Aquila Rithymna Beach

We love the hotel with my family. It was an amazing stay. Food was good. My geandparents love it here. The animation team was amazing especially Tereza she was so nice, funny and rhe best dancer od them ale, she has the most positive energy of them all. Stay in the hotel with her was so much fun.

We have just returned from a fantastic 10-night stay at Aquila Rithymna Beach, and from start to finish it exceeded our expectations.

On arrival, we were delighted to be upgraded to a side sea view room, although, to be honest, any view at this beautiful resort would have been lovely. The hotel is spacious, immaculately clean and incredibly well maintained. Every member of staff we encountered was friendly, welcoming and genuinely seemed to enjoy making guests feel at home.

Our room may have been a little dated in terms of décor, but that honestly didn't detract from our holiday for a second. It was comfortable, spotlessly clean and, given how little time we actually spent in it, it certainly wasn't an issue.

The facilities are second to none. Whether you want to relax by the pool, spend time on the beach, enjoy the water park or take part in activities, there is something for everyone.

A special mention has to go to the Pink Wave animation team, who were absolutely fantastic throughout our stay. In particular, Maksymilian deserves a huge thank you for his kindness towards our son and for helping solve a little "ball problem" that was very important to him! It's these small moments that make a lasting impression. However, I would like to add, they all work so hard!

The Kri Kri Kids Club was exceptional. Our son was genuinely upset to leave because the team made him feel so welcome and included from day one. He even took part in the overnight sleepover, which became one of the highlights of his holiday. It was wonderful to see him enjoying his own adventures and building confidence, while giving Mum and Dad the chance to enjoy a little relaxation too. We loved that the club was so flexible, allowing children to drop in and out rather than committing to full days. The children's restaurant was another brilliant touch, and our son loved deciding each day whether to eat there, at the main buffet, or sometimes both!

The food throughout the resort was excellent, with an incredible amount of choice. The main buffet never became repetitive, and it was lovely to have the opportunity to enjoy some of the à la carte restaurants during our stay. The pool restaurant lunches were another highlight. Again, all the staff were attentive and work hard to turn around tables so there is no wait at busy times.

The drinks offering was equally impressive. The cocktails were excellent, and the wine selection was unlike anything we've experienced at an all-inclusive resort. A special thank you to Vangelis in the main lobby bar, who took the time to explain the cocktails, happily adapted drinks to suit our tastes, and was always so kind and engaging with our son. He is a real credit to the hotel.

The beach is beautiful and having it directly on the hotel grounds is a huge bonus. The pools were excellent, and we also treated ourselves to the spa, which was reasonably priced and provided another wonderful experience with friendly, professional staff.

The water park was another fantastic addition. Having a bar there, along with freshly made pizzas available from lunchtime, made it a great place to spend part of the day.

If I had to mention one area for improvement, it wouldn't really be the hotel's fault. As with many resorts, some guests reserved sunbeds early in the morning and then disappeared for several hours, sometimes until well into the afternoon. We saw the security staff doing their best to manage this, but it's clearly a difficult situation to police. We personally always managed to find somewhere to sit, but I can imagine it becoming more challenging during peak season. Perhaps there is scope to add additional loungers on the grassed areas or even introduce a drinks service at the quieter pool, which might encourage guests to spread out more evenly across the resort.

Overall, we had an amazing holiday and genuinely struggled to find fault with anything. The warmth of the staff, the quality of the facilities and the family-friendly atmosphere made this a holiday we'll remember for a long time. Thank you to everyone at Aquila Rithymna Beach for helping create such wonderful family memories. We would happily return and wouldn't hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone considering a holiday in Crete.

We have just returned from our first family holiday abroad as a 4 to Aquila Rithymna Beach Hotel, and had a great time.

The staff were friendly & polite, and the rooms spotlessly cleaned every day.

We were Bed & Breakfast, and found the morning buffet to be excellent. So many choices - pastries, bread, cold meats & cheeses, fresh fruit and vegetables, olive oils, cooked options, crepes, juices and even prosseco! Fresh pots of coffee made for your table were also very well received by 2 tired parents. Our kids especially loved the Greek yoghurt, crepes and traditional Greek pastries :)

The en site mini market is really well stocked with everything from sun creams, postcards and water to confectionery, hats, sanitary products, children's toys and swimming gear. Pricier than the local strip shops, but obviously very handy when you can't be bothered going further afield.

The pools were lovely - we found the smaller two to be the most pleasant. More chance of nabbing a sunbed turning up after 10am, and still plenty space for the little ones to splash about and hone their swim skills. We could never get the app on the sun loungers to work for ordering drinks which was quite frustrating though!

I used the spa one day for a facial and Cretan massage, which I cannot recommend enough. Very relaxing space with lovely ambiance, I wish I'd had time to return before we left!

Tasty Corner was an amazing find, children of all boards can eat for free there from 11am every day (snacks, lunch and dinner provided). This was the best find of our holiday - both boys loved the food and we discovered some new things they love eating which we have gone on to buy since getting home! Especial shout out to the really lovely staff there who were super friendly, and even made some baby food especially for our youngest on one occasion :) it was a lovely atmosphere, very clean, and a highlight of our day wandering up. They also had kids sized toilets which were very useful!

Special shout out to the kids entertainers as well - our eldest was especially taken with some of the evening shows. Most visitors seemed to be Czech, French or Italian but there was plenty going on in English so he didn't feel left out.

Only downside was the extend to which the beach was pebbly. I would say swim shoes are a necessity rather than a nice-to-have, as we found barefoot walking very painful. This also put paid to our sandcastle dreams, so I would bare this in mind if you are looking for a soft sand beach.

All in all, a lovely introduction to one of our favourite holiday destinations for our kids and somewhere I would recommend to any family looking for an easy and restful break in the Greek sunshine.