Aldemar Knossos Royal Village

We stayed here for five nights half board and had a very good experience overall. The room We had a lovely room overlooking the garden in a quiet area. It was spotless inside and had a small terrace area where we could have a drink and read. The air con kept the room nice and cool and the only real fault was that the shower in the bathroom just gushed water and had no proper spray head on it. The surroundings Gorgeous, lush gardens surround the complex and it was just a two minute walk down to the private beach. The beach is clean and you'll have no problem finding a sunbed. It was a bit more tricky round the swimming pools as there was evidence of the towel brigade being up and about early, but on most days we had no problem. The pools are large and clean and there's a big waterslide for the kids. The food We stayed half board, so it was the usual buffet fare. Overally this was good with lots of choice and really fresh and delicious. We would have preferred them to keep the restaurant open an hour later in the morning and evening, as finishing breakfast at 10am and dinner at 9pm was a bit early for us. Service from the staff was generally good, although we had a surly waitress one evening who was rude when we asked where we could sit as there was no clean tables. A tip if you're half board is to have your lunch at the beach bar rather than the snack bar by the main pool as it's not much more expensive and you get table service and more choice. The entertainment Not that good. We kept getting pestered by a member of the animation team who we nicknamed Andi Peters because of his camp mannerisms! We only went to one evening show which was OK to pass half an hour but nothing more. One for families really. There were a variety of singers/combos in the bar who ranged in quality from half decent to absolutely appalling. A Greek guy who murdered Lionel Richie's Hello was the worst, while a four piece band with a female on lead vocals was the best. A male/female duo with a guy who fancied himself as Mark Knopfler were also a bit ropey and every so often he'd launch into a self indulgent Dire Straits or Pink Floyd guitar solo. We kept our spirits up by pretending it was Eurovision and doing commentary Terry Wogan style. Niggles The only time we felt let down (and slightly embarrassed!) was when we decided to have dinner at the a la carte restaurant. It said in the guest booklet that we could "substitute" our meal at the main restaurant for other restaurants on the complex. When I booked I stupidly forgot to ask if there was any surcharge and assumed there wasn't one. However, when we arrived we quickly realised when we opened the menus that a three course meal would cost us at least 80 euros each. The waitress explained that the "substitute" reference in the booklet meant we would get a 12 euro discount each. Looking at the prices, we realised it would probably just about cover the cost of the starter. Being cheap skates, we made our apologies and quickly hot footed it over to the cheap seats at the main restaurant! They should make it clear in the booklet that you only get a discount and it doesn't cover the cost of the whole meal. The only other problem was when we came to check out and they tried to charge us 10 euros for drinks they said we'd charged to our room account with our evening meals. As we'd paid cash every night we disputed this and asked for the receipts we would have had to sign. Unsurprisingly, they didn't have them and the member of staff apologised for the mix up. Overall this is a decent place to stay but I would rate it as four stars rather than five. My friend had a massage at the adjoining spa and enjoyed it very much.

Well... What can i say!!! This hotel is amazing from start to finish... On arrival you are welcomed by the friendly check in staff and then driven on a golf buggy to your room. The rooms are spacious and clean... the only downside is that the balconies are not that big. The bathroom is massive and is cleaned daily with fresh towels. The room we had was right by the main pool and we never heard any noise from it day or night... The beach was really narrow and the sea really choppy so we only swam in it once and we both nearly drowned as there was so much seaweed in it!! Entertainment was fab, animation team preformed in the ampitheatre every evening and then there was a live act in the piano bar every night. There was also a great wine bar that opened at 8pm and an amazing fish resturant that overlooked the sea. There was not a lot to do around the hotel. There was 1 bar and 2 gift shops plus a car rental place and a resturant. If you wanted to walk into the resort it takes about 30 mins and a taxi costs about 7 euros. Its a fairly easy walk into the centre but all uphill coming back. We took a taxi into Malia one day which costs about 15 euros 1 way which was well worth it!! It was quite quiet during the day time but a fab beach made the day for us. Stalis was also about 10 euros in a taxi which was ideal for a quiet day. I really cannot say enough about this hotel. The food was amazing, the staff great, and the facilities top quality. I would definately go back and reccommend it to anyone!!

My wife & two children stayed at Knossos Royal Village in August 2007 for two weeks. We found the hotel facillities, especially the pools excellent especially for children. Upon arrival, we were upgraded to a villa with a private pool shared with 6 other villas that overlooked the beach. The main restaurant served a buffet breakfast & dinner that was of good quality. Two other a la carte restaurants were also available at an extra cost but we did not use them as the food in the main restaurant was excellent; you would have to be a very fussy eater not to find the food acceptable. Probably better to go all inclusive due to the cost of drinks but there are plenty of shops & cafes nearby so the room fridge was put to good use. It's about a 30 minute stroll into Hersonissos if you want some nightlife and although cheap, is mainly for the English & Dutch 18-30 crowd. Better to go up to the old part of town above where you will find plenty of cheaper bars & restaurants. Only drawback for us was the beach. Very course sand and shingle which made it uncomfortable to walk on. We hired a car for a week and found plenty of better beaches west along the coast, one of the best being near the airport ! Entertainment was put on every night by a lively animation team who did their best to - 'entertain' with some cringe making sketches. All in all a great 4 star hotel and we would recommend, especially for families with a couple of lively kids to please.

Me and my family stayed here in July 07, our travel agent told us it was a five star superior hotel. I would strongly disagree with this and say it would probably be a good four star. We were expecting pure luxury especially at the price, but we did not get this at all. If you are looking for peace and quiet this is certainly not the place to go. There is a constant pumping of loud music around the pool areas and very pushy animators asking if you want to join in activities every two minutes. We escaped to the beach which is not golden sand as shown. It was still noisy as the beach went on for miles taking into account many hotels. I would also warn small children to be careful when swimming in the sea as my daughters cut themselves several times on sharp objects that have been dumped on the sea bed. There is a lot of activities, if you are in to that sort of thing. There are water sports, kids club, yoga, aerobics and so on. Another thing is that the hotel is not in Hersonissos as stated it is actually about a ten minutes drive away. Good job too as it is party central. One day we hired a car and drove through Hersonissos at about nine in the morning and there were still drunks roaming about from the night before. The rooms are spread about in different buildings we were lucky we were in a quiter position. Some face onto the main walkway to the hotel main building, i would expect the noise at night would be dreadful. At night we could hear noise from the neighbouring hotel but it was'nt too bad. The rooms are spacious and relatively clean. The bathrooms are quite dirty and the baths leak when you take a shower. The cleaner came everyday but often at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I would recommend to upgrading to a VIP room which has a sea view and private pool. If you are allergic to heat I would not visit this hotel in order to make the most of the day we got up at 6 had breakfast and went out in the sun between 8 and 11 we then came in till about 4. The heat was unbearable and temperatures reached about 40 degrees in the afternoon. If I was to go back to Crete I would visit in April or OCtober when it is cooler. The food was good but not delicious. The beach and pool bars were rather expensive and it often cost us about 50 euros for our lunch. The entertainment at night was extremely poor and drinks at the bar were also very expensive. I would recommend not to ask for lemonade as it was severly tainted. The hotel is in a nice location with views from the top of the hill over crete. There is a villa complex attached which looked very luxurious and more like 5 star. Our trip was completeley ruined by a 30 hour delay on the way back. The main airport at Heraklion was certainly not 5 star more like a health hazard! We travelled with MY Travel and the service was very poor. So much so we would never use them again. Crete as a whole was very nice and I would recommend a trip to a small village called Isos where there was an idyllic beach. I would definately return to Crete but not this hotel, probably one of the highly rated ones in Elounda like Blue Palace or Elounda Beach as these looked like a proper 5 star hotel.

We've spent just 5 days in this beautiful place, but they were among the best days ever. This is one hotel that really keeps up to its 5 stars. The rooms were rather large, very well equipped, quite proper for a four members family. We really enjoyed the pools, as well as the beach. My one advice: do not rent a car in the hotel, from Hertz, but go out to the city of Hersonissos, only 2km away, and you'll find much better deals.

Going to Crete is a very nice experience. Knossos Royal Village is part of a chain called Aldemar and it is located on the beach but not in a townie neighborhood. Is a nice resort with all you need to relax, nice buffet restaurant with quite a lot of choices plus some a la carte restaurants opened alternatively. The bungalows hosting the rooms are having nice terraces with superb view to the orange trees. Also the tavern has a nice atmosphere. For kids they have a theater and a nice pool. If you want a have a look around try the rent a car outside the hotel which is a good deal and go to Koutouloufari, a nice village up in the mountains/hills.

We spent wonderful family holidays,specially I like beautifull garden and peacefull atmosphere.

I stayed at the Knossos Royal Village in Crete for a 6-day conference back in June 2007. Overall, this resort hotel is splendid and worth the long trip from Los Angeles to Athens (14hrs) and then a connecting flight to the island of Crete (40 mins). I had some minor problems during check-in though. There were many people attending the conference so it appeared that they were overbooked. After sorting out the brouhaha with a helpful manager (told them I booked my reservation 5 months ago), I was given a room with an amazing view of the beach. Food selection in their restaurant was varied. I was surprised to see they had other non-Greek cuisine at all. As this resort is quite secluded and nestled away from the airport, you pretty much have to eat all the time within the resort's vicinity. There were activties too being offered - water volleyball, aerobics exercises, dance routines, and others. The staff members spoke English and were very friendly. At night, they would have themes on performances. I stayed up late one night and actually attended family night. Resort clientele was predominantly families. There were a lot of kids running around while their parents were mindlessly doing their own thing. It's was safe actually so you do not have to worry about any harm. Swimming is best early in the morning and late afternoon. It was really hot - almost 90-100F by midday. Water was azure blue clear and you can walk pretty much about 10-15 feet away from shore and still be standing up while in the water. On the day of my departure (at 7AM!), the concierge arranged for a cab to pick me up at 530AM. I would recommend this place to anyone that might want a quiet, secluded, and off-the-usual path vacation. I ranked it Above Average (insted of Excellent) because of their overbooking hassle. They ought to know their capacity well.

We spent 3 nights at this property in May for our honeymoon. When arriving in the lobby it seemed as though we arrived at a lovely hotel - when getting to our room -we found this was not the case. The quality of the room was not up to par - old tattered bedding, poor air-conditioning, poor housekeeping service. The food was suitable - but certainly not what one would expect at a 5 star property. The area we did like was the beach - there was more then enough sun beds avail - and for the most part eh beach was very peaceful (except for when the overly annoying animation team would come 'round) Overall - if you are looking for a below average vacation at a property pretending to be a 5 - star book here - otherwise find a decent hotel to spend your money at.

We are a 45yo couple staying in one of the VIP rooms with a sea view. We went for one week on half board the end of September 2007. I have read the comment on this or other sites “it is not what I would call 5 star”. And if you are comparing this hotel/village to other “5 star” hotels around the world well that I think maybe you would have a point. However this is Greece, and this is 5 star Greece. The problem, if there is one, is quite simple, Greek people are far too laid back, what we, the demanding customer wants NOW, we get in the Greek version of now. They seem to have no sense of how important it is that we get room cleaned and the towels changed at the same time every day. Or that, at diner, all the drinks show up at the table at the same time. If this is important to you then maybe you should look at another country. If on the other hand you can forgive the little “discrepancies” you will have a fantastic holiday just like we did. To cut what could be very long winded review into something more interesting I’ve shortened it. Cleanliness: Excellent. Mainly due to the army of gardeners and cleaners that descended upon the gardeners and pools at first light, and were gone by the time I got and lazy backside to the sun bed. Buffy Food: (eaten as part of the half board dinner and breakfast) was good. If you want excellent food try the al-a-cart restaurant (see below) Staff: very helpful and friendly, all the questions I ask were answered and all requests met, even if some were executed in “Greek time”. Room overall: Firstly, everything was clean and neat upon arrival. We had fruit and water delivered daily as part of the package. At first glance the fruit looks old or just a poor attempt at being organically grown, but it is organically grown, and this is what the Greeks eat so when is Greece…. My only complaint would be that the extraction system in the bathroom did not work and the size of the room. However it did tell me the size before I booked so that is my fault. Secondly, The made service was quick efficient and friendly. Swimming Pool: Clean, cool and wonderful. Al-a-cart Restaurant. A lovely place to eat an excellent candlelit meal. The staff were particularly wonderful, and the food very fresh. The lobster was still crawling when the waitress showed it to me. I would like to take this opponenity to thank the staff for two wonderful evenings spent at your restaurant. Other stuff. Beach: A little disappointing, mainly shingle and seaweed, However on the plus side there was plenty of good sun beds and sea was warm and clear. Water Sports: (not part on the hotel) Jetski, 45 euros for 15 minutes (don’t take him a 50 Euro note as he will tell you that he has not got change, but you can have an extra few minutes. Fact, you don’t get your extra time and he does have change). Also available was a Catamaran, Parasending, Sea Biscuit, and other things that you just sat on the got pulled along by a speed boat. Summing-up: Ok we liked it, a lot. 5Star or not, the laid back attitude is part and parcel of the Greece experience so run with it. The grounds are very well maintained, I don’t remember seeing any litter or any part of the whole complex that was not in excellent condition. Have a good holiday where ever you go. D&H