Imperial Palace Adults Only

Stayed here for a week in October. Our room was a large suite (202) overlooking the pool area, with spa bath, shower, separate lounge area, double balcony, comfortable bed and a fridge. It had two televisions but only one English Channel (BBC world service). Hotel is quite isolated but not a problem for us as we’d hired a car from the airport (the hotel also rents cars). Parking is on the street at rear of hotel (front is reserved for hotel hire cars). If arriving by hire car at night the hotel is difficult to spot as there’s no lit sign. A local bus service runs along the busy road in front of the hotel to Rethymnon/Heraklion (you do hear road noise when sitting round the pool) - tickets can be purchased from reception. A tourist tax is payable on arrival (3e per day 1/11 - 29/2 and 7e per day 1/3 - 31/10). Pool temperature during our stay was fine for swimming. Would recommend requesting a room away from the back of hotel as not only is it noisy from the by pass road but gets full afternoon sun and so could be too hot, especially in summer. Couldn’t fault the excellent staff who were all friendly and helpful..👍 A few negatives: for such a large room there was a severe lack of storage space and side tables, which would have made a big difference. A real disappointment was the bland and repetitive food (in my opinion) on offer. Surprisingly there’s no toaster at breakfast, only a small panini maker type machine which really isn’t up to the job.

We stayed at this hotel Sept into Oct. We upgraded to a suite overlooking the pool. The room was very clean with a jacuzzi type bath. Small balcony with chair and table. not big enough for a sunbed. Usual limited number of English channels, except News channels on TV, but didn't matter as we were out all day. Pool area small but nice, with good sunbeds. Pool was cool but not as cold as some i have been in. Weather was good so it was nice and refreshing when you get to hot. Plenty of shade available for people if they prefer. 5 euros for a large beer at the pool bar is very reasonable, for a hotel. Breakfast was usual buffet style with meats, cheese, cereals, fruit, and English breakfast items. One point, the hotel badly need a proper toaster. they have 1 sandwich toaster in the restaurant which took 5 minutes to slightly brown your bread which is ridiculous if its busy. Evening meals had a reasonable selection, but i have had better. Paying for water with your meals is poor, especially when they charge 1.5 Euros for a big bottle. you can buy 6 large bottles at the local supermarket for 1.45 Euros, so, why do they feel they need to charge???? There was no entertainment when we were there, but, that my be because its end of season. The staff were all very friendly, and we enjoyed our stay. As others have commented, the hotel is a good distance from local shops and bars. There is a great sport bar and a superb Pizzaria (Mafioso) 30 mins walk from the Hotel.

Stayed in this hotel for a week in September 2024. Firstly, the hotel itself is quite nice. Nice room and nice pool but very little atmosphere. The lobby was almost in complete darkness and the “mini market” was always in the dark with basically no items for sale in it and stock was not replenished the entire week we were there. The “fitness corner” looks good in pictures but in reality it is a dark windowless cupboard with basically zero equipment and the one treadmill was out of order. No air con or windows in this room either. I’d almost class it as unusable. The food at breakfast was basic but okay. A couple of flies in the the food which I found really off putting and perhaps maybe some lids or covers would be a good idea. The pool was nice and beds were comfy. The pool bar don’t let you pay when you order drinks or snacks and instead it is added to a tab linked to your room which I don’t like as then when you checkout you’re met with a large bill rather than being able to pay as you go. There’s a bus stop close by and you can buy tickets at reception which was vital for us to get around as the hotel location itself is really poor. You’re around a 40 minute walk to the nearest bars and restaurants and there’s nothing around the hotel except fields and dirt. They did have a Greek evening which was really good and the dancers were fab. All in all, our stay wasn’t terrible but I’d say it is more a 3 star hotel than a 4.

Myself and partner stayed here for 10 days earlier in September. We had a really great time and loved staying at this hotel. There was a great choice of food at breakfast and dinner, including some more traditional Greek options, and something different each night. The food from the pool bar during the day was also really tasty and reasonably priced, if we didn't fancy going out for lunch. The staff were all friendly and really helpful. We rented a car for a few days from reception as they have some cars outside the hotel. At first this was slightly more expensive than other options but they had a good deal on that made it worthwhile, and really easy to just pick up the keys from reception and go. The overall atmosphere was nice and chilled, the location is great if you're looking to be out of the way from some of the busier tourist areas closer to Rethymno. Overall we loved our stay and would be very happy to recommend this hotel.

Our flight was delayed and the transfer was long with lots of stop offs and reversing down narrow roads. I would definitely recommend a private taxi transfer. Once we arrived we were offered an up grade to a suite. My cousin and I had paid extra for separate rooms though so we saw no point in doing this. It was disappointing that we were not put close together as we had requested but I understand this isn’t always possible. The rooms were clean and comfortable and the cleaners were hard working and friendly. The air con was quite good once it got going and the WiFi worked well for me. Not so well for my cousin who was further away from the router. I loved the fact there were plenty of sun loungers beside the pool and there was no need to get up early and reserve them. My cousin and I like to run so we had to go early about 6.30 before it got too hot. It would have been nice to have a cool dip in pool after running but you were not allowed in the pool until 8am. It also shut quite early at 7 even though it was still very light then. I’m a big swimmer/pool lover so I did find this a little restricting. Food was good with plenty of veggie options. As others mentioned though it was surprising to not get and drink inc with evening meal. Not even water. Breakfast came with hot drinks and fruit juices. I would recommend this hotel if you want a quiet relaxing break. There was no evening entertainment in the 5 days we were there but that didn’t bother us. Other guests were Russian and German with not so many fellow Brits. Hotel staff all spoke English and were generally helpful. It was lovely going to the beach which was only 5 mins walk left out of hotel and across the road. There was free use of sunbeds and umbrellas, I think you were meant to buy a drink at taverna. The sea was beautiful, clean and warm but you need beach shoes as it’s very rocky. The bus into town was frequent and cheap but always seemed to run a bit late so you were standing in baking heat waiting for it. We had a lovely holiday at this hotel and I did a lot of relaxing by the pool which was just what I needed. There was a very small gym but treadmill wasn’t working so we didn’t bother with it.

This is an honest review. Overall we had a great stay at the Imperial Palace. I shall start with the positives….. The hotel is very clean and rooms are too with big comfy beds which are firm. This was great as i suffer from a bad back if the mattress is too soft. The food was very tasty, although most dishes were very salty. Reasonable choice of hot dishes and salads but would’ve been nice to see more fish and prawn dishes. The pool was inviting and lovely comfy sun loungers to relax on. The pool lit up at night and looked so pretty. There was a good selection of poolside food ( at extra cost) but reasonably priced. Please see menu in photos for present bar and food prices. Mini market is left out of the hotel and is a ten minute walk . If you take a right out of the hotel , there is a bigger market which takes fifteen/twenty minute walk. There is a lovely pizzeria taverna called ‘ Giovannis’ which is a five minute walk left out of the hotel. Amazing pizza and hospitality at great price. The beach is a five minute walk away , left out of the hotel and across the road. Sun loungers are provided but you must purchase a drink to use them from the taverna or pay €10 Euros. The beach was rocky so take swim shoes as it’s very hard to get out of the sea due to the big rocks ! There is a bus that runs every half hour to Rethymnon which is €2 Euros per person each way. You can purchase tickets at reception. The town is lovely with lots of souvenir shops, bars , harbour and some history. Our stay could’ve been better and could be improved for future guests by:- 1. Upon arrival, we were shown to our room. No offer to take our cases to our room. This would’ve been a nice touch considering we had been travelling for twelve hours ( note the transfer on the coach is two and a half hours!) 2. Most staff were pleasant but not over friendly. There is one lady that works behind the bar in the evening that serves you with the grumpiest face and is very short and moody with you , slamming you drinks down with not even a smile! Not what I expect on my holiday! Hats off to the cleaner of room 512 though. You took time every day to say hello to us with a smile and totally deserved the tip we left you at the end of our holiday! A lovely lady. 3. It wasn’t made clear on booking our holiday through Love Holidays that no drink is offered at dinner! I feel that this is a way for the hotel to make more money! I personally would expect going half board to be offered one drink with our meal. Crikey not even a glass of water was on offer! We should not have to incur a bill at the end of our holiday and guests should be offered a drink when paying for half board! 4. The jacuzzi was often dirty with scum swirling around in the corners. There are three loose tiles on floor that were there for the whole duration of our holiday. The pool is okay but walls and grouting in areas are starting to look grubby. 5. It would’ve been nice to see a different entertainment while we we