruit choices were limited, with much of it canned and usually just a small selection of fresh fruit. The end of the trip was the worst part. The day before checkout, we politely asked if we could stay until 1pm. The receptionist agreed and seemed to make a note, so we thought it was settled. At about 11am the next morning, reception called to remind us checkout was at 11. We explained we’d arranged a late checkout until 1pm the day before. About half an hour later, they called again to ask if we were leaving before 1, even though we’d already explained. Then, around 10 minutes after that, someone came to our room and asked the same thing, and told us to leave the door open so cleaners could get in. It felt uncomfortable and stressful, especially since nobody had asked us to leave the door open for housekeeping during the previous 9 days. If a late checkout wasn’t possible, a simple no would have been fine. Instead, we felt rushed and pressured in the final hours of our holiday. At checkout, nobody even asked how the stay had been or whether everything was okay. As returning guests, we were genuinely upset after having such fond memories of our first visit. We hope future guests don’t have the same experience.

Our standard twin room was spacious and thoughtfully laid out, with nice extras like dressing gowns, slippers, and lots of hanging space. The location worked perfectly for us: we enjoyed the 15-20 minute walk along the promenade to the old town. We were half board and had a great choice of freshly cooked meals, salads, fresh fruit, and loads of desserts. The staff were always smiling, happy to chat, and full of helpful tips about beautiful Rethymno. Daniella and Stratos served us many times in the restaurant and always made time to talk. A wonderful stay at Theartemis Palace Hotel. We’d definitely recommend it and stay again. Thank you.

A peaceful stay with well-behaved fellow guests, nice clean rooms, and a programme almost every night. It well earns its stars. Food and drinks are on the pricey side and nothing special, but there are plenty of nearby restaurants that are cheaper and better.