Anemos Luxury Grand Resort — Hotel in Municipality of Apokoronas

We have stayed at the Anemos Grand Luxury Hotel several times in recent years. We would like to share our observations.||The hotel now mainly caters to all-inclusive vacationers, which inevitably has disadvantages for guests on half board—higher prices and poorer quality. Compared to last time, the food in the main restaurant is better again, but it's no match for the food outside the hotel in the taverns. Here, the expectations of a 5-star resort are clearly different. The cost targets are probably too ambitious – it's most likely not the fault of the kitchen team.||Overall, the level of service has declined. We booked a room with a sea view (in March 2025) and were given a room with a shared pool (in July 2025). This may be an upgrade in terms of price, but it is a downgrade in terms of our preferences. Unfortunately, despite asking at reception, we were not given a room with a sea view. Instead, we were told that we should be happy with the upgrade. |The service team at the main restaurant is also no longer comparable to the team in the past. In our first years, Dimitrios, Giorgos, Maria, Angelos, and almost everyone else were super nice, always exchanged a few words, and were masters of their profession. Today, unfortunately, it's just a bunch of trainees who can't or don't want to or are not allowed to (?) communicate. Fortunately, there are a few exceptions, such as Maria, Niki, and Christina. They master their job and can communicate with customers!||The biggest disappointment was the beach club. When we arrived at the sunbeds in the morning—which, incidentally, cost an extra €35—the trash from the previous day was sometimes still lying around, and the sunbed looked as if the last guest had just left five minutes ago. In addition, the curtains were completely torn and dirty (fortunately, these were replaced at the end of our stay – unfortunately only after repeated complaints and a conversation with the general manager). Maintenance of the beach should be at least as quick and consistent as collecting the €35 fee shortly after you sit down on a bed.||On the positive side, however, there are a few things:|- The area around the kids' club is great for children. It has various slides and great sun loungers.|- The beach area is fantastic – the sand is fine and the sea is super shallow and refreshing.|- The rooms are very clean.|- The evening shows are also entertaining.|- The staff at the main bar are professionals, especially Costas.|- The children's entertainment is professional and enjoyable.||Actually, we are certain that we will not be returning. Neither a pleasant conversation with the general manager, nor the invitations to the cocktail party, nor the kind gesture of receiving a bottle of wine in our room can change that. Unfortunately, we did not get our preferred room and nobody really cared...||The reason we might come back though after all is people like Giorgos (captain of the Meat&Grill + Italian Restaurant, previously at the main restaurant) and the restaurant manager at the Kids Club. These two are able to offer a 5-star experience because the service in their restaurants is excellent, the hospitality is outstanding, and the customer comes first. If the Anemos would follow their example, we would...

Hi everyone!|My partner and I stayed at Anemos Luxury Resort for a week and overall had a really enjoyable experience. Some of the positives:|* Upgrade: Upon arrival we received a room upgrade, to a beautiful maisonette. It was spacious, clean, had a lovely balcony and extra space upstairs. |* Cleanliness: The hotel and rooms were spotlessly clean throughout our stay. The decor was modern and housekeeping was thorough.|* Location: It’s a 1-2 minute walk to the beach, which you can also get a buggy cart to. Here you can sunbathe and have a drink, go for a dip, or eat at the restaurant. You can hop on the bus to get to Rethymno town in 25 mins- we did this during our stay and would definitely recommend El Castello restaurant, or to Chania by bus in 45 mins. The bus goes from outside the hotel. You can also get a small train to Lake Kournas in 20 mins. There isn’t much around the hotel to get to by foot as it is a little secluded. |* Buffet Variety: The buffet had a great variety that changed daily.|* Sunbeds: there were many sunbeds; at the main pool as well as at the beach so you don’t need to worry about not being able to get a bed. |What Could Be Improved:|* Room Amenities: The TV had limited English channels (most were in German) a smart TV would have been appreciated for streaming. The mini bar was refilled everyday free of charge for all inclusive which was nice. However, as English guests, we would’ve appreciated more tea variety as there was only two English breakfast teas and nothing else. (You could request a variety at the buffet though).|* Sea View Description: While we did have a sea view, it’s worth noting that it’s partial – there are buildings and a road between you and the actual shoreline. I will say the mountains in the background of the hotel are quite breathtaking though.|* Staff Experience: While some staff members were warm and very attentive, shoutout in particular to Albion who was very friendly and made us feel welcome, a small handful, particularly in the main buffet area, seemed less enthusiastic. However, when asked for help they were very accomodating. You are always offered a drink while lounging inside or by the pool and are greeted with a smile around the hotel.|* À La Carte Restaurants: The hotel advertises à la carte dining. A few of the restaurants, such as the Asian and the Greek, you receive every option on the menu, which can make it difficult if you’re a bit fussy or don’t have a massive appetite. The food itself was very good, we particularly enjoyed the Asian, just not quite what you might expect if you’re looking for a more formal à la carte or fine dining experience. I’d advise to book the À La Carte restaurants at the start of your stay so you don’t miss out.|* Activities: there was a range of activities such as tennis, badminton, mini golf, pingpong etc. However, these closed at 6pm and you could not play past this time. Perhaps allowing guests access to this a bit later would be better. |* Bathroom/Shower Pressure: The shower pressure was a bit weak, but still usable.|Despite a few areas for improvement, which really are quite nit-picky, we had a lovely stay at Anemos. We’d definitely come back and would happily recommend...

Have just returned from a 10 day stay at the Anemos Hotel The food, facilities and service levels were excellent with just some minor criticism that food was often tepid on the hot buffet. Be warned that a basic amount of cutlery is initially laid on each table and if you want more, you have to ask a member of staff as there is none readily available. This was something I encountered in Tenerife earlier this year - it could perhaps be a common policy to deter theft. ||I was pleased to see stations offering freshly cooked pancakes (although these were very thick and heavy in consistency) and omelettes at breakfast.||We enjoyed watching a wide variety of very professional shows at 9.15am each night. The hotel provided a cake on my friend's birthday as a thoughtful gesture. I also appreciated the rather nice complementary "beach bag" too. At the time of booking, we had been upgraded to a room with a sharing pool. I was impressed by the square footage outside our room in which we were able to relax on chairs and sun-loungers (pictured). Another generous gesture was the ample supplies of bottled water delivered each day. The beach towels were very luxurious. The provision of staff-driven buggies to carry luggage to/from rooms along with transporting guests to the beach via an tunnel was also welcomed! Staff were helpful and provided assistance whenever required to do so.||One thing football fans would appreciate is a TV which shows live games - we asked but none were available.||There is some minor roadworks immediately opposite the hotel which may mean finding bus stops to be a challenge. However, the buses run to Chania and Rethymno on an hourly basis. Also recommended is the train service to Lake Kournas and other attractions - there are two train stops outside the hotel.||We stayed on a Half Board basis for which I was grateful - to have eaten at local restaurants would have involved taking a taxi. Expect to walk about 25 minutes to local shops and a supermarket. You would also need to hire a taxi to take you to Georgopolis.||I had studied a lot of the hotel reviews before my holiday but nobody appeared to comment on what was a surprise at check-in. The Greek Government imposed an Environmental Tax as of this year and for which €15 is levied per room per night in 5-star accommodation (it is proportionally less in other types of accommodation). To be told that we had to pay €150 upon arrival was a shock but not as surprising that it had to be IN CASH. I saw no reference to this particular aspect when researching online. Our attention was however drawn to the two ATM's in Reception. We were in fact given some time to produce the funds and eventually paid this element of our bill upon check-out. I did wonder how guests who budget carefully and take no debit cards would fare! I believe that those who cannot produce what is arguably a fair amount of money may well be allowed to pay using a credit card but this policy remains untested!||Overall, I wished my holiday had been 2 weeks rather than 10 days having enjoyed a very comfortable and...