About this hotel
General information
Grecotel’s story began in Rethymno, the town Creta Palace calls home, and the resort has now been thoroughly reimagined. The estate runs along Crete’s longest beach, its main building and bungalow villages set among frangipani, banana trees and tall palms, with the Blue Pools – four overflowing pools in a deep, saturated blue – at its centre.
Its heart is the Village Quartier, a square paved in marble after the Acropolis, with boutiques, the Kaffenio coffee house (in place since 1989), a literary salon, an Orthodox chapel and Doron Society, which shows icons and embroidery from the Agia Irene nunnery. Works by Greek artists hang throughout, among them a deep-blue piece by Io Aggeli spanning three floors of the main building. The Amalthia Estate Garden supplies the kitchens with herbs and vegetables, the beach has been managed for the protection of the loggerhead turtle since 1993, and the meal options include LUX®ME, Grecotel’s all-inclusive edition.
Location
The resort lies in Missiria on Crete’s north coast, 4 km (about 10 minutes by car) from the centre of Rethymno, which can also be reached on foot; a town bus stops 150 m from the grounds. Chania and Heraklion airports are each roughly 70–80 km away, around an hour by road, and private transfers can be arranged on request.
Spa
Elixir Spa is open to guests aged 16 and over. It has a black indoor pool with hydromassage jets and a water cannon, a whirlpool, an open-air atrium with a relaxation loggia and outdoor hydromassage, separate saunas for men and women, three single and two double treatment rooms, a beauty salon and a hair salon. The menu includes Body & Soul Elixirs rituals of scrubs, wraps and masks, treatments for men, shared sessions for parents and children, and in-room therapies.
Sports & leisure
The gym is fitted with Technogym equipment and reformer beds for Pilates, and the schedule includes yoga, stretching and aqua gym. There is a tennis court, beach volleyball, table tennis, darts and boccia. Mastoras Watersports on the main beach offers kayaks, SUP, waterskiing, wakeboarding, jet skis and parasailing; a PADI dive centre is close by, and the concierge arranges snorkelling, catamaran and yacht trips, horse riding along the shore, and e-bikes and e-scooters with GPS-guided routes. In the resort there are cooking classes, wine and olive oil tastings and botanist-led garden walks; further afield lie Arkadi, ancient Eleutherna (guests receive complimentary museum tickets), the pottery village of Margarites and Knossos. Evenings bring performances and open-air cinema at the Garden Theatre, and on Thursdays the village square fills with Cretan music and folk dance.
For children
Grecoland runs six days a week through the season for ages 4–12 (GrecoKids 4–6, GrecoJuniors 7–12), with crafts, games, an organic vegetable plot, the Rising-Sphere mini kitchen and cooking workshops; younger children may join with a parent. Teenagers aged 13–17 have the Grecoteens programme from mid-June to mid-September, and GrecoBaby supplies cots, high chairs, sterilisers and baby monitors when requested in advance. The Family Adventure Zone gathers an aqua park with six slides, a zero-entry pool, a shaded toddler pool, a playground and the King Minos Club House, while the Nature Discovery Centre introduces children to the loggerhead turtles. Children aged 6–12 can spend a day at Agreco Farm, and babysitting is available at extra cost.
Restaurants & bars
Eight restaurants and four bars make up the dining scene, backed by a wine library of more than 150 labels.
- Labyrinth – Cretan-Mediterranean buffet with live cooking stations, a wine cellar and a patisserie
- La Trattoria – Italian classics and a wood-fired Neapolitan oven
- Pavillions – Asian cuisine, sushi and Peking duck facing the sunset
- Brasserie Ariadne – beachfront brasserie with a dining room and terraces
- Antica Taverna RITHY – historical Greek cooking from the old households of Rethymno
- King Minos – poolside restaurant in the Family Adventure Zone for crêpes, gelato, barbecue and pizza
- Sky Bar – panoramic cocktails and food over the sea and mountains, for guests aged 12 and over
- Gold Bar – lobby bar with a sodalite-blue marble counter
- Kaffenio – coffee house on the village square for Greek coffee, raki and a dish of the day
- Agreco Farm Taverna – organic farm-to-table dinners at the estate in Adele, 15 minutes’ drive away
Swimming
The resort opens onto Crete’s longest beach, a stretch of golden sand and turquoise water. The Beach Club is open from sunrise to sunset, with loungers beneath tamarind trees and shaded gazebos, a quiet section of beach and yoga by the sea. Within the grounds are the four overflowing Blue Pools with in-pool loungers (one heated in April, May and October), the indoor spa pool, a zero-entry family pool and a toddler pool.
Pets
Dogs up to 8 kg are accepted in selected garden categories – Bungalow, Family Bungalow Garden View and Superior Family Bungalow – but not in other room types. Service animals may accompany their handlers throughout the resort.
Rooms
Rooms and suites are spread between the main building, the garden bungalow villages and the beachfront, where suites with private pools and the Presidential Villa stand. Renewed interiors come in aquatic tones with pale wood, custom in-room bars, crystal-onyx vanities and generous walk-in showers.
Every room has a minibar, tea and coffee with a Nespresso machine, a safe, satellite TV, free Wi-Fi, a hairdryer, bathrobes, slippers and bath amenities.
Bungalow
An open-plan garden bungalow with a double or twin beds and a sofa bed. The balcony looks over the gardens or sideways to the sea; for up to three adults.
Bungalow Sea View
An upper-level bungalow in the gardens with a double bed and a sofa bed. The balcony faces the sea; for up to three adults.
Superior Double Sea View
A main-building room in gold, silver and ivory with stone or wooden floors, a double bed and a sofa bed. The balcony looks out to sea; for two adults and a child.
Superior Double Panoramic Sea View
A room on an upper floor of the main building with a double or twin beds and a sofa bed. The balcony gives an elevated view across the sea; for two adults and a child.
Family Bungalow Garden View
A garden bungalow with separate areas for parents and children (divided by sliding doors in some units), a double bed and two sofa beds. The terrace sits among the greenery; for two adults and two children.
Superior Family Bungalow
A bungalow with a main bedroom and a separate children’s room, a double bed, two sofa beds and an extra bed on request. A terrace or balcony opens to the gardens; for three adults and two children.
Maisonette
A split-level bungalow in village style, with the main bedroom and its double bed downstairs and a wooden staircase up to a children’s area with bunk beds; two bathrooms. The terrace faces the gardens; for two adults and two children.
Deluxe Family Bungalow with Balcony
An upper-level bungalow with two separate bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. The balcony overlooks the gardens; for three adults and two children.
Family Room Sea View
Two separate sleeping areas linked by a connecting door off a small lobby, with two bathrooms, double or twin beds and two sofa beds. Both balconies face the sea; for four adults and two children.
Deluxe Family Bungalow with Garden
A ground-level bungalow amid tropical planting with two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. The terrace steps straight into the garden; for three adults and two children.
Junior Bungalow Suite
An open-plan beachfront suite among palms with a king-size bed and a sofa bed. A balcony or terrace looks directly out to sea; for two adults and a child.
Palace Suite Panoramic Sea View
A suite on the penthouse floor of the main building with a king-size bed, a sofa bed, designer furniture and ivory accents. The balcony takes in a sweeping sea view; for two adults and a child.
Palace Family Bungalow Suite Garden View
A two-room bungalow with two bathrooms: a bedroom with a double bed and sofa bed, and a lounge with twin beds or a double. A furnished patio with sunbeds faces the gardens; for three adults and two children.
Palace Family Bungalow Suite Side Sea View
A ground-level bungalow with two rooms and two bathrooms: a bedroom with a double bed and sofa bed, and a lounge with twin beds and a sofa bed. The patio has sunbeds and side views of the sea; for four adults and two children.
Family Suite Sea Front
A beachfront suite with a king-bedded main room and a lounge-dining area where two sofa beds serve the children. A shaded, furnished porch faces straight out to sea; for two adults and two children.
Junior Suite Sea Front Private Pool
An open-plan suite by the beach with a double bed and a sofa bed. Its courtyard holds a 12.5 m² private pool and a shaded terrace with direct beach access; for up to three adults.
2 Bedroom Luxury Bungalow Suite
A beachfront bungalow with two king-bedded bedrooms, two lounges with sofa beds and two bathrooms. The balcony or terrace looks directly over the sea; for four adults and two children.
Palace Luxury Suite
A main-building penthouse in wood, leather, white and cream, with a king-size bedroom and a lounge that a sliding door turns into a second sleeping area. The balcony has panoramic sea views; for two adults and two children.
Bungalow Suite Sea Front Private Pool
A beachfront bungalow with a king-size bedroom and a separate lounge. The entrance courtyard holds a private pool of up to 23 m², sunbeds and direct beach access; for up to three adults.
Family Bungalow Suite Sea Front Private Pool
A stone-built beachfront bungalow with a king-size bedroom and a lounge of hand-carved furniture with two sofa beds. A secluded terrace holds a private pool of up to 18 m² with beach access; for three adults and a child.
Presidential Villa Private Pool
A split-level villa on the sand, with lounges, dining and a veranda opening to a 23 m² pool, garden and gazebo below, and two king-bedded bedrooms with sea-view balconies above; three bathrooms. For up to four adults.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.