Rimondi Grand Hotel & Spa Resort

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★☆☆☆☆ If it wasn’t for the amazing guests I met during my stay, I genuinely would have booked a flight home early. The people were the only thing that made this holiday enjoyable and created a far better atmosphere than the hotel itself. Unfortunately, everything else was a huge disappointment and this is nowhere near a 5-star hotel. The food was repetitive, low quality and quickly became something I dreaded. The snacks were clearly frozen and tasted terrible. For an all-inclusive hotel, I was shocked to find that you have to pay extra for coffee, certain drinks are only available at specific times, and after 11pm you have to pay for food and drinks. Calling this all-inclusive is very misleading. The reception staff were by far the worst part of the hotel. Every interaction felt like they were more interested in making money than helping guests. Customer service was practically non-existent. I lost my glasses during my stay and when I asked for assistance, I was shown a box full of lost glasses but only allowed to look at three pairs. I was also told that the CCTV did not cover the area where I lost them, despite there being a camera clearly visible directly above that exact location. The whole situation was handled poorly and left me feeling completely dismissed. The hotel offers virtually no entertainment and very little atmosphere. The gym is not a gym at all—just a dull room with a few pieces of poor-quality equipment. They are also incredibly stingy with towels, and there isn’t even a room service phone in the rooms, which is something you would expect from a hotel claiming to be 5-star. The only staff members who deserve praise are the kitchen and bar staff. They were friendly, hardworking and always pleasant to deal with. They deserve far better management than they currently have. Overall, this hotel falls well below the standard it advertises. The facilities, food, customer service and all-inclusive package were all disappointing. Management needs a complete rethink because the hotel is being carried by its hardworking bar and kitchen staff and the friendly guests who stay there. I would not return and would not recommend this hotel to anyone expecting a genuine 5-star experience.

Connie Koros

We spent one week here (exchanged through Interval International). This was our first time staying at an AI in Europe and is very different than what we are accustomed to when we go to Mexico but we knew it would be different and that was ok with us. The staff are all very friendly here and the dining room staff were always helpful if you needed anything. The food was all very tasty in a self serve buffet style. We really enjoyed the local dishes and there was always lots of variety to choose from. There were many fresh and tasty salad options and also many hot dishes. In the Dionysos bar, Kostadina was a wonderful bartender who we enjoyed visiting each day . Many of the guests would gather at this bar in the evening after their meal and she took great care of everyone. It was fun to hang around there and chat with other guests. The weather was a bit cool during our visit, but we did get to enjoy some time sitting at the pool. But since it was still early May, the pools were too cold for us, although beautiful and clean. The resort area is pretty with lots of stone walking paths. There are plenty of places to sit and relax. It is a really lovely spot, especially if you’re looking for something quiet but again we visited during the 2nd week of May.

Noreen Dixon

This is not a 5 star all inclusive resort. it is also extremely remote unless you want to walk for about a mile to the nearest village. when arrived after 2 hr transfer wasn't offered a drink when we asked they said after check-in. it was a 1ltr bottle of water in the room. when asked if there was any food as the restaurant had closed - they said we had to find the bar and would have to pay for it. rooms not cleaned or towels changed unless you book it. oh you get a kettle and some tea and coffee but if you take milk you have to buy it from the on site shop. food was a small buffet, extremely limited, some inedible and repetitive - your good if you want bread and salad though as this took most of the buffet. no a la carte restaurant unless you want to travel and pay for it. Entertainment - 1 hr of Greek dance in 7days that wasnt even advertised, just happened to come across at the very end. asked for water to take out as on excursion they charged 3 euro for a 1ltr bottle. checkout was at 11 (not a bad time)but had 5 hours wait before transfer back to hotel, they cut band off and after we asked if we could still get some food as we mentioned it was 5 hrs till pick up they stated really rudely (had better service from doctor's receptionist) after check out you are no longer a guest or our responsibility and you could have booked earlier flights when again stated over 5 hrs till pickup and what about a drink as we cannot go that long without a drink can use the snack bar only that serves soft drinks or beer (no water) stale, hard and uncovered sandwiches or stale cold pizza. again the nearest village is about a mile walking on the main road so couldn't even leave.

Rhyanna Miller

This hotel advertises itself as a 5-star resort, but based on my experience, it falls far short of that standard. I visited a few years ago and was disappointed to find that the quality has declined significantly since then. Most of the staff were pleasant and helpful, but one woman on reception was particularly rude and unhelpful. It also felt as though there were extra charges for almost everything. For an all-inclusive resort charging 5-star prices, this was extremely frustrating. The room was actually quite nice and was probably the only genuinely positive part of our stay. It was clean, comfortable, and well maintained. Unfortunately, the rest of the hotel did not live up to the same standard. The food was one of the biggest disappointments. The selection was very limited, and the quality was poor. There were few choices available, especially in the evenings. They didn’t even serve chips at night but instead offered dishes such as rabbit, which felt like an odd choice given the lack of more basic options. The salads rarely looked fresh, and overall the dining experience was well below what I would expect from a hotel claiming to be 5-star. To make matters worse, we occasionally received dirty plates in the restaurant, which is completely unacceptable for a hotel of this supposed standard. The all-inclusive cocktails were equally disappointing. They were often served only half full and, regardless of which one I tried, they all tasted unpleasant. Only after 7pm, off-brand spirits such as vodka and gin seemed to be available, and any on brand liquers were extra charge, which again is not what you would expect from a 5-star all-inclusive resort. We also noticed that glasses at the bar were sometimes dirty, further adding to the poor impression. The location was quite far from the town centre, although we were aware of this before booking so would not normally criticise it. However, because the food and drinks at the hotel were so poor, we found ourselves wishing we had stayed closer to town where there were better alternatives. This was made even more frustrating by the fact that the bus service back from town stopped at 7pm. Overall, I would not recommend this hotel to anyone expecting a genuine 5-star experience. In my opinion, it is closer to an overpriced 3-star property at best. Aside from the room itself, there was very little to justify the price, and there are far better places to spend your money.

paul sharples

I’ve read some pretty shocking reviews both before our trip and since I returned some of which is perfectly justified but a lot I feel unfair. The hotel itself was lovely. Very clean and well laid out / maintained. There are 4 spotless pool areas and a kids pool. The view from the adult pool over the sea as the sun goes down is amazing. Sadly they all close at 6pm though. The staff as a general rule were very nice but there were exceptions with one in particular we dreaded having to deal with on a nightly basis. Another I saw daily was a delight and very helpful. I really enjoyed the food. Is it gourmet cuisine? No, but I found a large variety of different things to choose from and it was all very fresh and tasty. The fruit, veg, pastas and salads I thought were excellent. Food was available from different locations all day as a snack bar serving pizza, pasta and drinks was available near the main 2 pools until dinner in the evening. The included drinks were ok but nothing to write home about. Cocktails from a premix machine and warm wine. It is very remote and anyone travelling there needs to be aware of this. The nearby beach is poor and even that is a 20 minute walk away. We visited once for an hour was happy we hadn’t gone sooner. If you’re looking for somewhere to sit and relax for a week then this is perfect for you. There is nothing to do but sit and drink in the evenings though. Rethymno is about 20 minutes drive away and an amazing place but at 23 euros one way for a taxi the price can clock up if you go nightly. Overall we really enjoyed our stay. Is it perfect? No but for the money paid it really couldn’t be faulted too much.