- Greece Holidays
- Panormos
- The Royal Senses Resort and Spa
Family-friendly resort on the coast of Crete. Overlooking the Sea of Crete, our resort sits along the north coast just 15 minutes from Rethymno City. Stroll through preserved medieval streets or visit nearby Melidoni Cave for incredible sights. Enjoy the sparkling private beach just across the road, revive your senses at our spa, and enjoy unique culinary workshops and pop-up dinners. Our seven restaurants and bars highlight the flavors of Crete, from grandmother’s recipes to pop-up concepts from local makers. Choose a wine from our expansive cellar, and enjoy a meal with a view at CRETAMOS.
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
From the moment we arrived at Royal Senses Resort & Spa to the moment we left, every detail was perfect! This is, without exaggeration, one of the best places we have ever stayed, and I would go as far as to say it is the best resort in Crete. If you are deciding where to book, stop looking. It is an absolute must-go!
When it came to the Atmosphere & Decor - The ambience is out of this world… The decor, the decorum and the overall atmosphere create a feeling of luxury and a calm grounded-ness that was extremely comforting in a very subtle and relaxed way, that stays with you throughout your stay… Everything is beautifully presented, immaculate and thoughtfully designed…
The Rooms, especially our room was spectacular: spotless, stylish and comfortable, with every detail taken care of… It was exactly the kind of retreat you hope for on a holiday! We were on the 4th floor in a private suite with private pool and it was AMAZING! Even the ski lift that took you up and down to all the floors was a great experience.
The entertainment was fantastic and added so much to the evenings… I’m a musician/artist/singer/songwriter myself so particularly enjoyed all the live music available near on every evening… There was something for everyone, and it was top quality, which made every night feel special…
The Staff: They are truly the Heart of the Resort and the whole stay and experience! Every single member of staff we met was outstanding in service, friendliness, care and hospitality... They made us feel genuinely welcome and looked after the entire time. A few people deserve special mention:
GEA Restaurant: Alexandra, Marionis, Minas and Konstantinos delivered exceptional dinner service night after night. Attentive, warm, professional and always smiling, they elevated every meal. The tall gentlemen on the dinner team were equally brilliant, as was the gentleman who cleared our tables with such quiet efficiency and kindness. Thank you all! (I’m sorry I didn’t get all of your names)
The main restaurant alone was worth the trip! The spread was spectacular and changed daily, with an incredible choice at every meal... Fresh local Cretan dishes, international favourites, live cooking stations, beautifully presented salads, seafood, grills, and a dessert selection that was hard to resist... Everything was fresh, full of flavour and replenished constantly, and there was always something new to try... Whether you wanted something light or a full indulgent feast, it was all there, and the quality never dipped once during our stay.
The Mini Mart: David was an absolute star! An incredibly hospitable and helpful gentleman who always had time for a chat and made every visit a pleasure for everyone…
The Jewellery Shop: The lovely lady working there was friendly, helpful and gracious, and an asset to the team.
To the management: Please bring back all of this season's team next year! They are a true credit to the resort and a huge part of what makes it so special!
My Final Verdict: Perfect atmosphere, perfect service, perfect rooms, perfect entertainment. We cannot recommend Royal Senses highly enough, and we are already planning our return with a larger group of family and friends. Do not miss this one. It is a 10 out of 10 experience, and the best in Crete.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly, highly recommended!
My partner and I booked this hotel 2 weeks before and had the best time. The aesthetic of the place is beautiful with plenty to do at the hotel. The location is in between both airports and being centre of the island you can get to different places very easily
Food: We went half board which we were very grateful for. Both breakfast and evening meal have different items with some staple dishes served. If you like a buffet and want to try different things, this perfect!
Staff: It’s clear to see all the staff work very hard. Everyone is smiling, attentive and we got the feeling they just want you to have a lovely time. This includes all staff - reception, restaurant, cleaners, outside, gym/spa, etc.
Room: We got upgraded to the villa, the room was very clean and tidy. Bottles of water provided every morning and good range of amenities in the room! We were on the 4th floor and it was very quiet.
Things to know: The lift will either be your friend or your enemy.
It is a family friendly hotel and depending on the parenting of others can be annoying at breakfast/dinner.
We would recommend hiring a car. We spoke to a few companies but the person at the hotel we found was the best. Ask him for recommendation - Spili was our favourite place to visit.
Having an onsite shop is super handy and prices are reasonable! (The bottled water is cheaper from the shop down the road)
Overall we had a lovely time and an experience my partner and I will remember.
Thank you to everyone at the hotel :)
We had a great 10 day stay here towards the end of September. This was a 5* experience from the greeting we received on our arrival very late on our first evening to the lovely parting gift on check out. We can’t comment on the location as we deliberately chose a relaxing stay in the hotel grounds after a frantic working year. Suffice to say that all our needs were well catered for. Our room was made up and cleaned to a high standard every day. All facilities and public areas were clean and good quality. All our main meals were taken in the buffet restaurant - and don’t be put off by the term ‘buffet’. The choice was large, the quality of the food was excellent and each evening featured a ‘special’ including salmon-en-croute and melt-in-the-mouth leg of lamb. We must mention here all the hotel staff were great but especially the restaurant staff who all worked incredibly hard whilst remaining very cheerful throughout even the inevitable busy times. We’d like to give a very special mention to two people; to one wait staff, Smaragda who looked after us really well and to one unsung hero who worked really hard each evening carrying used pots back to the kitchen. All this balanced on one hand carrying a huge tray - Fousseyui Debele. Overall the hotel is relaxing where your every need is catered - a very 5* experience indeed.
We had another wonderful stay at the Royal Senses Hotel in Crete! This time, the highlight was definitely the Mitato restaurant. Although we had half board and had to pay extra, it was absolutely worth it. The food was delicious and the staff incredibly friendly, so much so that we booked a second dinner right away! A big thank you to Ellia and her team for their warm and wonderful hospitality. Highly recommended! 👍🏻
We stayed at The Royal Senses Resort for 4 nights to relax and unwind. From the moment we arrived (late and tired in the evening) we were looked after very well by the welcoming team at reception. We were made to feel very comfortable, and we were brought through the highlights of this amazing resort... This resort is built into the hillside with spacious and modern rooms with fantastic views of the sea and grounds.
The main breakfast and dinner area was filled with fresh and delightful food every day in a buffet style. The restaurant team really worked hard but had the time and personality to engage with us every time we entered. We have noted from the many hotels we have stayed in, the different types of friendliness – from “hotel” friendliness to “trained” friendliness but we were treated by genuine friendliness by all the teams throughout the resort. Housekeeping was flawless with our room spotless with a nice touch of luxury scent added everyday. The pool area is really beautiful with 2 long pools to swim in, the sun lounger at the pool area are fitted with a quite deep and comfortable cushions and each pair of sun loungers has its own call service button for providing food and drink to you as required – the perfect spot to unwind..
We had a late flight home with checkout at 11:00 am. The resort provided a lovely shower and changing area and we had full access to all the amenities until we left. We were sorry to leave this wonderful resort and have no qualms in recommending this amazing resort.
Declan & Bernadette Walsh Ireland
