Nautilux Rethymno by Mage Hotels

This hotel was absolutely amazing and lived up to all our expectations. The staff was kind and welcoming and helped us with all of our questions when we first arrived. We had a room with a small private pool (not the dip pool) which was heated and so enjoyable at the end of the day. The food was very good and the Greek salad was amazing! The morning brunch had so many choices and the food was exceptional!!! The staff was kind and all smiles! Our room did not have much space for putting away clothing (like drawers and such) but we made it work! The facilities and grounds were spotless and you can see the hotel takes pride in their accommodations. The bed was very comfortable and the room cleaned daily. The beach area was clean and the lounge chairs very comfortable. Being September, we never had an issue with chair availability whether at the pool or the beach. The beach upon entry is rocky, but once passed, the bottom was sandy! You can walk to the old town from the hotel, but note is a good 30-40 min walk. Taxi cost was about 7 euros if you don’t want to walk. The hotel was always helpful in calling taxis for us. Also there is a taxi stand beach side at the end of the hotel walkway. I would highly recommend this hotel and will say it is the nicest hotel on the *****! We would most definitely go back. To note it is a hotel for 12 years+ . Unfortunately, my partnered suffered a medical emergency and we had to leave for Heraklion. The hotel was so helpful in helping me to find alternate accommodations in Heraklion while my partner was hospitalized! The general manager took it upon himself to see me personally and wish me all the best before leaving the Nautilux! Now that is caring, which describes the people in Crete!!! We would like to thank all members of the Nautilux hotel for their warmth and professionalism! *** This has nothing to do with the hotel but please take note of the following*** Make certain to have good travel insurance if you are from abroad and know that a private CLINIC is like a private hospital. In Quebec a clinic is very different and is normally used for minor medical needs. If you need medical attention (my partner had a cardiac episode) and have insurance, go directly private and avoid the public hospital at all costs! That was an adventure in itself and do not wish it on anyone!

We stayed at this hotel for 4 nights in late September before moving to Chania for 5 nights. We loved Rethymno and the Nautilux the best out of both parts of our holiday! We visited for our Wedding Anniversary holiday - it's later in October but we wanted to enjoy late September sun, so brought our celebrations forward. Apparently this is the Greek way anyway - according to a Greek lady I spoke to! When we arrived we found our standard room booking had been upgraded to a room with private plunge pool - wow! We also received lovely gifts and perks from the hotel because we had made a direct booking with them. The room was beautiful and spotless. It was a little on the small side but apparently you can ask for extra storage drawers if required. The shower room was a great size though and I loved the "Olivia Thinks" toiletries. The electronic panels to control the room are quite something too! We had a mini fridge with bottles of water topped up daily, plus a coffee machine. There was a lovely turndown service every evening where we came back to a bottle of water and a sweet either side of the bed. The plunge pool was great! We went running early in the mornings and loved the water jets in the plunge pool after our run. Breakfast was amazing, so much choice and all excellent quality. You can even scoop your honey from a honeycomb! The hot breakfast dishes aren't on a hotplate though, so the food isn't very warm, but there's so much other choice that it didn't matter to us. You can also have barista coffees with breakfast at no extra charge and the cappuccino was beautiful. We spent time by the round pool which is stunning. Lots of sunbeds, no towel reserving going on either. The sunbeds are really comfortable and you can have two pool towels - one huge towel to go over the mattress and one for drying. The pool was lovely to swim in and the pool aerobics class was a lot of fun! The staff are all so friendly and can't do enough for you. Anya was lovely and welcomed us and gave us a tour when we arrived. All of the breakfast and pool staff were brilliant too. We liked the little canapes that were given out at lunchtime. We stayed Bed and Breakfast so didn't have any meals at the hotel or stay for entertainment in the evenings, but we had a drink at the pool bar a couple of times after walking back from Rethymno and it was lovely to sit by the pool and hear the sea. The location is great as the hotel is not on the road so you can get straight on to the private beach. The front of the hotel and reception/lobby are stunning. Even our transfer driver said "Wow, this is nice!" when he dropped us off - we took that as a good sign and it turned out to be more than true!

Pros: Beachfront location: Right on a lovely beach with great sunloungers included as part of the hotel. Breakfast: Excellent buffet with lots of choice, one of the best parts of the stay. Catering staff: Friendly, helpful, and always welcoming. Cleanliness: Rooms were kept very clean and well-presented. Location: About a 35-minute casual walk along the seafront into Rethymno Old Town — very pleasant. Cons: Room mis-sold: We booked a Standard Room with balcony, but were given a Patio Room with no outdoor space at all. The hotel insisted a “patio” was not an outdoor area, which was misleading. Having no private outdoor space really spoiled our holiday. Unaccommodating management: On day 6 (of 10) we were offered a roadside balcony room but only if we agreed without seeing it first. A pool view room was offered at €140 per night extra, with no regard for the days already lost. Style over function: Rooms look modern but are not practical. No drawers for clothing, awkward bedside tables (see photos), and nowhere to air wet clothes — surprising for a beach hotel. Late checkout: Refused on the grounds the hotel was “fully booked,” yet rooms were being advertised as available on their own website that same day. Gym: Very small — only big enough for 3 people at a time, and you have to pre-book. Overall: The hotel looks stylish and the beach location is fantastic, but the dishonesty around the room, lack of flexibility from management, and impractical room design meant we left very disappointed.

If I could give more stars - I absolutely would. This property, the staff, the rooms, the food - out of this world. Arrival: We were a group of 12 adults, 6 couples - taking a much needed, kid-free, relax & party type of vacation. We are all in our early 40s and live life to the fullest. We had a 24 hour journey from NY - so by the time we got to the property, tired was an understatement. From the moment we got out of the transfer car in front of the hotel - the seamlessness began. Before we knew it, our luggage was swept away into the lobby. Once we stepped foot in the lobby - our most favorite Client Services Representative stepped in! Arazona was amazing. She checked in 12 people, before we had a chance to finish our refreshing welcome drinks. She was friendly, funny, informative, pleasant, and very swift in processing 12 people. The rooms: We arrived at the hotel around 1:30pm - and were in our rooms by 2pm - allowing us early check-in (which was much needed after traveling for 24 hours.) We all got a personal escort to our room, who gave a personalized tour of the room and explained some of the hotel's amenities. The rooms were beautiful - we had one overlooking the pool with a direct view of the sea. Everything was extremely clean - and I am a picky person when it comes to hotel rooms. The rooms were super high-tech. The space was comfortable and the AC blasting! The property: Just stunning! Access to the beach is a 1 minute walk through the pool area. There are enough beach loungers for everyone - I was afraid it had to be a 6am wake up call to claim chairs - not at all. Enough space for everyone without once feeling like it was overcrowded. The pool area was extremely clean and had a very relaxing, chill vibe to it. They have a DJ playing on Wed and Sun, 5pm-7pm - very chill and casual - definitely not an untz untz party. The Breakfast: WOW - I mean just, WOW! Colorful, flavorful, fresh, delicious, and the variety of choices makes you wish you were a bottomless pit that can just keep eating. We recently took a trip to Jamaica in April and compared the breakfast buffet - and my friend said it perfectly, "Jamaica had beige food", exactly what it sounds like in color and taste. Where the food at Nautilux was vibrant in colors and flavors. Location: Very close to everything. Walking distance to the beachfront promenade with all the cute shops, restaurants, cafes, etc. The supermarket is also a 5 min walk, the other way to wards the street - with the freshest fruit, cold beers/ wine/ prosecco, and all other needs you may have. There are a ton of gyro places and other quick-bite restaurants, all within 5 min walk from the hotel. One of the days we did the Baja Beach Club - there were lack of cabs to come back to the hotel in the evening - so we wound up walking back to the hotel - which was about 25 min walk. Again, everything is very close. Yes, the airport is a little over an hour away - but SOOOOO worth it! Hospitality: I cannot speak