- Greece Holidays
- Adelianos Kampos
- Solimar Emerald
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Solimar Emerald
Greece, Europe
Adelianos Kampos
This hotel enjoys an idyllic setting, close the seemingly-endless shores of the tranquil beach. The hotel is located within easy access of a myriad of attractions in the are, including Rethymnon, and Chania. This delightful hotel enjoys a happy blend of traditional and contemporary Grecian designs. Welcoming guests with warm hospitality and the promise of a memorable stay, the hotel offers guests the perfect option for business and leisure travellers alike. The guest rooms are elegantly appointed, end enjoy a relaxing, tranquil ambience. The rooms are well equipped with modern amenities for added comfort. The hotel offers a wide range of exemplary facilities, ensuring that guests enjoy the ultimate in satisfaction. Guests can unwind further with a refreshing swim in the pool, or relax with a delightful drink in a nearby lounge.
Facilities
- Tennis
- Children playground
- Sun loungers
- Children’s swimming area
- Poolside snack bar
- Sun terrace
- Garden
- Please note some facilities may incur an additional fee
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
The Local Area
Tripadvisor Reviews
4.5 Excellent290 reviews
Excellent
63%
Very Good
26%
Average
6%
Poor
3%
Terrible
2%
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Beautiful hotel
Beautiful and peaceful hotel. I loved how it wasn’t very busy, felt way more intimate which was so nice. The staff are so lovely, everyone is so friendly and helpful. The food is fresh and has a good variety, the hotel itself is clean and has a lovely atmosphere. Zara is so good at engaging everyone in the entertainment and keeps such a good energy in the hotel, especially in the evenings. We had a great stay in the hotel and also in the surrounding area and would definitely return. Thank you everyone at Solimar Emerald ❤️
Avoid - some better places further in town.
Likely the worst hotel I have ever stayed in, and I have been round the world.
Food - Appears to be re-heated and apparently brought in from other hotels. A van turns up twice a day (with no refrigerator) to deliver food. Food gave myself and partner upset stomachs, so we abandoned hotel and ate out 3 of the 5 nights. My partner investigated kitchen and found standards that would close down any UK kitchen. The food was almost always the same.
Entertainment - the entertainer was nicknamed “Zara the disaster” by the current population of hotel. The entertainer called out some guests at the hotel during a show, embarrassing them deliberately, for complaining about the hotel. Only saw him once in 5 days. When walking down the beach we witnessed the entertainer, who we assume was meant to be at the hotel, sleeping on a sun bed, in what we can only call a “shanty town”
Beach - The beach is about a 5 min walk in front of the hotel. The only charming factor is the dedication to the saving of sea turtles. If not it’s full of rubbish and unfortunately, used condoms. Walking further up the beach becomes cleaner, as it appears maintained by the hotels that run alongside it.
Staff - reception staff hugely welcoming and lovely and will do anything for you. Housekeepers are very nice.. and work hard. Bar staff over worked and looked miserable for it. One new starter did it know how to make a drink, nor that white wine should be served cold.
There is one chap, who appears in the evening to eat and drink his way through the buffet. He lives on-sight, appears intimidating and does not talk to the guests. We did wonder what his position was.
The manager whilst we was there held a meeting with a number of guests who had concerns about the hotel. The manager was described as “aggressive” by guests during this meeting and stood up, announcing that “you french always complain” - rather than taking note of their complaints.
Room - wasp nest on balcony which we reported and was not dealt with, so unable to use balcony, as I have an allergy. Aircon is very old, could not cool down the room. The bathroom - I have never had an experience in a bathroom like it, it’s like a greenhouse! The heat is unbearable, can’t open the bathroom window as that turns the limited aircon off. Likely one of the worst experiences in my toileting life, most disappointing when the toilet was so essential following on from eating the food. There was also a drain in the bathroom that drew up the smell of human waste at times. In speaking with other guests there had been infestations of spiders rats and lizards in bedrooms.
Pool - pool was ok. Shame it didn’t have a deep part of it. Ideally they need to clear some of the wild flowers on the island in the middle, as they just attract wasps - which can walk on water.
Experiences - The hotel has some beautiful uninvited guests - cats. One ginger cat was lovely. It was young and weary of its surroundings. Treated right, he was very affectionate. Unfortunately one night a small child decided to smother this inexperienced cat, which led to the cat scratching the child’s face. A man who lives on sight (already mentioned) attempted to chase the cat away in an aggresive manor, this made me so upset, that if the cat had not ran away and had come to harm, I would have left that night. In my opinion, if you have children, watch them. Don’t let them stroke the cats, as they are not domesticated.
Drinks -never any issue with them running out of drinks however the tap in our room was not working.. this meant we had to buy water.. from an all inclusive. It was expensive so we ended up walking to the shop daily to buy bottles for water at night, and for tea and coffee! The tea and coffee also was not replenished once in the bedroom. You will note that the package notes you get spring water in bedroom - this is one free bottle for your entire stay.
Overall will be unlikely to return. If you are younger I would suggest staying further in town, Rethymno is buzzing and lively with some great beaches. Location of hotel is unfortunate. Luckily there is a supermarket which is a 10 minute walk away with some typical tourist restaurants however a must is Rethymno - which is about a 25 minute taxi drive away. This hotel is not in Rethymno.
AVOID AVOID AVOID - see pictures
I have never experienced anywhere like it and not in a positive way. The entertainment is minimal, we only saw him briefly for one day out of the 5 - Zara the invisible! Never even spoke or acknowledged us once. Other holidaymakers had raised complaints and he was witnessed unprofessionally mentioning what they had done publicly with everyone else around. Makes you very fearful to raise any concerns when met with such aggression and attempts to humiliate when the concerns raised were beyond reasonable.
Wasp infestations that are not dealt with, leading to more and more appearing - despite mentioning an allergy, nothing was done about it.
The reception staff are exceptional and deserve to work at a better place than this. It seems to me that the hotel is interested in profit rather than whether holidaymakers have a good experience.
Food is the same every day and as you can see from the pictures attached - the preparation area is not even fit for rats to eat from! I can only imagine the level of bacteria and dirt that makes it into or near the food on a daily basis. It certainly changed the bowel movement of several residents during our stay - be prepared to have to go out for food.
Charged a fee for water despite no mention of charges in the leaflet and advising you that all soft drinks are included in price. Another con.
Air con that doesn't cool the room at all.
Broken window frames, broken fridge, tap in room didnt work. Bathroom heated like a sauna making it impossible to be in there for more than 10 seconds without sweating profusely.
A real shame overall because the local old town is a buzz of activity and walking past other hotels locally, you could see the pleasant experience others were enjoying while we suffered.
Used condoms on the beach opposite, broken glass, faded packets of crisps/cartons - meaning the beach is not cleaned regularly and would put someone at risk should they encounter these delights on their walks.
The pool is adequate but no evidence it was ever cleaned during the 5 days we were there.
If you enjoy a severe life threatening risk type of holiday then this is the place for you, if you expect to be treated with dignity, respect and wish to enjoy food, relaxation in a safe, clean hygienic environment, eating without passing it shortly after consumption then avoid at all costs.
Due to lack of responses of complaints I have had no option but to take this matter further.
I have attached photographs of the kitchen area that I took while staying there only a few days ago, in the hope that if you are booked already and read this, you can sharply arrange for a change to an alternative hotel
Completely ruined my first time experience of a lovely island like Crete and makes me question if I would ever consider returning to the area.
Nice quiet hotel, lovely staff, great atmosphere.
Came back yesterday from 10 days at the Solimar Emerald. It was hot whilst we were there, every day was between 32 and 36. The air conditioning in the room was enough to bring the temperature down just enough to make sleeping possible. The one caveat to this is the bathroom. I have no idea where the heat & humidity comes from in this room - but we kept the door closed at all times. It did not negatively impact our holiday. The main room was spacious and clean - and cleaned by housekeeping every day except Sunday. There was a sink in the room, and a hot plate - almost as if someone was considering making self catering possible - but the sink taps are not connected. I was not expecting the sink, and the lack of taps was no problem for us. Kettle and fridge worked, so our cups of tea were just fine :) There was also a tiny balcony which was perfect for 2 sun weary travellers to sit out, have some wine/beer and relax at the end of the day.
The food was varied plenty enough for us to find something we liked and enjoyed every night, and a microwave was provided in case you wanted to make something hotter to your preference. We did not need it, and had no stomach issues. We had almost every meal at the hotel.
The take away lunches provided for £3 if you were going on an excursion weregood value and perfect, with a sandwich, piece of cake, piece of fruit, carton of fruit juice and a bottle of water!
The drinks were nice and varied behind the bar. I think the Mrs and I managed to try every cocktail on the list, as well as plenty of the local beer. All of it was lovely.
The hotel seems to be popular with mainland europeans, with plenty of French, German and Belgium nationals around - but everyone we spoke to was pleasant.
The beach over the road from the hotel is NOT the one that they advise you to go to - you are informed on arrival to head left 200 meters, and then down to the beach, where it is better maintained. Over the road was the bus stop, which did have some litter and glass issues. Beyond the bus stop is a passion path down to a beach which we absolutely adored. We made a point of picking up some litter whenever we went back to the hotel at the end of a visit - mainly because of the turtle nests that are on the beach! This beach was secluded, with almost nobody visiting it, with breathtaking sunsets EVERY night. The water was also ridiculously warm and pleasant. Natural rock formations created pools of shallow water that were ideal for the children 1 or 2 families that went there.
One surprising delight was the lack of insects bothering us. Yes, there was a wasp nest in one of the drains one day, but it seemed dealt with quickly, and the wasps were not interested in us.
One of the best things about the hotel was the staff - as has been mentioned many times before. They were always so helpful and friendly.
One final comment, the other holidaymakers were generally brilliant. The meal times were never a scrum, and people did not act animals. It was ALWAYS pleasant, with people taking some of what they fancied, and not more than that. The same applies to the alcohol, with nobody drinking to excess.
If I had 1 tiny little change I would make, it is the age old "Towels on the sunbeds" issue. Increasingly over the 10 days people started to put towels out on sunbeds at 8am, with no intention of coming to the pool until the afternoon. This is a horrible behaviour, and should be discouraged.
Review by Mike L Tromso, Norway
Very nice stuff but poor food and hotel needs a little fix up.
Let’s start by saying the stuff are very nice and helpful.
Food it’s not the best but lot of different options. Need more fly nets to keep them of food.
Drinks are not nice .
Rooms are big and beds are nice . Ac had water leaking out , was fixed 2 times but needed to change room at it’s hot at night. Bathrooms are ok , shower curtains make the bathroom very wet but dry quick as it’s warm. and toilet brushes need to be changed every 2-3 months in my opinion.
Beach is not the best across the road but a little walk and it’s more sandy.
Hotel always had parking
Pool always had Sun chairs. Pool was very clean.
Entertainment was funny. Bingo Karaoke Live music that was nice . Quiz night
Hotel is very relaxed and not noisy.
