Rimondi Grand Resort & Spa

An absolutely amazing stay from start to finish! The hotel was spotless, beautifully designed, and the rooms were spacious, comfortable, and well-equipped. The staff were incredibly friendly, professional, and always willing to help with a smile. The breakfast had a great variety of delicious options, and every meal we had was excellent. The facilities, including the pool and gym, were well-maintained and exceeded our expectations. The location was also perfect, making it easy to explore the surrounding area. Everything about our stay felt luxurious and relaxing. I would definitely stay here again and highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a five-star experience!

The location is lovely, there are fantastic views from the adult pool and there are lovely olive trees and general nature around the hotel complex. The area around the hotel is quite limited though, any decent beaches or amenities are at least a taxi/bus journey away. The service was incredibly varied, most of the female staff at Reception (Peny in particular) were incredibly friendly and welcoming; however, other staff were quite rude and unhelpful. Maria at Reception was very rude and dismissive. Most of the bar staff were also unhelpful and the service level was quite poor. We arrived just before 23:00 on the first night and were informed that the all inclusive finishes at 23:00 - by the time we'd checked in and were taken to our room the all inclusive had finished and the bar staff refused to give us a welcome drink even after we explained the circumstances - they were quite rude and terse in their response. In every Greek hotel we've stayed in before the staff gave us a complimentary snack on arrival when we've arrived after dinner (sandwich, fruit, etc.), but we didn't receive any complimentary snack or drink on arrival. The bar staff in general were quite rude and were occasionally almost throwing drinks across the bar at customers. The cocktails are terrible and look nothing like the photos in the cocktail menu - they use a machine to generate the cocktail instead of preparing it fresh by hand - there are no garnishes with any of the cocktails either - the cocktails are VERY poor quality. The all inclusive also comes with quite a few conditions attached - you can only order certain drinks at certain times and there's a limit on the number of drinks per person, even if you're ordering on behalf of a group of people. The rules and regulations around the hotel are very strict and restrictive at times. My partner fell ill one evening and he returned to the room without finishing his dinner - I took his plate from the restaurant to take back to the room in case he felt hungry later that night and the restaurant staff reprimanded me and refused to let me take it, even after I explained the situation. A friend of ours forgot to put a shirt on when walking back to his room through Reception and was reprimanded by staff - the rule itself isn't the issue in this case, more the attitude and tone of the staff. You have to pre-book your room cleaning the day before, which is ridiculous - the room should be cleaned daily without pre-booking. The hotel only give you one room key and there's a €150 penalty fee if you lose it. We booked a late checkout on the last day, as we weren't scheduled for pick up to the airport until after dinner - they cut off our all inclusive privileges before we physically left the hotel and didn't allow us to have dinner before we left, even though we arrived late on the first night and didn't avail of any of the all inclusive perks that we'd paid for on the first day. In every other Greek hotel we've stayed in they allowed us to retain the all inclusive privileges and eat before we left for the airport. The food was mixed - the Greek salad was exceptional, the Feta cheese in particular. Dinner was generally decent but breakfast varied - the bacon was poorly done and often undercooked. The hotel does have some positive points - location, adult pool, peaceful atmosphere, some staff, lunch and dinner food; however, there are some real issues too, most of them staff related.

We arrived into the hotel on the Sunday evening and went straight into reception to check in. The check in was fine and quick. We booked the 2 bedroom family room. We where given the keys and taken to the room, which was not far from the reception. The guy who took us to the room showed us the room and how to use the AC. It was clear from there that the room what not what was advertised. The family room was not 2 bedroom but 1 bedroom which the children using the lounge area, where there was a single bed and the sofa was turned into a bed. This also meant that there wasn't any cupboard space for the children to place their clothes and had to live out of their suitcases for the week, leaving us with 2 suitcases in the middle of the lounge and clothes everywhere. As much as you try to keep it tidy and organised, the back of storage, because it wasn't a 2 bedroom with a wardrobe or drawers, made it difficult. The room also smelt very strongly of damp. We couldn't see any damp, but it smell was strong. On the plus side, one of the balconies was spacious, the other was not and literally faced a wall less than a meter in front of it. The AC was very good and the fridge is a good size so we could keep drinks and bits of food in. The grounds are lovely, and the pool area is nice, although the beds and tables could do with a clean. The food was 'ok' but I couldn't eat there everyday but we usually found something we liked. The all inclusive wines are not nice and the beer is watered down but tbh, after the first day, we decided just to eat out. The shop has the basics, which is not too expensive. To get into Rethymno it is 23 Euros in a taxi. Although you can book the bus which is 11 euro per person but you need to book this well in advance, as in, a couple of days before or you won't get a space. There are plenty of places to eat and get drinks when you get there. We ate at a different restaurant every night and didn't have a bad meal. The beach is beautiful and not too busy. We paid £30 for 4 beds for the day. The great thing about the beach, the guys running the beds also bring drinks etc which they get from the restaurants across the street. The prices are the usual prices you would expect to pay. Overall, we had a good stay, there are some good and bad points of the hotel. I would just make sure you have a room that suits your needs by calling them beforehand. We did try to get a change of room but didn't hear from them again. We also tried to get a late checkout and again they didn't help. I would advise the ladies on the reception to be nicer or kinder to their guests. They all seem miserable if you asked anything. They don't like to be bothered with guest questions. The grounds are lovely, and the location and views are really nice. Food is average, shop has everything you might need, and if in doubt, go into Rethymno old town, you can't help but have a fab time there.