The Royal Blue

"After spending 9 wonderful nights at The Royal Blue, we can confidently say this is the best hotel we have ever stayed in. The view from our room was absolutely breathtaking, with a beautiful sunset every evening. The hotel is elegant, peaceful, and full of character. If you’re looking for karaoke and loud entertainment, this probably isn’t the place for you 😜. But if you’re looking for relaxation, stunning surroundings, and total tranquillity, you’ll love it. The food was delicious throughout our stay. While dining in the hotel may seem more expensive than the local tavernas, once you factor in the cost of sunbeds and umbrellas on public beaches, it actually offers great value. Having food and drinks delivered directly to your sunbed within minutes is a wonderful bonus. The private beach and the main pool are fantastic, and despite the hotel being almost full, there were always plenty of sunbeds available – no early morning rush to reserve a spot. The staff were excellent, our room was spotless every day, and the whole resort has a calm atmosphere that makes you forget about the busy world outside. A special thank you for making our wedding anniversary so memorable. We couldn’t have chosen a more beautiful place to celebrate such a special occasion. We will definitely be back. The Royal Blue truly is a little piece of heaven."

"I’ve been lucky enough to stay at some lovely hotels, but this one stands out. I would thoroughly recommend a stay here! It’s a beautiful hotel, a group of small apartment style buildings rather than an imposing block, over looking the sea and with excellent facilities. But there are two things that make this place stand out. The first, and main reason I’d recommend this place, is the staff. Every single person is so kind and friendly, and really makes you feel so welcome. It’s almost not fair that I name a few, but really want to thank Ioanna, Despina, Michalis, Dimitris and both Katerinas for such a lovely stay! Guest relations manager Anastasia was also so helpful in making my partners birthday a special one, even in torrential rain! The general manager and food and beverage manager were usually around, and stopped to say hello to all guests and staff, including those performing for the evening, so just felt like it was a really nice place to be! The second reason is all the little extras. Fresh fruit and cold towels by the pool, trying Dimitris’ specialty crafted cocktails, and a birthday cake to help us celebrate really make a difference! Champagne at breakfast, live saxophonist at dinner, thank you gift on our last night; just made everyday extra lovely! Taken together, it just felt like the whole team really cared about the guests and making this a holiday to remember. There are other reasons why this hotel is excellent though too. It’s an easy bus ride into Rethymno and an easy walk to Panormos. We did both, and it was lovely to explore off season while it’s quiet. We had two days of heavy rain, but our room was large and spacious, so didn’t feel like we were on top of each other, and we made use of the gym and spa. I usually do a few classes on holiday, but I couldn’t quite make the timings work. Pilates were usually early in the morning (around 8am) so I couldn’t work out when to eat breakfast so as not to be too full or just miss it entirely! Because the food here was excellent. Really good variety for breakfast and dinner, really fresh salads, fruit and excellent meat and seafood dishes at dinner. Lots of traditional Greek dishes to try, but the pasta and gnocchi were also really good! We also ate at alati and Elia, and the food was again outstanding. A small mishap with a very salty margarita was taken care of, and visiting out of the main season meant the hotel was generally quiet and relaxing. Few little repair works going on and not everything was fully open (like the sunset bar) but really didn’t take away from the experience. Really was the most wonderful stay and I would be very happy to return!"

"Visually looks beautiful and very authentic, food in the main restraunt can be hit or miss and even though youve paid for either full/half please expect to pay extra for (drinks 5/6 euros for a coke) the staff are friendly enough but the hotel itself lacks staff numbers leading to the table your sat at not being fully kitted out ready for you, you will see the same staff members day and night seven days a week meaning they have no rest themselves. The private beach is very nice and the staff are extremely friendly , the beds are comfy and the water is crystal clear an all round nice atmosphere. The rooms are not to bad but can be on the small side, our room was infested with ants towards the afternoon but we were not around enough for it to bother us. The onsite shop is extremely helpful and stocks everything you need, taxis to and from the hotel are extremely good and work on time. In our opinion just about makes a 4 star hotel."