Aldemar Knossos Royal Village

3 readers found this review helpful

My wife and I and our two sons (12 & 10) stayed at this resort for two weeks during July/August 2007. We had booked a family room and upon arrival were pleasantly surprised to be upgraded to one of the VIP villas, Ariadne, overlooking a private pool in front of the beach. The salt water pool was exclusively for the guests staying in this block only and so was very quiet, even though it was high season. Although this was great for us, our children tended to use the main fresh water pool which has a great slide and consequently attracts other children - but good fun for the adults too! Apart from Brits the other guests mainly Russian, Italian, French & German.
Facilities were very good (though the room air conditioning was a bit temperamental during our stay due to power cuts). The main restaurant was excellent with a very good choice of food. Whilst we had intended to use the a la carte restaurant, we found the choice in the main buffet to be quite sufficient without the need to pay any extra for the a la carte. As with the rest of Greece the only issue here being the lack of smoke free tables - especially as the Russian guests seemed to 'eat' cigarettes!
As you would expect in a resort hotel, bar drinks are not cheap but easy enough to put the room fridge to good use and buy wine/beer from one of the many local supermarkets.
Animation team were great and worked hard to entertain. There is a disco which is well away from the bedrooms.
Again as with most resorts, beach water sports were expensive; cheaper and better can be found elsewhere on Crete. Good snorkeling (safe for kids) off the beach.
Only a couple of faults: We would have liked the beach to be more sandy. However, it's very coarse and stony which makes it uncomfortable to walk on without shoes/sandals (especially when hot). Much better beaches are a car drive away - one being where the locals go, close to the airport.
Hersonnisos is close by for the 18-30 crowd, with plenty of cheap bars and cafes but having been there once I would not go again!
May sound a bit picky but the only other issue we found was that the tiled areas around the pools to be VERY slippery when wet - a number of children and adults slipping badly when we were there. Therefore think twice to go here if you have difficulty walking.
Overall, a very good hotel for families and I would recommend staying here but need to hire a car to get out.

2 readers found this review helpful

As with most hotels, the Royal Knossos attracts wildly varying reviews and I can only express my own experience. Travelling as a 40+ couple, towards the end of the season, I would firstly recommend the hotel on this basis. I have no doubt that the atmosphere would be entirely different at the height of the season - as with any popular holiday destination.
We stayed on a half-board basis, in one of the VIP Sea-View rooms. The room was exactly as promised and, whilst I would have preferred a little more space, this was as described in the brochure.
We were allocated one of the ground floor rooms, which meant we had a small, furnished terrace and a beautifully kept, salt-water pool which was for the exclusive use of guests within the block. On the far side of the pool was the sea. Housekeeping was of a good standard and the maids were polite and discrete.
The main, buffet restaurant offered an astonishing choice; nobody could leave feeling hungry. The atmosphere cannot be described as intimate but the restaurant is designed to serve a large number of guests. Breakfasts were enjoyable but it's well worth paying to use the a-la carte restaurant for dinner on a few evenings in order to get a true 5-star feel. This offered fabulous, friendly service and an excellent menu - even for an awkward vegetarian like me!
Hersonissos is within easy walking distance if you are relatively mobile! The town has a good variety of shops and attractions. We didn't visit during the evening...
Our overall experience was excellent. This is no city boutique hotel but all realistic expectations were reached and often exceeded. I have no hesitation in recommending the hotel and have already booked a return visit.

The food was fabulous, the staff were very nice and caring, the room which we stayed in was very clean, and a very nice maid cleaned it and changed the sheets daily. I’ve not got a bad word to say about this hotel apart from that they have no access for people with pushchairs.
I’ve helped many a person up or down the stairs with a pushchair but that’s all I can fault them for, I’ve enjoyed my hols there and I will be going there again.

1 reader found this review helpful

Really nice hotel, but not quite a five star standard as in brochure. Brilliant for younger kids, with the best mini club I've seen, right on the beach and loads of swimming pools. Mini Disco in the evening with a great animation team. Older kids may be a bit bored in the evening as it's quite a way from Hersonissos town centre.
Things that let the hotel down are the food is nice but no where near 5 star and the communal areas (reception, toilets etc) weren't up to scratch. All in all we had a great holiday and intend to go back there next year.

2 readers found this review helpful

A brilliant warm welcoming awaits you as you walk through the impressive Knossos Royal Village surroundings. The staff are very helpful and friendly but the greeting woman during meal times went on a bit trying to entice you to daily activities when we just wanted to eat!! (a simple lie like your a vegetarian for fish night does the trick!!)
The general facilities in the complex are fantastic, the pools are massive and abundant in numbers, beginning of June time is a great time to go as its not too hot and there’s not to many kids either!
You may find the animation team a little enthusiastic in trying to get you involved in sports but its a good way to loose some of those holiday pounds! Its a good form of entertainment if friends and family are joining in the sports. Activities range from water polo, aerobics, crazy golf, ping pong and water volley (this was brill). THE BEST THING IS THE MASSIVE SLIDE! ADULTS AND KIDS WILL LOVE IT.
The range of food in the complex is good, we went b+b there was a lot to choice from but I wouldn’t recommend full board as the food tends to be repetitive.(You can opt for dinner if your b+b but its 25 euros per person excluding drinks).
During the day there is a pool bar and restaurant to eat from but choices are limited, (if your a fussy eater pizza, hotdog and tuna butties will be a good option to choose) a super market is a 5 minute walk away and is brilliant value for money.
Hersonissos is a 15-20 min walk along the coast line, or a 5 minute taxi ride for about 8 Euros.
The Towns night life is fun, but if your not into loud bars then there is a wide range of quiet relaxing places to sit and have a quiet drink. Compared to the complex the food and drink (many bars offer 2 4 1 options on cocktails and most places charge 3 euros for a good sized alcoholic cocktail, beer is about 1 Euro 50) is very cheap, 6 Euros for a meal.
I would recommend it to anyone wanting an affordable luxurious complex.

2 readers found this review helpful

Although poorly described in the brochure (and I would recommend booking direct in this case since the Air tours rep was non-existent), the Knossos Royal Village was a brilliant venue (but note this is a village, and not a hotel complex.
Accommodation is generally twin rooms set into small 2 level blocks with a balcony terrace). The staff were very friendly, and the grounds and facilities were excellent. I would question the 5 star rating to a degree, since the accommodation was basic 3 star in my opinion, although the remaining facilities were well classed.
The restaurant was excellent, with such an impressive range of dishes available you couldn’t decide (although some nights were a bit lacking in the kid’s choices). The area is safe, and well maintained, and away from the hedonistic antics of Hersonissos. The other guests come from all over the world, and would be generally of a well-mannered and friendly middle / business class background. The kids will love the 50m-water slide, and the animation team were actually very good (honestly!), energetic, professional entertainers.
The beach was great; sun beds laid out, and free towels (with a returnable deposit). All the water sports are available, lovely walks around the point of St. Georges Bay, even a bit of fishing from the jetty / rocks. The bar is a bit pricey, but with a fridge in each room, the local supermarket is a great place to pick up a bottle of wine for about 3.2 euro (look out though for the big 1.5 lt bottles which are only about 3.8 euro). Overall very relaxing, friendly professional staff, and a very picturesque venue. Sincerely recommended for a chill out, family friendly holiday.

I had an absolutely wonderful few days at Aldemar Knossos. The resort was beautiful, facilities fantastic and people so friendly. I would definitely recommend it and I will be going back again one day.
There’s plenty to do on site for all members of the family and Hersonissos is very close for those who want to venture further afield. The restaurants offer a wonderful range of food for those who love Greek cuisine and those who aren’t so adventurous, including a fish restaurant almost on the beach and room and pool service.
You’re close to some of Crete’s archaeological wonders including Knossoss and the main city, Irakleon, is only 25 minutes away by bus or taxi and offers some wonderful shopping and dining experiences. More importantly, there are several swimming pools and a private beach, so there is plenty of opportunity for getting that holiday tan! Enjoy your time there!