Zoe Grimes
We just come back from our holiday in Crete at this hotel. The hotel was clean, the staff were friendly (reception and restaurant staff) the all inclusive food was amazing. We did go out to eat one night but preferred to eat at the hotel. Definitely book the Asian restaurant as that was delicious the whole family enjoyed it and included in the all inclusive for one visit. The hill is big to walk up and down but I would say it’s nice to be away from the street and the hotel felt secure. I saw a lot of hotels in the area where anyone could just walk in and I didn’t like that so I think that it makes royal imperial stand out from the rest. We spent a lot of time at the top pool but sun-beds do get taken up by towels early. They top your water in your room up everyday and clean the rooms/make beds everyday. The shower was a little dated but it did the job was very strong so had to be careful it didn’t spray everywhere. We were all very pleased with the hotel and it was a very big complex so plenty of pools and space. We didn’t really watch the entertainment but that’s just us our kids are teens so weren’t very interested so we went out in the evening doing go carting, shopping and walking along the front. Definitely recommend this hotel. We had such a good time there and in the area. Only negative was the spa team were a little pushy for you to book a massage and got moody when you said no.
smurfy
We’ve recently returned from a 7 day stay here, and the hotel itself is absolutely fantastic, it feels very grand and clean when you enter through the main reception. The staff are incredibly helpful and friendly.
There’s a huge selection on food from the restaurants, and the all day snack bars also have a huge range to choose from. The food isn’t exactly hot, and if you want to use the toasting machine it’s like warming up the bread with a radiator so be prepared to stand there for five minutes putting it through multiple times. Excellent views from the restaurants.
The entertainment staff are amazing, they put a lot of effort into entertaining the guests with their daily activities and evening shows, and you can clearly see how much they love doing what they do.
The spa was a fantastic experience, you do have to pay extra for this but I would say it’s worth it for that relaxing getaway experience.
A few downsides - the walk to and from the hotel. The hotel is on a huge hill, so be prepared; we usually got a taxi into town and back (10 euros each way), as it is quite a walk away. I would recommend hiring a car if you can, there are some lovely towns nearby to explore.
It states the rooms are cleaned daily, however our room was missed a couple of times during our stay. Our bed sheets weren’t changed at all, and overall it didn’t really seem the cleaners did much apart from make the bed and give us two bottles of water.
The beer and wine is self poured, and honestly they didn’t taste nice at all; it tasted very watered down, I just stopped drinking it altogether.
Overall we really did enjoy our stay here, and the views are amazing from the various pools as you can look into the sea in the distance.
Julie Fox
Good family resort. Hotel staff don't stop working. Rooms are nice. Facilities are good with something to suit everyone. Food is good for breakfast and the lunch snack bars are nice. The evening meals are mediocre at best but you won't go hungry unless you are incredibly fussy. Location is good for walking into the town but is probably not a good choice if you have poor mobility.
Dave Smith
A massive , beautiful, family hotel complex situated on a very steep hill in Hersonissos, Crete.
Multiple quality swimming pools, one heated indoors. They could do with at least one of the many outdoor pools being heated as towards the end of the season the water is freezing, yet many wish to swim outside
This is a fantastic hotel which could probably get a five star rating with just a little more investment
George Packer
Looking a bit tired, staff pleasant but mostly seem tired.
Is excellent if you want to do proper swimming as one of the pools is a wide and deep 50m pool. Tennis courts are decent but with a few bumps causing the odd bad bounce.
Food isn't amazing although usually something perfectly edible at meals. The gyros (kebabs) at the snack bar by the kids pool are really good. The wine and beer are pretty poor which is disappointing.
The room was OK but a half bottle of someone else's orange squash in the fridge and lots of dust on the ac and on the large picture (which fell off the wall in the night) show the imperfect housekeeping.