Aristea Hotel

The hotel was friendly and well maintained, however several of the rooms were around four feet below ground level. Due to this our room at the back of the hotel was dark and when sitting on the veranda we were at eye level and two feet away from parked cars. Along with this our room was next to the bin storage area, making it impossible to leave the bathroom window open.

The Aristea is perfect for those who want a traditional Greek holiday. Small, friendly and spotlessly clean, this hotel had everything I needed for a great stay and nothing I disliked: no 'entertainment'or loud music, just a great, sociable little bar area and a nice pool. The beach is a few steps away and there is no road to cross in order to get to it. Breakfast is very good indeed and well worth the price. We booked a one-bedroomed apartment in the main building. It was very spacious and had a huge balcony with a handy drying rack for swimming costumes etc. A room safe and air conditioning were included in the price. It was the only hotel holiday apartment I've ever had that came complete with a full sized cooker and fridge-freezer. Not that we used either very much, because there are plenty of great, reasonably priced tavernas nearby and Rethymno Town is about half an hour from the hotel on foot along the beach road, or a short bus ride away. Special mention must go to the kind and friendly staff. Vikki - a Brit who is married to a Cretan and speaks perfect Greek - was an amazing source of help and information. I have never been sad to pack up and go home at the end of a holiday. As other reviewers have mentioned, there are no lifts at the Aristea and getting large suitcases up the steps isn't easy. My advice would be to pack as light as possible and to take things you can rinse out and wear again. There is a great supermarket just over the road and several bigger stores on the main road, so you can buy small items that you need once you reach your destination. I shall certainly be returning to this lovely hotel - I'm already thinking about the next trip!

Small and friendly hotel. We were made to feel very welcome by all the staff, but in particular receptionist Vicky was so helpful - such a lovely lady. The rooms had all you needed, clean, well maintained. Small pool, but plenty of sun beds, plus the beach is only 2 minutes walk. Nice safe and quiet area to walk around with some nice tavernas all close by on foot. You can get everything you need on your doorstep or a 10 minute bus ride into the main town which is well worth a visit.

great space, pool was cold, bar only opened for the season as we arrived and was not stocked

Thoroughly enjoyed our week here in one of the Junior Suites - lovely to wake up to a beautiful sea view. All staff demonstrated the highest levels of politeness, friendliness and helpfulness throughout the stay, with a special mention to Vicky on reception, who was an absolute fount of knowledge and suggestions. Many thanks to everyone for making our visit so wonderful.

We had a lovely stay. Staff was very sweet. Small things like old stains on the towels. The pool could have used a little cleaning on the bottom and a few things in the room needed a little help. The service is great though, and the staff very helpful and sweet. We got to store pur luggage there and stay by the pool long after checkout because of late flight. Would definetely recommend. Just next to the beach and a lot of restaurants