King Minos Retreat Resort & Spa — Hotel in Municipality of Chersonissos

Our stay at King Minos Retreat and Spa was nothing short of extraordinary, starting from the room itself. The hotel complex has recently undergone significant renovation, ensuring that every room is a synthesis of modern comfort and luxurious living. Our room was incredibly spacious and fitted with state-of-the-art amenities including a top-notch air conditioning system, that was actually easy to handle unlike some ACs in other hotels.

What elevated the experience was our private pool—truly a slice of paradise. It was set against the backdrop of an absolutely stunning sea view. The terrace, much like the room, is large enough to give a sense of privacy and exclusivity, ideal for couples looking for a romantic getaway. As for the pool itself, it's always at the perfect temperature, inviting you to take a plunge at any time of the day or night. Special shoutout to the housekeeping staff and pool associate, who were unfailingly polite, helpful and thorough in their cleaning routine.

One of the standout features is the expansive communal pool area, designed with both beauty and functionality in mind. The pool is generously sized, ensuring enough room for everyone, while still offering an atmosphere of exclusivity and luxury. Around it, you'll find ample space for sunbathing, allowing for that perfect dose of sunlight. Whether you wish to lounge lazily with a book or soak up the Greek sun, this area serves as an ideal backdrop for relaxation and leisure. However as we were extremely happy with our room and our private pool we mainly used the area for the poolbar to get snacks.

The dining experience was another highlight of our stay. The restaurant offered an extensive buffet for both breakfast and dinner, and we were pleasantly surprised by the array of dishes that changed on a daily basis. Variety was the name of the game here, and King Minos nailed it.

However, it was the service staff who turned our meals into a genuinely exceptional experience. Sophia, Sotiris, and Vaggelis deserve every bit of praise and more. They weren't just attentive; they were proactive, kind-hearted, and genuinely committed to ensuring our comfort. Their warm smiles and continuous efforts to make our dining experience memorable really touched our hearts.

And then there's Dimitri, the man steering this incredible ship. Beyond just overseeing the restaurant, Dimitri took the time to make a personal connection with us. His kindness and his willingness to share insider tips about hidden spots on the island made our stay not just comfortable, but also adventurous. Conversations with him after dinner were a daily highlight, filling the dining experience with a sense of familiarity and warmth that is often missing in luxury hotels.

If there is one minor hiccup in this near-perfect experience, it would be the noise coming from the Starbeach Beach Club. The acoustics, unfortunately, travel up the mountain to the hotel.Our timing likely contributed to this minor inconvenience as well. For the first six days of our stay, the daytime music was notably loud, lacking the customary "quiet time" between 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. that is usually observed in Greece. Fortunately, the subsequent days were much quieter, suggesting a degree of variability that could either be a perk or a drawback, depending on your preference for daytime ambiance. If you're the sort who revels in a lively musical backdrop, you'll likely consider this a plus. For those of us who lean towards a quieter retreat, it's a bit less ideal. However, it's important to note that this inconvenience is entirely out of the hotel's control and should not be considered a flaw of the King Minos Retreat and Spa itself.

All things considered, King Minos Retreat and Spa outperformed our expectations in nearly every category. Whether you are looking for a romantic getaway or a luxurious solo trip, this retreat offers a five-star experience that makes you forget about the rest of the world. Highly...

Stayed here between 29th Sept to 4th Oct Deluxe double with private pool and SV. Arrived late on the Friday so check-in was very quick, transported by golf style buggy with cases to our room1101.

Bathroom small, bad smell from air-conditioning people seem to think sewer but it's the air-conditioning, not enough draw space, little tables next to the bed need to be removed and placed with draws, pointless positioning mirrors on the wall made no sense, tv 3 English news channels, 5star and 3 channels what a waste of tv !! Bed comfy but pillows were a waste of time, my wife used the seating cushion outside and I had all 4 cushion they literally go to nothing, worst pillows for a 5 star hotel I've been in. Pool is a splash pool, well ours was compared to others we saw but the open patio space was very good, only 1 chair with the table...weird unless someone stole a chair, not very private as people walking past when going to the back entrance to the beach so needs screening we saw on others placed on the wall. Ants loads of Ants, get spray from the shop as reception won't do anything.

You only got the sun early till 4pm and that's it. Steps, if you have knee issues it could be a problem, I have a knee issue but wasn't much of a problem for me but could be for others. Cleanliness of the room, hotel and grounds very good, immaculate.

Food, the selection area is very small compared to other hotels I have been to and people queueing up at certain times which we learnt quickly to go earlier to avoid. Breakfast go around 8 as come 9-930 it's a mad rush and then the queueing starts due to the limited area. Tea time is exactly the same we would go between 7-730pm because 830-9 mad rush. Food wasn't that warm either, cold, beans, egg, scrambled egg but the quality was good, no fried Tom's at breakfast !! Did enjoy French toast. Dinner time food was again good but not that warm, waiter service very good and the people all pleasant, did ask for ice one night but got told no ice.

Ideally they need a bar inside as the outside bar has no atmosphere, people with ipads, playing cards etc for entertainment. A la carte restaurant 4 table's full when we went past, to encourage people in the Hotel could do with doing an offer maybe at that time of year.

Some how there was a mix up with rooms and time to collect us on the day of leaving, wrong room put down, not good when we went to reception and personally booked the time and they even said our surname.

This hotel is missing little things imo and I can see why Jet2 have it as a 4star plus, defo not 5star imo and could do alot better.

Would I go again to this Hotel probably not due to the little things missing.

Please be mindful this is my opinion on the experience we had compared to other Hotels we have been to, first time in Crete, wouod go back but not to this hotel.

In reply to the response. Ants, if you look at reviews previously people have mentioned the Ants, I wouod suggest you have maintenance or Gardner to take a look at the wall.

The outside chair, I pressume before our arrival you have a tick sheet of what is required in and outside the room, it's not for me to sort it's a 5 star Hotel it should be done, standards.

Pillows, do you have different types of pillows like other 5 star Hotels or just one choice.

Like I said there are small things imo that just need looking at which I would concentrate on, TV 3 English channels 🤔, heaters for the food are they at the correct temp setting, does the chef taste test for...

Last day here today after a weeks stay. ||It has been nice but there's been a few annoying niggles that should not happen at a 5 * resort. ||We booked a room with a private pool with a sea view , expecting to be able to sunbathe around it every day. ||The room was lovely, terrace beautiful and view brilliant with great sunbeds and furniture. However it was in the shade ALL DAY! There was a tiny slither of a corner which got the sun from 1-4pm which fitted one chair. The private pool was a good size but as it was in the shade all day it was freezing. It also was at the top of a 20ft sheer drop, which I found extremely dangerous if any kids or people decide to jump out the other side of the pool with a 20ft drop at the other side. ||The other thing that was definitely not 5* was at dinner time there was no water available. At breakfast there was juice and water on tap, dinner nothing, at all. The drinks were very expensive on par if not more than London prices. ||It would have been a 4* review based on the niggles above however it's been reduced to 3 * due to a conversation with the reception staff. We requested a late check out until 1 pm as flight is not until 730pm. We did not arrive at hotel until 930 pm. The hotel told us no as our room had been allocated to someone else , and despite check in not until 3pm they needed all this time to have available to clean the room. They said 1130am was the best they could do. If we wanted another room it would be 80euros till 4 pm. So if we were to stay in our room until 1 pm it would be free but another room 80 euros , as they didn't want to give us our room as it had been allocated from 3pm. ||They then suggested it was because a family with a baby were checking into our room that we could not have the extra 2 hours. They then came to an agreement that we could stay until 12 pm, and that they would make the family with the baby wait to check in. Now as I have been up every morning at 7 am to run outside, the first morning I went out I seen between 4-6 people lying sleeping all over the sofas in the lobby. I had no idea who they were randoms or homeless...??? I asked reception and they said oh they arrived early in the morning and they cannot check in until 3 pm. I found it pretty concerning that this was a 5 * hotel and my first impression that morning was guests sleeping on the furniture apparently there all night until the next afternoon at 3 pm check in, yet they show concern that people with a baby needed our room the time we check out. Additionally the reception manager was very confrontational and not willing to listen just speaking over me and being slightly aggressive. Just feel a bit let down and that it's not a true 5* experience in which you’d expect when you book a true 5* hotel, which we are now accustomed to...