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About
4.0
#1 of 1 hotels in Mades
Location
4.2
Cleanliness
4.2
Service
4.3
Value
4.1
See why so many travelers make CHC Athina Palace Resort & Spa their hotel of choice when visiting Agia Pelagia. Providing an ideal mix of value, comfort and convenience, it offers a romantic setting with an array of amenities designed for travelers like you.
Guest rooms offer a flat screen TV, air conditioning, and a refrigerator, and CHC Athina Palace Resort & Spa makes getting online easy as free internet access is available.
You can also take advantage of some of the amenities offered by the hotel, including a concierge. In addition, guests can enjoy a pool and free breakfast during their visit. As an added convenience, there is free parking available to guests.
If you like cafes, CHC Athina Palace Resort & Spa is conveniently located near Classico-cafe, Del Mar Cafe Bar, and Nanu Cafe Bar.
At CHC Athina Palace Resort & Spa, your comfort and satisfaction come first, and they look forward to welcoming you to Agia Pelagia.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Being in our 60th wedding anniversary year we decided to take our family of nine for a nine day holiday at the Athina Palace Resort and Spa with ages ranging from 11 to ourselves in our eighties. Our initial impression regarding our accommodation was that it warranted a four star rather than a five star rating. However, with my wife and I being in our eighties, we were very pleased to find ourselves situated in a room 274 which was equidistant from the reception /restaurants area and main pool ….. approximately 150 metres from each. With the complex being situated on quite an incline, had we been given a room in the ‘lower properties’ I suspect that it would have been more problematic due to the steps and incline (oldies please note) ! The youngsters in the party of course, housed in lower down accommodation’ didn’t find this a problem at all !! The reception staff were extremely welcoming and very efficient at all times and many thanks in particular the three female receptionists for all the advice and information you gave to us during our stay. The restaurant areas produced a good and varied selection of food at all times with the constant renewal of freshly cooked food. Special thanks to Kostas and Luca in the breakfast veranda…….. always amiable with their welcoming smiles and efficient service.
The local coach service to Helrakion which runs from the hotel is certainly worth consideration for a mere €3 euros each way with good shopping areas and a very good selection of bars and restaurants etc. there. (Approx. a half hour journey).
Agia Pelagia beach is worthy of a trip with a few boutique shops and a good selection of restaurants although the beach is very narrow and consequently rather crowded. The only disadvantage is that taxis seem to have the monopoly and charge €15 per trip for a ten to fifteen minute journey !!
In conclusion, apart from our initial reaction to our room, we all thoroughly enjoyed our nine days at the Athina Palace. The complex itself is very impressive and well maintained with great views and we would like to thank all members of staff for a truly memorable holiday.
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Date of stay: July 2022
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip: As above. … if you are ‘getting on a bit’ request a room close to ‘reception’ !
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Theo Savuidakis, Guest Services / Front Office at Athina Palace Resort & Spa
Responded Aug 30, 2022
Dear guests, On behalf of team Athina Palace Resort & Spa, we would like to thank you for choosing our hotel. It's always great to hear what a good job the whole team has done to make you feel welcome and special during your stay. It's always a pleasure to welcome you to our little paradise in Crete and we can't wait to welcome you back here. Best regards from Team Athina Palace, Resort and Spa.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
So I will start by saying that the hotel isn’t a 5* however we still thoroughly enjoyed our stay! The room was light and spacious. Excellent shower! The room was cleaned every day with the added touch of bottled water and sometimes a bottle of wine, I even got a rose on our last day. The staff are lovely we didn’t have a problem with anyone. The food was not what I would call great however I am a very fussy eater so that’s on me, hubby always had a full plate and enjoyed the food. I always managed to find something to my taste. The evening meal was always accompanied with water and your choice of wine or beer. The views are spectacular! There is a very well priced bus that goes into the city which we used twice. I didn’t particularly like the use of the plastic cups but I understand why they would use them around the pool area however they could of been bigger. The pools are lovely, we didn’t use any of them as the weather has not been the best but we have enjoyed sitting around the adult pool reading and relaxing.
All in all we really enjoyed our stay here, don’t let the bad reviews put you off.
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Obviously my opening comment depends on how much you paid for your stay. We got an excellent deal for a week on all inclusive basis with the flight from Barcelona included. Let me begin with the positives. Very friendly and helpfull staff. A large renovated bedroom with magnificent views ( room 136 ). A good shuttle bus to the rooms some of which are a long way from reception ( we had to walk up 155 steps to the dining room ) The pools are good and not overcrowded.We only drink wine so had no issues as reasonable quality wine was available everywhere. Now the not so good points . Despite the room and bathroom being large there is very little storage space for your clothes and the bathroom is rather dark . We twice requested early wake up calls but didn't get them. The hotel is not suitable for people with mobilty problems as everywhere you go is either up or down steep slopes. The food is not very exciting and usually it's cold . However, despite my complaints I still consider it to be good value.
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Date of stay: October 2021
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Were do I start? Yes, it's located in a beautiful place with nice views and yes, the stuff are nice and trying to help you as much as they can. But... The hotel is terribly maintained. All the pictures you see on their website were taken probably 20 years ago. The room appliances are old and not working properly. Every time we took a shower, the water was leaking, so we had to put towels on the floor to make sure the area around toilet is not flooded. The shower head kept jumping off it's holder and we were hit with that number of time, when taking a shower. (Thanks God it not very heavy and made of cheap plastic material) The door in the bathroom was scratching the floor, so I had to push it very hard every time we needed to open it. There are literally cracks on the walls in the lobby. The beach chares and umbrellas are very old, dirty, and have holes in them. The paint in many places old and coming off. We were really disgusted to see that the plates at the buffet had remanence of the food from previous use stuck to them. The food is absolutely awful. My wife and son could not find anything good to eat. So we ended up eating outside of the hotel (so much for all inclusive) They also charge you 2 euros for bottle of water (the same bottle costs 1 euro at any gas station. again, speaking about all- inclusive). I can go on and on since there are some many issues. Looks like the owners do not invest any money in maintaining the hotel. It's falling apart and in badly need of the repair and upgrade. It was a terrible mistake to select such awful hotel in such beautiful place like Crete.
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Date of stay: August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Theo Savuidakis, Guest Services / Front Office at Athina Palace Resort & Spa
Responded Aug 28, 2021
Dear Mikhailkrv Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback about your experience . We are disappointed to hear that your stay was not satisfactory and rest assured that we will transfer your concerns to our teams in order to find ways to avoid similar situations in the future. Your comments are so important to us, as they help us daily to improve the guest experience here. We hope that we were able to regain your confidence in our Hotel and hope to see you again soon.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Its not a 5 stars hotel, 3 at most. Room was too simple, no place in the wardrobe so we put our clothes on the floor! Water from the shower filled the bathroom floor everytime we showered and one evening we had no hot water even. Reception is understaffed, had to wait too long everytime and we often just gave up. Even when we got service at the reception it was poor and not helpfull because the person there had to give service to too many guests at the same time. there isnt any -do not disturbe sign at the rooms so the cleaning lady just came inside because I didnt respond to fast to her knocking on the door. Very disappointed, we just want our stay here to be over!
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Date of stay: July 2021
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed for a week for our Honeymoon. Room (Suit) Great view.
Chairs are falling apart on one of the balconies (do not lean back on them or you will fall through) The curtains fall off when opened. Coffee pods, but no coffee machine, tea bags & sugar but never got replaced once during the week.
Water and towels changed etc everyday & the cleaners are lovely.
Adults only Pool areas were really nice and the views outstanding. Very quiet.
Food: there was always something to eat, we never went hungry, it was all really nice apart from the last night, when I found something wiggling in my dessert!! Looked like a small grub!
Very remote location, (don’t book if you want anything at all close by, if you have mobility issues or if you’re English) hotels small beach is beautiful, however it’s down a very steep hill as are lots of the rooms. Shuttle bus is handy for the hill, but not like it’s from a 5 star hotel it’s falling apart!
Reception lady is lovely and helpful. The dining staff are are really friendly and helpful. The owner of the shops is very miserable.
Hotel is all French, we got moved to the hotel from a sister hotel, we wouldn’t of booked ourselves. Overall we enjoyed our stay, however we wouldn’t come again, as lots of things need improvement.
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Date of stay: September 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip: Wouldn’t recommend if you are English, have mobility issues or if you don’t want a remote location.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is not 5 star hotel. Rooms are very old and everything in the room falling apart. In addition, the rooms are not clean. Beds are not comfy, they are hard as rock. Food selection is poor - almost every day the same food. Food is below the average. We stayed with the baby and the baby's chairs in the restaurant had not been cleaned so we had to clean them before use all the time. In the room we tried to use kettle, it turned electricity off multiple times so hotel staff had to fix it. Also pipe under the bathroom sink was leaking, they had do change it. Otherwise there were amazing views and most of the staff were friendly and hardworking. We arrived late when the dinner was already over, reception offered us sandwiches. Pools are without heat. It is possible to move around the hotel well with a stroller.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just returned for a week at Athina Palace. Firstly, IT IS NOT 5 STAR. Do not book if you want 5 star experience.
The hotel is generally filthy. The pool toilets are unusable. The food areas and pool areas are disgusting.
The food is basic and repetitive and there is very little for kids. The pasta is very popular and tasty but it goes very quickly. They need to have a separate pasta station as well as pancake station at breakfast because you have to wait for ages.
Also, something that really annoyed me at lunch was that the grill and pasta is together. They are the most popular choices so it causes queuing and business instead of a relaxing setting which you would expect for an apparent 5 star.
Another terrible feature is you can only get cold water at dinner. During the day water is again left from old tatty dispensers and the water is warm!!!!
The wine and beer is absolutely awful.
Location and setting is lovely but it let down so badly by the standard of the hotel and food. It needs an massive update and more staff.
There is also absolutely no entertainment apart from 3 tunes played for the mini disco so the kids are bored after and then random entertainment but most evenings absolutely nothing going on.
Unfortunately a very disappointing stay. I wouldn’t recommend and I won’t be returning.
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed here for one week end of June 2022. We would highly recommend, large resort with great main pool + adults only pools.
We read some bad reviews before, but we personally had no issues. On day 2 our A/C stopped working in our room, within 30mins they had arranged a new room for us and sent someone to help with our bags.
Good choice of food & drink, all staff were polite & helpful. Hotel was very clean and tidy throughout.
Our only comment for future guests there is little to do within walking distance of the resort. If you're looking for some bars/restaurants or a beach day a short taxi drive to Lygaria Beach is recommended!
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Date of stay: June 2022
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â Book a Sea View room!!!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
So I'm scoring the Athina Palace 3/5 because that's what it is, maybe 3+ with the service level, but no more. I've been lucky enough to travel the world and stay in many 4/5* hotels, this ain't one of them. Where to start.. Accommodation We were lucky to get a refurbished room, we saw what they looked like before (80's student accomodation) ours was a superior sea view and was clean and new lookimg, but no better than a premier inn room of the 00's before they got those comfortavle beds. The bathroom was a touch better with a good walk in shower. Service I'll start by giving praise where it's due, the guys and gals on the bars and in the restaurants were great, really friendly, treated us like family, which is exactly what you get in Greece and the reason we came. The 'Maitre'd's' in the two theme restaurants were a different story, any establishment that starts a meal pointing out the feedback form and passive aggressively suggesting everything should be marked excellent or the maitre'd should be called out personally is just BS, stop this. It's not charming and it doesn't bode well for what follows. The greek night chef needs to step out and eat real Cretian food, we had a night at Bar Vassilis, I suggest they do the same, that was 5 star food. The a la carte meal was better, but again no danger of a Michelin star here. Here's the kicker, Greek wine ain't that great, but if you don't order a bottle (20 to 30 euro) you get the lower level of service. Buy a crappy bottle and watch them faun over you. Not 5* Family Friendly Here's the real kicker and maybe the reason for bad english in the positive reviews... This is the first 'French focussed' hotel I've ever stayed at. If you're not French (I speak French, that doesn't count) you will not get looked after, your kids will not be entertained, included or spoken to. My only daughter was stuck with us for company and entertainment for the week. The front of house staff will also brush you off and do the bare minimum for you, you are second class. Which results in a bunch of arrogant French teens wandering the place like they own it. Last points The shuttle is not every 20 minutes I've waited well over 30 several times this week, which results in a crazy stampede. One night they crammed 17 people (including kids) into a 9 person sprinter with the side door tied open and then haired up the hill round hairpin bends, this is a horrible accident waiting to happen. So many little kids dragged up and down that hill in crazy heat because people gave up waiting. I'm told this will all change next year, but watch the reviews before booking, this is a hotel in need of serious upgrading, or star removal before coming again. That said we got what we paid for, so this is merely my feedback as to what could be improved. Oh and the wifi sucks, but it's a big site on an island...
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Mades area.
PRICE RANGE
$136 - $336 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
club marmara athina palace hotel agia pelagia, athina palace agia pelagia
LOCATION
GreeceCreteHeraklion PrefectureMades
NUMBER OF ROOMS
358
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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