Hotel Palladion — Hotel in Municipality of Rethymnon

We love Crete and its people. We have been visiting Crete for over 30 years and these days we stay on the south side of the Island and return annually for our 3 week holiday. However, we have used this hotel on and off for many years as a one/two/three night stop over to meet friends who run a business in Rethymno and was also a half way point when we used to fly in to Heraklion. Unfortunately, from what was once a decent hotel and was one of the more appealing 3* accommodation on the strip in the 1990s, we have seen the deterioration over the years. Whilst it’s obvious that other hotels in the area appear to have smartened up and moved with the times, Hotel Palladion has stood still in a negative way.|Located on a busy road, easy access to the beach, good tavernas/restaurants within walking distance and close to those who want a little retail therapy in beautiful Old Town Rethymno, which is only a short bus ride away.|The hotel looks tired and is in desperate need of a modern make over to meet a 3* rating. The bedrooms might have had a fresh lick of paint but the furniture and headboard look dated. On a positive, the beds were comfortable with a good quality mattress and pillows, but not very inviting as the brown tatty bedspreads/quilts needs replacing. They have been there for decades and it shows. We found the bed linen and towels clean but cannot comment further as we only stayed one night. The shower cubicle is very small – I’m only 5’1” and found it a bit of squeeze, but it was clean. The TV wasn’t working but due to the duration of our stay, we didn’t complain. Equally, cannot comment on the evening meal as we ate out. Buffet style breakfast was average and can be a bit of ‘bottle neck’ as the buffet is very tightly spread in quite a restricted space. Nothing Cretan about the food but meets the requirements of some guests I’m sure. (Not all of us like homemade Cretan food). Personally, it doesn’t look particularly appetising either and proven right as the “omelette” squares were very rubbery. Loved the Greek Yogurt, which I then queued to top with honey located next to the pot of Nutella! Because you are in a tight restricted area, the queue formed quickly as the Nutella proved extremely popular with guests in front of me, then had to wait for it to be refilled! Sometime later, with a bit of DIY at the table, we topped the yogurt further with some fresh fruit and nuts which we had brought with us. We also had brought our own favourite coffee granules as the coffee from the machine tastes dire.|The grounds are neatly kept and the pool and pool area clean.|We had no issues with the staff at reception and found them very polite and accommodating when we requested a room change. |The hotel backs on to the busy National Road and bedrooms situated here are disturbed by heavy traffic noise.|I seriously question whether the owners ever look at these negative reviews or indeed, interested. So many of the points noted here have been raised months ago with photos to prove it. (the scruffy bed quilt for example). I don’t think I need to leave a recommendation, my comments...

Hotel was located in a great area, close to the beach, plenty of bars and restaurants, travel shops for day trips and ATMs. However the hotel itself has a lot to answer to. The day we arrived we were not told of times for breakfast lunch and dinner, no wrist band provided which I found odd due to the bar being open to public as well as the guests at the hotel. The man on the reception was really creepy and made me, my mam and sister very uncomfortable. He actually told my sister to come back later on her own as he had a secret to tell her and we weren't the only targets so if your going on holiday by yourself I would not recommend this hotel. I put a chair infront of my hotel of a night time just because he made me feel unsafe. The positives of the hotel was the food was lovely, very authentic to Greece. I can't complain about that however if you're going as a family with either fussy eaters or young children there isn't a great variety for children that would not usually eat something out of their comfort zone. The bar was another downfall to the hotel. We was all inclusive however the drink choice was not great. I like a good variety of cocktails and this hotel had only two different ones, as well as dry wine and no Prosecco. The lady on the bar was nothing but rude. Made everyone in the hotel feel like an inconvenience, she was miserable and constantly either on her phone voice messaging or nowhere to be seen. She also pick of chose when to close the bar. When the website states 11pm and she closes anywhere between 10/10.30. She also selectively chose who she liked and didn't liked given us who she didn't a plastic cup for all of our drinks and glasses and big portions of drinks to those she liked. There was also no music around the pool or the bar. The lady behind the bar had white music for herself! The only alcoholic drink that was nice was a mojito or a baileys however with the baileys she did 1/4 measurements. The shower was a-bit minging if I'm honest dirty and if your a tall or larger person you aren't gonna have much luck trying to get a wash. The pictures on their website are not even there pictures either and from a hotel down the road so really it's false advertisement. And they tried to over charge us hotel tax as the end of the stay when on the first day was told €12 for four nights and then when we checked out they tried to charge us €48 which makes me think it was due avoiding the creepy man as it was a lovely lady on reception on the last...

Hi, we're currently staying at this hotel which is a lovely family run establishment. At first we wanted to move nearer the Old Town - only because we are trying to adopt a cat from there, but everything's fine as the hotel has great transport links; the bus stop is just across the road and the owner's have even kindly thought to put up a timetable. The owner and his son went out of their way to ensure we had a great stay, with a lovely room- with-a- view overlooking a sky blue sea and panoramic views. Nice staff who are also very knowledgeable about the area and things to do. Great pool too, very comfortable and relaxing, a very clean, spotless hotel. It's lovely to sit by the pool and see families enjoying themselves, laughing and playing with their children in the pool! We love the colours of the buildings also - very pleasant - a rich palette of whites, rustic colours compliment the architecture, complete with a fantastic layout, beautiful garden plots and green grass kept luscious and lively with the sprinklers. Love the art deco style lift! Your eyes are arrested by a wonderful floral array of bright pinks, white and yellow flowers and lush green foliage as you approach the reception. Little additional touches like magazines to read in reception, access to a computer and a beautiful quaint miniature model of a traditional Greek church in the grounds. The hotel is great value for money too, as you get breakfast included - you can also choose to sit outside on the sun kissed terrace and enjoy the early morning rays. Loved the tomatoes and Greek salad - so fresh and tasty. Come and stay, you won't be disappointed - happy hols!...