AQUILA RITHYMNA BEACH

I like all in the hotel

Stayed here for a week with my mother and a friend, originally there was four of us booked into 2 rooms but unfortunately 1 of the group had to cancel and we were put in one room. The transfer to the hotel is quite long but can't be helped but upon arrival you are given a courtesy drink and a computer tablet to provide check in details, your cases are left for the porter to take them to your room. After checking in, we went to find our room, which nice and a good size for 2 adults but not for 3, to accommodate us all we had to move some furniture around and put a chair on the balcony, I did mention to reception staff that the room was small but nothing was changed. The other issue was that every time something was provided for the room we only ever got 2 of them, to the point were we raided the cleaners cart for extra towels and we never got the third dressing gown. We had paid for a garden view, thankfully the front drive and entrance had grass and flowers to qualify as a garden. There are a few pools dotted around of which some have spare sunbeds and some don't and some of them are surrounded by grass not tiled/concrete floor, it all depends on your choice of quiet, activity and preference of pool size. We did do an hour on the beach but to be honest I found the sun-loungers too short, (I'm 5' 3"), and uncomfortable but everyone else seemed fine. My place of preference was the big pool but you have to get there early to get a sun-lounger in the sun, and to find enough to allow all your party to be together but there are extra loungers on the grass area that you can use and they are quite comfy. I can't comment on the entertainment as we didn't go to any shows. We were half board, which allowed you to swap dinner for lunch which I quite liked. Food was plentiful, tasty and good quality, the hotel also tries to reduce wastage and ask that you don't over fill your plate as you can always go back for more. The area around the hotel is quite commercial with plenty of shopping, also the buses are quite easy to navigate if you want to go the city centre. As a trio, we paid for our alcohol and any extras as we got them except for the night we did the Italian restaurant and we had the meal charged to our room, we tipped staff as we went along. On the day I went to settle the bill, the receptionist asked me to if I wanted to pay a gratuity but I declined explaining that I tipped as I went along during my stay, he replied that he was reception staff and deserved a tip, I didn't reply, at this he then spoke to his colleague in Greek and I got the distinct impression that he was talking about me and I felt uncomfortable. I liked the hotel and it had a lot to offer but if you were to ask me if I would go back, I would probably say no, as would the others that I travelled with. I wouldn't go back not just because of the receptionist, or the size of the room but mainly due to the area and that I didn't find it quintessential Greek.