Aegean Pearl Hotel

"We researched, we studied and then we paid - hoping this would be the great holiday we planned for. Guess what ? It was!! The best way to describe the Aegean Pearl's location is to imagine a lollipop, with the Hotel the end of the stick. It's about 15-20 minutes from the noisier , busier town center. You can get there along a lovely beach front esplanade. A little tip here, there is an e-scooter and e-cycle stand aopposite the Hotel and a lot of people hired them to zoom into the town, leave them in the town and hire them back to the Hotel. It was quite a sight seeing very well dressed people zooming back and forth in the evening. There are also very clean , modern Taxi's parked just across the road. It costs about 7-10 euros to get you right into the town . The area has a very relaxed vibe, with a number of really good taverna type restaurants and small, well stocked shops and supermarkets. The Hotel itself is immaculate ,with very high cleaning standards. We had to get used to daily room service and daily towel changes. NOTE: You can also get towels from the main desk for the sun beds for free - you can.change these twice on a Tuesday and Thursday. You can even ask for a iron at the desk The staff were very helpful, kind and easy to chat to. We had a small issue and the Hotel concierge was a calm, warm lady who sorted it very quickly. Food and meals ? This Hotel was full of surprises.! We stayed B&b and we very pleasantly surprised with their breakfast variety, which was always fresh and really well presented It had British style grub , continental style food and Cretan bits and pieces. Even fussy British types would struggle to starve! Food tip 1 : If you buy your pool side snacks and lunches from the hotel, you will discover they don't hold back with portion sizes - once we both ordered Gyros and chips and we could have shared 1 between us! Food tip 2: For 18 euros each, you can also eat at the evening buffet- each night has a different theme, International , barbecue , Asian. If you're not the type who likes to bathe beside the pool , you can use the beach which is just over the road. The beach is protected by life guards , who are not slow to get the public out of the water , when the waves get choppy,which only happened when the wind picked up on one day. Hotel guests get to use the beach sunbeds for free , all they ask is that you buy your water,drinks and snacks from the Hotel.- although we did see a weee bit of smuggling going on ! The hotel runs a very quick order and delivery service . If you're the type who wants to go on adventures or yours the concierge can point you in the right direction. I never saw her do any heavy selling, people got to take information away and come back in their own time. In fact the staff told me one of Rathymnon's strengths is that it a great central base to explore the island. Hotel entertainment? They run different nightly events - disco, karaoke, greek night, etc. Fitness and pampering?? They have a gym and pampering services, which were well used and even conference facilities - Why , you're on holiday??!! Check out? 11am check out , but you can store your gear away , sunbath and get a shower and change with a fresh towel, if needed. Downsides?? Yes there were a couple. 1.The journey from and to Herakleion airport was over 1hour 30 minutes , so grab some water, there and back. 2. The Greek government has imposed an environment tax of 15 euros per day , which you pay at the check out, so 7 days cost us € 105. The big question: Would I recommend this Hotel and resort? Without any hesitation , YES In fact we are looking to book it for the same time next year , for 10 days so we can get some time to play rotisserie chickens on the sunbeds and to get out to explore."

"Great kindhearted people that made us feel welcomed and helped us eveytime, always with a smiley on their faces"

"I would like to share our experience at Aegean Pearl: We had a truly successful stay, I’d say, even though the beginning made me think I’d made the wrong choice. Why? Because we arrived around 6:30 PM—a time when the room should have been ready and waiting for us—only to be told that, "unfortunately, your room isn't available..." What? Yes, we ended up with a room designated for guests with disabilities... and that was for two nights. So, we couldn't unpack or really enjoy our vacation. Disappointed, we accepted the situation; after all, we were on holiday and didn't want to get into an argument that likely wouldn't yield a favorable outcome. We went to the assigned room and resigned ourselves to keeping our luggage packed and accepting two wasted days. Fortunately, this situation only lasted until the next day when—lo and behold—our actual room became available! Now the vacation could really begin. We were given a quiet room with a partial sea view, plus a nice little touch from the hotel: a small bottle of wine and a fruit basket—very thoughtful! Overall, the experience at the hotel was quite pleasant; the food was good, fresh, and high-quality. Of course, it depends on whether you're there for the vacation itself or just to eat, but for us, it was excellent. One downside: the coffee provided in the room was never replenished. Housekeeping was done daily; bed linens and towels were changed every day as well. The rooms were clean and the beds very comfortable. Another plus was the attentiveness shown to guests like us who had a late flight; we were able to stay at the beach until late, and were then provided with clean towels and the chance to shower and change. However, there was one downside: since our flight was at 12:20 AM—very late—they could have allowed us to have dinner as well; I doubt the portions were strictly rationed, and, as I said, we didn't come here looking to pack on extra weight... All in all, it was a successful stay—provided you aren't looking to nitpick—and I would certainly like to return someday."