Arolithos is a place to enjoy your holidays. 15 minutes by car from the airport, far up on a hill. If you need transportation, ask for it before you arrive, prices are okay (30€). Really friendly personell, good prices for accomodation, in the restaurant and in the shop. Clean rooms, wonderful architecture, the water in the shower is not too warm, in the evening it takes some time to get from very cold to okay temperatures, but it‘s fine. The aircondition works really well, the fridge is clean and cool. The pool is nice, the tables outside the restaurant provide a wonderful view over lots of green, the sea and mountains further away. Next to the restaurant, goats wonder freely (not disturbing you there is a wall and a fence). The dog of the house is friendly and calm (I am afraid of dogs but not of this one), there are about 5 cats but if they want to beg for food they get something from the owner so you can eat in peace. The food is excellent (looks and tastes very good, fresh, big plates, variety of tasty food), prices are good, you get a menu to write the number of the things you want next to them. For savety reasons they put a nice paper over the table cloth, you get a bottle of hand sanetizer on the table and waiters wear a mask. If you book a room with breakfast but have to leave early, they but it in a bag for you. You can pay with credit card or cash.…
The idea of Arolithos is a resort built up around an existing (but abandoned) village. The rooms were built in similar fashion to the original buildings so they blend in and look like part of the village. The original buildings have been restored and you can go in them to see what it was like in Crete 100 years ago. The rooms were clean. WiFi reception in our room was non-existent, but the walls are all solid stone so I wasn't expecting much. The beds were very hard. I believe the mattresses were made by the same crew that built the walls. Two of the four pillows provided were like bags of partially hardened cement. The other two were OK. The staff were all friendly and helpful. The food was fine, not 4-star, but this isn't a 4-star place. Good basic Greek food. There are feral cats on the property and they like to hang out near the dining area but to be fair, this is typical of Crete. I recall few, if any, restaurants that didn't have a cat population. They're everywhere. Crete is not the place for felinophobiacs, The pool area is nice. The houses and shops on display are authentic, circa 1910. It was a fun place to stay for a night but I'm not sure I'd want to stay there longer. As noted in earlier posts the resort is on the side of a hill and, like most of Crete, disabled people or those with bad knees may have a hard time here.…
If you are looking for a clean comfortable hotel with restaurants cafes and shops nearby then keep looking. This place is the the full Shawshank experience. It is about a hundred dollar round trip taxi ride to anywhere so there is no escape. You will be eating at the hotel; probably not something you would do given a choice. Beware the stray cats that patrol everywhere. A moments inattention can cost you your meagre rations. The place is favoured by low budget British and German tour groups and massive wedding parties. So, there is that to look forward to.
This is designed as a traditional Cretan village and I guess it fulfils that brief. However, it is a mix of good and bad. You need a certain level of fitness to navigate the many steps around the site and there is absolutely nowhere to go without transport unless you want to walk along a very busy road. No buses and cost 30 Euros for a taxi into Heraklion. Water was consistently hot and rooms kept clean but bed was pretty hard and a hand held shower. All the staff are friendly and pleasant but the food, although plentiful, was pretty average although Moussaka was best I have tasted! Bar staff were excellent. All in all I can't give more than 3 stars but OK if you want basic accommodation in the area and spend a lot of time off site.
Overall, do not expect a 4 star hotel experience but rather a unique relaxing mountain village with very modest rooms. If that is what you expect you can definitely enjoy it. If your expectations are different you might feel disappointed. Pros: - price is relatively low - quiet - nice view and pool - staff proved to be welcoming and helpful when you need assistance (thank you, Alexandra and Marina) Adjust your expectations: - the place is not a building with corridors of rooms in each floor. It is rather a tiny area with rooms spread across. It is built as a mini village. It is not suitable for disabled guests or anyone with difficulty to walk stable, like old people or young toddlers. Since it is built on a hill, the paths and roads between the different parts (room, reception, pool, restaurant) require you to walk through steep road and bunch of stairs. Furthermore all the roads are made of stone rocks, which makes it even more challenging and dangerous for old guests, young toddlers who can easily fall and get injured. Cons: - The room is modest and shower is shabby. More of a 2 star or hostel quality. Definitely not 4 star room. For example: TV is old and tiny, no kettle for coffee, beds are stiff and uncomfortable. - the pool is not heated, so it was too cold for us to enjoy - the pool area has very little shade, so if your skin is sensitive or you don't enjoy direct sunlight you cannot enjoy the pool for too long. - location requires a car in order to get to anywhere. …
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