Grecotel Plaza Beach House — Hotel in Municipality of Rethymnon

A great team welcomed us with a smile. We had a brilliant start into our short vacation of six days. The location directly at the sea (just a road between the beach and the hotel) was the reason we picked this hotel.

Welcome drinks, a friendly and short personal introduction into the offered services made it easier for us to get some orientation. We booked an apartment with breakfast and the plan was to get some food for lunch and dinner on our own. The location for doing this was excellent. Nearby restaurants, supermarkets and smaller tavernas offered everything we need. The hotel also offers free parking around the corner on their own parking lot.

The entire area was very clean and extraordinary well maintained. Our room was a two story room with kitchen, two rest rooms, and a bath tub. The interior of the room is not special, you find Ikea beds and a simple layout but we found everything we needed. The kitchen is equipped with pots, a simple set of cutlery, microwave, refrigerator and a small dish washer. We missed a bottle opener or a corkscrewed which we bought in the supermarket around the corner and left it for the next guests. Also towels were missing in the kitchen.

The AC worked well and was very comfortable to sleep with because of the low sound profile. We had a small balcony with two chairs and a table. Unfortunately, our room was at the back, and we just had a view of a parking lot. During the day, the nearby connection road produced some noise, which you could clearly hear while outside or with open windows and doors. When you close everything, the noise is ok. Since we did not spend a lot of time in the room, this was ok for us.

The day in the hotel started with a great breakfast. The chef in the kitchen was nice, and it was a pleasure to have a small talk with him every morning. On request, you can get scrambled eggs freshly made or an omelet with ingredients of your own juice. You will find traditional Cretan food, both sweet and salty. We really enjoyed the breakfast times until 10:30 since we loved to sleep a bit longer. The service at the table was always friendly, with a smile, and we always felt welcomed.

The small hotel-owned beach is great. When you cross the small road, you get to your free chairs with parasol, and you take your beach towels from the room with you. The hotel placed a service team at the beach so that you can order food and drinks directly at the beach. You can pay by putting everything in your room (with a signed receipt, of course). The beach and the seats are very clean, but I recommend beach shoes due to the larger stones in the water. Snorkeling was not a great idea since you do not see far in the water, so if you just stay in that area, there is no need to bring your gear.

Rethymno is very nearby and worth at least one visit. You can reach the city center within 30 minutes on food. We used our rental car and the large parking lot at the harbor. Around noon it is possible that you might have to wait for a few minutes. Prices for parking are extremely friendly (we paid about two Euros for about 3 hours of parking.

Thank you for having us as your guests and keep your smiles for...

​We had a fantastic stay at this hotel. The staff truly made the experience exceptional, and we'd like to extend a special thanks to the manager, Thodoris, for his outstanding service. The reception staff were also amazing and helpful throughout our visit.

​The breakfasts were very good, with a great variety of options including eggs, custom-made omelets, fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and pastries. The coffee was also excellent. Dinner was decent, though we felt the beef and fish were a bit overcooked, which is an area for improvement. It was a surprise that drinks, including water, were not included with dinner, as this is often complimentary hospitality. However, they do have a wide selection of wines available for purchase. A nice option is being able to exchange dinner for a €20 per person credit towards an à la carte or beach lunch.

​Our room was spacious and bright. Housekeeping was generally very good, with daily changes of sheets and bin liners, though we noticed some dust in corners that could be improved upon. The shower cabin was on the smaller side, which might be an issue for some. We appreciated the provided shower gel, shampoo, and soap, as well as the small kitchenette with a decent-sized fridge and freezer.

​The hotel has two small pools with limited sunbeds, but this was not a problem at all as they have an abundance of sunbeds on the beautiful sandy beach. It's a real plus that you don't need swimming shoes, and there's a separate adults-only section. We never had to worry about finding a free sunbed, even later in the day. Beach towels were provided and were available even after we checked out, along with a shower we could use before heading to the airport.

​Hotel is not in the old town so it's quiet at night, it's a 30min walk to the old town. There are plenty off shops and restaurants nearby.

​Overall, despite a few minor areas for improvement, the outstanding service from the staff made our stay...

Our party of two stayed a week the Grecotel at the beginning of November. We received a very fast check in upon arrival and a welcome drink, although the wifi was down so we received no information about the property. Our room was quite disappointing as it was comparable to a small hotel suite. Half kitchen with no decoration on the walls, old appliances with only 20 TV channels, a kitchen table with chairs for two despite that it was a four person occupancy, no sort of lounge furniture (upholstered chairs, couches) and bunk beds in the living room (disappointing as we were on our honeymoon). Additionally the bathroom was extremely small with a toilet that barely flushed, small bathtub, and a drain that was difficult. This property was lacking basic amenities within the rooms: no dish soap or sponges, dishwasher detergent (dishwasher present), basic spices, coffee or tea (kettle and coffee machine present), lotion, or tissues. However, the front desk tried their best and eventually ran down to AB to purchase us dish soap and a sponge. They were a highlight of our visit as they were very accommodating and helpful (calling taxi’s, recommendations, etc).

We purchased this week through RCI so breakfast was not included. It was going to be 20€ per person daily which was quite disappointing as it is much more expensive than local options. It is much more economical to run down the street to AB and cook within the room (although a bit tricky due to the lack of aforementioned amenities). Also worth mentioning that despite being a year round property the pools are not heated.

Overall, we weren’t fans of the property as it put a damper on our honeymoon but the front desk and housekeeping staff were wonderful. The staff was helpful and the rooms were decently comfortable to sleep, but attention to detail is desperately missing. Wouldn’t recommend this property to couples and would be cautious with...