Palazzo Arhontiko Apartments Crete — Hotel in Municipality of Agios Nikolaos

When I booked this hotel I was going back and forth between Expedia and Tripadvisor so much that I mistakenly booked it thinking it had a pool. When I realised what I'd done I was quite worried as I love swimming and wasn't sure the sea would be warm enough for swimming in early June. First of all, the sea was perfect and so was the hotel. We booked an apartment with a partial sea view and though there wasn't enough room on the mini balcony for both of us to sit out, it really didn't matter. With the doors open we could sit in the room and enjoy an incredible view. The location offers so much choice - you can go for long walks, are right in town and also right on the best beach with so many places to eat and drink just on the street below the hotel. There was a fair bit of passing traffic in the mornings as coaches headed on this coastal road on their way to the port but it didn't matter to us. The best part of the hotel was Joanna, who serves breakfast and looks after reception. She gave us the best tips for cheap car hire, the best places to eat and she also quickly responded to what we do and don't eat for breakfast. She's...

Stayed 3 nights in September|Location was good, short walk to harbour, downtown; balcony overlooking the small beach, the road in front was the main route for tour buses to the parking lot by the harbour, so quite busy and noisy and a chorus of horns if anyone got in their way.|The apartment was huge – separate bedroom, large sitting area with dining room and basic kitchen, good size balcony looking on to the beach.|Everything very dark and well worn, questionable whether furniture was antique or just old. Floor tiles cracked and broken – we had to cover one area with a towel to prevent tripping over broken tiles.|Kitchen had all the equipment but all ancient and not very appealing.|For such a large apartment the bathroom was tiny – the tiles in the shower stained, the caulking black with mildew and no storage whatsoever.|We never did encounter a staff person although they were quick to respond via text; we asked for a shower curtain and it appeared the next day.|We were expecting something more luxurious for a short stay; this is better suited for a longer stay...

Beautiful hotel! The apartments are large and spacious, and you can’t beat walking out of your hotel and right onto the beach (ok, across one small street but who’s counting). The view alone is worth it. We decided not to spring for a sea view room, but we were outside so much that it didn’t make a difference.||The staff is very nice and accommodating. On check-in, she made several suggestions for places to visit and restaurants to try (I’ve also reviewed two of those restaurants), and her suggestions were spot on.||It’s possible, on booking, to choose an option with breakfast included. We didn’t do that, but did sit outside at the restaurant attached to the hotel by the same name. Not a lot to choose from for breakfast, but what the do have is extremely good. It doesn’t get much better than sitting by the beach sipping your morning coffee!||If we ever come back to Crete, this will 100% be our...