Minos Mare Hotel — Hotel in Municipality of Rethymnon

Luxurious Stay at Minos Mare Hotel in Rethymnon! I recently returned from a fantastic holiday in Crete, and I have to rave about the incredible experience I had at the Minos Mare Hotel in Rethymnon. This luxurious beachfront hotel exceeded all my expectations!

Ultra All-Inclusive Paradise: From the moment I arrived, I was treated to an unparalleled level of service. My Ultra-All-Inclusive package included top-shelf drinks, including Heineken and name-brand whiskeys, and even complimentary late-night room service – perfect for those post-dinner cravings!

Exceptional Staff and Service: The friendly and professional staff at Minos Mare Hotel truly made the difference. They were always available to assist with a smile, ensuring a truly relaxing and enjoyable stay. The hotel maintains a luxurious feel with a tasteful dress code, adding to the overall sophisticated atmosphere.

Multilingual Staff with Local Expertise: The staff's excellent communication skills were a major plus. Everyone spoke fluent English, and many were conversant in other languages like German, Dutch, and French. They were also all locals who were incredibly knowledgeable about the area. They readily shared recommendations for must-see sights, hidden gems, and exciting activities, including bars, restaurants, art galleries, and local events.

Culinary Delights: Foodies will be in paradise at Minos Mare Hotel! The hotel boasts two fantastic restaurants: a delightful buffet venue and an a-la-carte option for those seeking a more intimate dining experience. Both restaurants offered a wide variety of freshly prepared dishes that were constantly restocked and catered to different dietary needs. Menus were available in Greek, English, and German for your convenience.

Spacious and Tech-Savvy Rooms: My room at Minos Mare Hotel was a haven of comfort and luxury. It was incredibly spacious and equipped with all the modern amenities and technology you could desire. While it took a moment to decipher all the controls upon arrival (a minor blip!), it only added to the high-tech feel of the room. The balconies were well-maintained, offered ample space to relax, and provided excellent sound insulation.

Impeccable Hygiene: The hotel's dedication to cleanliness was truly impressive. The pool areas were meticulously cleaned throughout the day, and the staff constantly sanitized the buffet counters, ensuring a hygienic environment for all guests.

Location: While the hotel is situated a comfortable distance from Heraklion Airport (approximately a 60km drive), it's important to note that Rethymnon itself is a bit of a taxi ride away (around 15 minute ride for 10 euros). However, the hotel's convenient location near a large grocery store (Lidl) and various restaurants makes it a great base for exploring the area. For a truly special dining experience, I highly recommend venturing into the charming old city center of Rethymnon.

The Beach: The hotel boasts a lovely private beach with plenty of sunbeds for soaking up the sun. It's important to note that the beach has a partially pebbled shore near the water's edge, so keep that in mind if you prefer a sandy swim.

Overall, my stay at Minos Mare Hotel was absolutely phenomenal. From the luxurious amenities and exceptional service to the delicious food and stunning location, this hotel has everything you need for an unforgettable...

We just returned from this hotel, have spent a wonderful week here and here is my review :)

Pros:

Great food quality 😍 There were not a “hundred” options everyday as we had experienced before in another hotel on Rhodes (however it was ultra all in). But the food has changed every lunch & dinner, and the theme of the night too: Mexican, Italian, Greek, Thai, American etc. Everything was fresh and delicious. The breakfasts were not so varied but tasted very good too.

Beach and sea. You will always find a sunbed. The beach is mostly sandy but some areas could be uncomfortable for the walking due to a lot of small stones. Everything is clean there, the waiter comes often with soft drinks & beer so you don’t need to go to the bar.

Wonderful alcohol quality. We tried all the drinks and wine, and it tasted very well.

The cleanliness in the room & hotel area. We liked our room, balcony, the bed was so comfortable! Also the bathroom was big, and we had additional sofa in the room. Hotel is clean too, the territory is beautiful, green 🌲 with a lot of flowers & palms. This also adds a charm to the common hotel vibe.

Staff. They were just great professionals, very polite and friendly, I have nothing to add here 😊

Location. Near the hotel you’ll find everything you need: shops, supermarkets, gas station, bus stop, car rental. If you want to explore the island, you definitely can stay there and enjoy the charming north coast of Crete ❤️ (we also went to South as the distance was the same as to Chania)

Cons:

The beer, we didn’t like its quality and taste. But it’s only our opinion, we went to the nearest beach bar “Pavlos” & to the bars on the main street near hotel and pay 5€ to drink the tasty rich flavoured beer :)

Limited food options beyond the opening hours of restaurant. At the pool area you can eat some “snacks” from 12 PM till 3 PM, and then you have to wait to 7 PM until you can eat the dinner. For me the waiting time was not a problem, but the food at the pool bar was just a fast food. The pizza was good (it’s not like Italian which we ate in the restaurant but it tasted good)

Limit of the drinks per person. There is only 1 barmen per shift and you can only ask for 2 drinks per person, I suppose it’s done for not delaying the queue. But instead of it, the hotel could just engage more workers. Also some drinks were not included in all inclusive, like some cocktails and Greek Fredo coffee.

The waiting time for the table preparing by the staff. Sometimes we had to wait a long to get...

It can't be a 4* Hotel. It is utmost 3* if i compare to 4* hotels i have been in Spain, Kenya, Dubai, Germany, Netherlands, Prague, Budapest, Austria.||1. The GOOD: i have to honor some employees who were very friendly and helpful. There is a lady at the reception who was on duty on 28.06. Very friendly and kind. The employees at the restaurant were very nice and worked very hard. They seemed to be students on practicals or work study. The guys bringing cold drinks to the beach for free deserve a mention. The swimming pool is very clean and the landscaping is perfect. The gentlemen at the pool bar are very nice too.||2. The BAD: The food was the same all through our entire holiday. Very boring menu. Not worthy a 4* all-inclusive at all. This may not be the fault of the hotel but the beach is full of stones and is always rough and we couldn't swim. The hotel gives towels for 10€ which is returned at end of your stay. But you have to check towels because many are dirty. We were given a room in the ground floor which we didn't like. So we requested a change.... we discovered that the rooms were not the same. The ground floor rooms were older with old fixtures like lamps, beds. We are a couple but we were given a room with 2 small beds. Am glad they changed it.||3. The UGLY : The bathroom is unhygienic. As you shower, the waste water comes out from a hole just under the toilet seat. We were wondering why it is stinking. Another negative is that some lady employees at the pool bar are very rude, even to the junior employees. The "manager" with the pony tail shadows employees and continuously signals to them to "work".... thats mobbing in my eyes. The waiting at the pool bar is unbelievable and the employees are not bothered at all. Then, you served drinks in paper cups or plastic. |The swimming pool is meant for everybody but if you go at 6.00am, you do not get a bed because people go there to "reserve" with their towels and the hotel tolerates this.||There are things that are beyond the hotels control that one should consider when planning a holiday in the area. The traffic situation is horrible. You can be ran over if you are not careful. There is no direct bus to Heraklion. You have to go down to Rethymnon to get a bus.||With all these in...