Aelius Hotel & Spa

My husband and I stayed there for a week in October and enjoyed it very much. The hotel is very clean, and the staff is very friendly. Some of the staff speak German. We had half-board. The breakfast and dinner buffets are very good and plentiful. A special treat is the dinner at the Cretan restaurant. You can enjoy one dinner there during your stay; you just need to register at reception. The only downside is the proximity to Heraklion airport, as you can constantly hear airplanes. On the plus side, the hotel is close to bus stop number 11, which takes you to Heraklion, near the city center, in about 40 minutes. The hotel has a shop where you can buy toiletries, bottled water, souvenirs, and other items.

We stayed there for 14 days at the end of the season. We felt very well taken care of. The reception staff spoke German. We were given chilled water upon arrival and a small Greek dessert in our room. The resort is so diverse. There are many outdoor pools where the water felt only a cool 15 degrees Celsius, but once you got used to it, it wasn't so bad. The waiters were all attentive, and we were treated with great respect. Some of them seemed to enjoy their work more than others and were in a joking mood, which we appreciated, as we enjoyed laughing together. This made saying goodbye especially difficult. We would love to come back.

We rate our stay at the Aelius Hotel very positively. We felt well-cared for from the very beginning. Upon arrival, while waiting to check in, we were offered cold bottled water and a cold towel to freshen up after the long journey. Even though we arrived around 8 a.m. and our room wasn't ready, we were able to use all the hotel amenities from the very beginning, including meals, leaving our luggage in the designated area. The meals were quite varied, everything was fresh, although towards the end of the meal, we could sometimes miss the more interesting dishes. Only breakfast was the same every day, although there was enough food to allow for a different meal each day. I'm a fan of omelets, and a downside for me was that you had to ask or call the staff to make one. The staff brings drinks upon request with each meal. This is a downside for me, because I sometimes prefer to be able to bring my own drinks, but the staff wouldn't allow it; they brought them to the table themselves. Between-meal snacks include sweet pastries, ice cream, sandwiches, salads, and delicious freshly prepared pizza. Additionally, as part of the all-inclusive meal plan, each guest can enjoy one dinner or breakfast at the a la carte restaurant. The hotel has two swimming pools: a larger one by the bar, with more loungers and music, and a smaller one in a more secluded spot. Both pools are very clean and cleaned daily. Several times during our stay, we observed pool cleaning staff taking away "reserved" loungers before 9:00 AM. The loungers at the pools are very comfortable and well-maintained. Each guest receives pool towels, which can be changed daily in two time slots. Some rooms have been renovated, others are awaiting renovation. Unfortunately, we were given a room "waiting" for renovation. The furniture is quite old, but I don't consider this a major drawback. The bathroom is very small; two people might have trouble sharing the bathroom at the same time. The rooms are cleaned daily. There is a safe in the room, and water is provided upon arrival. Unfortunately, we were assigned a room with an entrance facing the large pool, where entertainment took place until 11 PM on some evenings, which was very loud in our room. The beach, although not part of the hotel and not responsible for it, was rather unattractive, completely cluttered with paid sunbeds, with ugly sand and quite large waves. I mention this because for some, it's a significant factor when choosing a hotel. We definitely recommend taking the city bus to Herssonissos, where the beaches are much nicer. The beach itself doesn't affect our rating. We left the hotel late in the evening and were able to use all the hotel amenities, including all meals, for the rest of our stay. We were also able to shower before heading to the airport. Fresh towels were available in the bathrooms. Finally, the airport is just a few minutes away. The airplane landing runway runs above the hotel, making it a great place for airplane watching. You can hear them a bit, but it didn't bother us at all. We give the hotel a very positive review. We would happily return.