Ona Marinas de Nerja

"I had a body scrub and full body massage. At the Aelius Hotel and Spa. Emma was amazing, her touch and pressure were perfect 👌 I feel wonderfully relaxed and taken care of. Thank you x"

"We just got back from a wonderful stay here. Everything was amazing from start to finish - lovely room, very clean and comfortable, friendly and welcoming staff, delicious food every morning and evening (we were half board and couldn’t believe how many options there were). Special shout out to Nena who was like a ray of sunshine every morning and evening, so friendly and welcoming and just brilliant at her job. Saying that, all the staff were amazing and we had a fantastic stay, would definitely stay again, thanks!"

"We stayed at Aelius Hotel & Spa for a week in late March/early April, and overall had a mixed experience with both some genuinely lovely highlights and a few areas that could definitely be improved. One of the standout positives was the warmth and friendliness of people in Greece in general. Staff were very encouraging when we tried to speak Greek, which made the experience feel welcoming and personal. Though all staff could speak very good English, we liked to try and be respectful by learning and using a few words and phrases. The check-in experience was excellent, one of the best we’ve had; it honestly blew us away and felt very bougie. Instead of queuing, we were invited to sit comfortably while staff took our details. We were offered bottled water, baklava, another traditional sweet treat, and raki, which was a really thoughtful touch. They also considered that guests arriving later might want to eat before formally checking in, which felt very accommodating. However, we did experience a slightly uncomfortable situation in the restaurant at that time. After pointing at our table, staff spoke in Greek among themselves, which felt a bit unnerving as we weren’t sure what was being said. This turned out to be a misunderstanding about whether we were all-inclusive. When it was explained, it came across as though we should have done something differently to avoid this even though no one asked us if we were all inclusive or not; I felt this could have been handled more clearly and reassuringly. The hotel itself is visually beautiful, and housekeeping was excellent throughout our stay. The shower was also very good. However, the hand soap also seemed very watered down and the rooms themselves felt a bit cramped and not particularly well designed - due to the tight layout and furniture placement we hit our legs almost every time on the TV unit table, especially during the night, causing multiple bruises and scrapes. A lot of the surrounding area is under construction. So even though the hotel is beautiful, around it looks quite derelict. In terms of facilities, there is a beach shuttle available, which is helpful. Not sure if this was running during our stay as we never saw it. They offer free wifi. You get towel cards to redeem towels for the pool as well as towels in your room for showering. They also provide body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. You get Raki, and tea and coffee in your room (no milk though). Our room had a safe and fridge (standard room). Our room also had two seperate single beds rather than a double - so couples who want to sleep together do check this. The spa manager, Lana, was especially friendly and welcoming. We received a complimentary 15-minute massage - you had a choice of hand or head; unfortunately, the 15-minute free head massage wasn’t great, but the paid full-body massage upgrade deal was very good and worth it. The pools were a disappointment, particularly given the “spa” aspect of the hotel. The outdoor pools were understandably cold in the off-season, but the indoor heated pool was also consistently cold. We asked multiple times for it to be warmed up, but it didn’t improve throughout the week; the multiple times we went it was always cold, and other guests also complained about the temperature, putting some people off going in or meaning it wasn't enjoyable and people couldn't stay in the pool long. It also wasn’t well monitored; it often felt more like a general pool than a relaxing spa area, with children shouting and people diving in, I think this was due to the outdoor pools being unusable. We asked about heating the pool and were told she made a call, when we returned to try it again we explained it was unfortunately still cold and could she call again, she said she doesn't have much control over it so to speak to reception. We asked reception about heating the pool and they said they don't have much control over it and to speak to the person down there at the spa (the person who advised us to speak with reception). This was quite frustrating and put us off raising the issue - as previously mentioned the pool continued to be far too cold throughout our stay. Food was quite hit and miss. Some meals were enjoyable, but overall we had more negative experiences than positive with the all-inclusive offering. For example, one evening’s menu was heavily fish-based with very limited alternatives. Desserts were usually the same each day, as were a lot of the buffet foods. Signs explaining what something is or what allergens there are were sometimes missing. I know the hotel is trying to be eco-friendly, but I feel there was a lot of use of leftovers, with a lot of repetition of dishes during our short stay. If you go too close to closing (about half an hour) they stop replenishing the food so you run out of options quick. At lunchtime there's an entire section of the buffet they don't use. Breakfast was made better by a lovely member of staff (a lady with black wavy hair) who was incredibly kind and really brightened our mornings - so happy and smiley, saying Kaliméra to everyone! One challenge during meals was service for drinks; typically only one small drink was provided, and it was quite difficult to get staff attention for refills, so it’s worth being prepared to catch them asap or go looking for someone if needed. The all-inclusive drinks system at the bar was also a bit confusing, with things only being all-inclusive within certain hours, or if only one drink was allowed per person within these hours or outside of it, and with fewer cocktail and mocktail options than the paid-for menu. The cocktails are made strong so if you don't like the taste of alcohol make sure you ask for it to be made weaker/watered down/more mixer added, etc. Outside the hotel, it’s worth noting that many restaurants are closed during the off-season. However, there are supermarkets nearby, and we’d highly recommend visiting local places, especially the gyros spot next to the hotel, which was amazing. Transport-wise, many activities are based in Chania or Heraklion, which can be quite expensive to reach by taxi. There is a bus service available, though we didn’t use it. I would highly recommend you bring your own basic medical supplies if you can. We found it surprisingly difficult to locate a pharmacy unless we were in the Heraklion city centre, and local shops didn’t stock pain relief. One aspect that may matter to animal lovers, there were only a few cats on the hotel property. While signage suggests they are cared for, this didn’t appear to be the case, as some seemed underweight or injured. We also witnessed some guests and a child behaving poorly towards one of the cats, which was upsetting and not addressed by staff. The presence of the cats themselves wasn’t an issue; in fact, we would have happily seen more, but their treatment did impact our experience. There was also an incident involving a stray dog (wearing a collar as part of a community neuter-and-release programme) that we found quite upsetting. The dog came onto the hotel grounds one day and some guests had been feeding it. To be considerate of others dining, we bought some food from a nearby supermarket and sat away from the main restaurant area so the dog could eat without disturbing anyone. Initially, a member of staff thanked us for doing this and agreed it was distracting the dog and two cats, which made us feel we were handling the situation appropriately. However, shortly afterwards, the same member of staff informed us that feeding the animals was not allowed and asked us to move outside the hotel. Unfortunately, the dog wouldn’t follow us, which meant it returned to the main dining area and approached other guests who were no longer allowed to feed it. This resulted in the dog being left without food and repeatedly approaching tables, which felt quite distressing to witness. Both ourselves and another guest expressed that we were unhappy with how the situation was handled, as our intention had been to manage things in a considerate and respectful way for everyone involved. We felt that if they stayed with people who didn't mind, this was better than them trying to repeatedly remove the animals, which used staff time that could be better spent and only worked for so long. But I understand there may not always be a guest willing to do this, so it isn't sustainable; however, there should be a visible spot where they feed the animals away from the tables so the animals know where to go for food. This would reassure guests that they are being looked after and ensure the animals don't come to the food hall looking for food and be encouraged to come back there, as guests can feed them nearby (as the animals don't tend to willingly follow you, so nearby would mean they can see and smell it and you don't have to lead them far) instead of at tables. The shops nearby offer cat and dog food but no cat/dog treats. There was ongoing construction work around the hotel during our stay, which is worth being aware of, but I feel is unlikely to happen if you're staying at peak season. We’d recommend downloading the hotel’s app for easier navigation and information especially around the restaurants. If you’re planning to explore local culture, it’s worth knowing that churches and monasteries require modest dress - clothing that covers shoulders and knees is expected, so it’s a good idea to pack accordingly. Within the hotel, both restaurants have a dress code listed (no shorts, t-shirts, or sandals), although this didn’t seem to be enforced during our stay, which, personally, we didn’t mind. Activities we planned: 26th - Knossos Palace 28th - Spa 29th - Cretaquarium, Gouves animal shelter, escaperooms.gr 30th - Heraklion centre shopping 31st - Gouves animal shelter Taxis to the above places were from €10-€35. The taxi company Freenow takes a hold charge of the estimated amount of the trip - after a week these charges have not yet been returned, so ensure you account for this in your budget, that you're essentially paying for the taxi twice while you're away until these holds are refunded. The taxi drivers in Greece are some of the best, and I would highly recommend them as they are so helpful and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend Christos Vagelis (+30 6995253139 - WhatsApp); he tends to be available 6am-6pm but can work up until 8pm some days. There is also Dinosauria, a planetarium, and Heraklion Archaeological Museum (which might be more worthwhile than Knossos Palace, as all the originals have been moved to the museum). There are a number of beaches; the nearest one is a small pebble beach, so you might want to go a little further. There are some beautiful views at nearby gorges and mountains as well. Overall, we had a mixed experience at Aelius Hotel & Spa, with genuinely warm and welcoming staff, an excellent and thoughtful check-in, and a visually beautiful hotel with great housekeeping, but also some uncomfortable communication moments and a room layout that felt cramped and impractical. The stay was further affected by inconsistent food and drink service, confusing all-inclusive rules, disappointing and poorly managed pool facilities, and some upsetting situations involving animals and staff responses, alongside a few smaller practical inconveniences during our stay."