Mitsis Rinela

AVOID AVOID AVOID.

As the title eludes to we had a HORRIFIC time. Avoid this hotel like the plague, especially if you’re not a straight white couple quite frankly, You’ll get treated awfully and with NO RESPECT. Even if you’re not a gay couple I suggest you read on as the homophobic behaviour was not the only thing incredibly wrong with this hotel. NEVER again will I go to a Mitsis - horrific chain.

A message to the hotel… don’t even think about responding if you’re going to make up excuses, cover your back and try blame someone else. It’s not on, TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY, all these reviews can’t be lying can they?

See below for a very brief (it’ll be long but trust I could go on and on) breakdown of what we’ve experienced…

• Food was cold, watery, tasteless and there was not much option within the buffet. It was not indicative of a five star hotel at all, I have NEVER had such awful food before, what we could eat made us SEVERLY ill. To the point my partner ended up in the back of an ambulance in Crete.

• We were not given welcome drinks or our welcome gift like we had seen other guests have. The system was turned off when we arrived so we were made to wait even longer for our room at 2am and a long day of travelling, despite them knowing that we were arriving. We were told we would be allowed to order a drink at the bar, I ordered a drink for myself and two seconds later. My partner tried to order one and they refused to serve her and told her that their shift was ended and they won’t be serving any more people… even though they served me 2 seconds prior. She asked for a beer, coke or even a juice and they refused to do any of that and said that they would only do her a shot because they "wanted to go home".

Construction right outside the hotel could be heard from the room, screeching and digging, so when we were stuck in lobby bar or room that’s what you could hear.

• On flight path - I’m 90% sure this was not noted anywhere, but please do correct me if I missed that anywhere, we are light sleepers so that was very difficult.

• The run up to our stay I emailed the car partner at the hotel 3 times and was ignored. The reception staff told me they would get in contact for us, but they never did.

• Issues in our room regarding safety - The door was very difficult to close and sometimes it didn't close at all unless you body slammed it shut. Plus flickering lights would come on and stay on waking us up in the night. Our mirror was also loose and swaying/rocking from its brackets in the ceiling, if it fell that could've easily killed or seriously injured someone with the weight of it. When we told the hotel about our concerns, they claimed that they had someone go in during one of our meals which we were never told whether they did or not, Because the mirror was still unsafe and the door still didn't lock. I was also told by the gas relations manager that the lights were happening because of power cuts on the island and that that was out of their control... Yet the TV always stayed on.. Why is this hotel so incapable of just taking responsibility for anything? You will see throughout this email that they can never just apologise. They always have to make an excuse and blame something or someone else.

• Even when do not disturb sign was on our door staff would still disturb us, we would be indecent from the shower for example and would have to rush around to try and make sure that the staff wouldn’t enter even though we said do not disturb. As two women alone when men are knocking our door when it says do not disturb and wanting to get into our room this is not safe at all. What is the point in having this sign if it's not enforced?

• The hotel 'entertainment was SHOCKING for a 5 star... a man with an iPad playing the keyboard badly!!

• On the days that we could sit on the sun loungers, we would go up to get a drink. We’d be gone for five minutes and we’d come back in the staff take your towels?!

• Staff at the hotel misgendering my partner multiple times despite obviously being a woman, and also despite correction. We have NEVER had that anywhere. She looks like a woman she just doesn’t wear dresses??

• On return from the hospital clinic we went to reception and asked if we were able to have our food delivered to us as I was very hungry and the guest relations woman told us we could do so as a result of us feeling unsafe and welcome within the hotel. She offered this from the à la carte we had booked, or room service free of charge. When I asked, with my partner stood NEXT to me and me referring to her as 'she' and 'girlfriend' the staff member then proceeded to call her, Sir, my husband and then my boyfriend. We then corrected her and got no apology, she just walked off. Upon return after saying this and also saying that we were misunderstanding what we were offered, she called her manager who went back on her word and said that she had only offered room service, to be honest at this point we didn't care we just wanted something and to leave this hell. We just wanted something for me and something as bland as possible for my partner, considering everything she went through they even made that difficult. They said they wouldn't be able to give us the food from the à la carte and when I said okay well can I just put an order in here and I'll go pick it up and bring it back to the room and bring the plates back to the restaurant, they said no that's too difficult and I said what so difficult about that. How can you offer room service which is the same thing but you can't get someone to just pick it up from the à la carte or allow me to? But she said it would be impossible and too ‘hard’. Now surely at a five star hotel that has put my partner in the hospital, and has already been informed of the discrimination and treatment we faced would want to go out of their way to make sure that we had what was PROMISED and to help us whilst she was poorly. I'm not that sort of person, I don't expect people to run after me and expect the world, however, having been to other hotels where they cannot do enough for you and they will do anything to make your stay pleasant it just felt like this hotel was trying to make everything difficult. If I was working there and someone was experiencing what I experienced I would try to make every last second at the hotel a little bit better, but it just seems like they were trying to make it worse on purpose and to be unhelpful, quite frankly. It seems that they like to lie a lot, go back on their words and they can never take accountability which I can see is a trend on multiple videos online and on TripAdvisor reviews from other families.

• Regarding the above the guest relations manager called me whilst we were at the airport on the way home EARLY. When I had told her about this incident and how it was the final straw she turned around and said that I was reading into it and that I was taking it the wrong way and that no one on the staff is prejudice, homophobic racist or sexist. Which I find hard to believe that not a single member of staff is this way consider considering the treatment we faced and also the fact that, how can you know that for a fact when you have hundreds of staff?To be called a liar really was the sour cherry on the top of this holiday. She also said that she felt that her staff did not know how to address my partner as "it wasn't clear" and "they were probably just worried about what to address her as so they probably thought husband would be okay". That is the biggest copout I've ever heard. My girlfriend has never been misgendered ever, anywhere. She is a woman that looks like a woman, she just doesn't wear dresses. And how can they say that they were worried about knowing how to address someone when their partner has literally told you how to address them in conversation MULTIPLE times, when she refers to her partner as 'she' and 'my girlfriend'?! Yet again, they can never take accountability for anything and that sometimes even more insulting than the act itself. If you're not sure, just don't say, how hard is it?

• When I initially spoke to the guest relations manager, she also told me that they had never had an experience or complaint of racism, homophobia sexism or anything in that realm. Which again is one of their first lies that I caught them out on because I've seen other things in reviews and you're telling me that within 30 years of business you've never had an issue? She also informed me that they were at capacity and that's probably why we were experiencing some of the things we were experiencing. To which I replied that that was a ridiculous excuse. You are in the hotel business if you can't handle a full house you need better staff or retraining because I have been to bigger hotels than this and never faced this issue. Again, it just feels like if there's anything else or anyone else to blame they will.

• We were referred to as Mr And Mrs within the room TV that we have to see every single time we turned it on, despite our paperwork clearly stating we are unmarried with different last names and two women is upsetting to experience. It may seem like a little thing to others, however when you have to go through what you have to go through as a queer couple, things like this may seem little but upset us. I highly suggest that this is looked into as I'm sure you have done this to other queer people, and little changes like this really make a place more inclusive and would be much appreciated within my community. I don't see how you can be listed as an LGBTQ+ friendly hotel but then do something as basic as misgendering and mistaking something so easy like this When you have all the information at your fingertips already.

• Staff were very moody and rude to us not only during food services, but around the hotel in general. Everyone is walking around as if they are facing a crisis, no one smiles, there's no please or thank you if you hold the door open for them or help them pick up something they dropped. You ask them what drinks they have to offer and tell you to look at a menu but not me he's were available, also, how RUDE? Someone asks you what fruity cocktails you have and your response is "check a menu"?! It's just really lacking on the manners and customer service front to be honest.

• Staff deliberately ignoring us when helping other members of the hotel. For example, when we sat on the sunbeds, the staff would ask the sunbed to the left if they wanted drinks look at us skip us then ask the sunbed to the right if they wanted any, I'm not one to accuse someone of homophobia, but this has happened a couple of times now and also has happened with the photographers. (Which I'd like to add as soon as I told guest relations this we were then asked a lot and she did confirm that she had sent my email that I sent to her around the hotel but it is a shame that it took for them to get a scolding to actually make sure they're including everyone in the hotel) We have witnessed them asking people that walk past and near them if they wanted their photo to be taken and when we have gone past them when they've not been with anyone they've looked down at their phone as if to look busy and it feels as if they do not want to take our photo.

• In the à la carte we were put around the corner in the corner of a room all on our own despite there being plenty of other tables in the main area. It felt like we were being hidden away and we were also ignored the entire time other than when our food order was taken and delivered to us. No drink refills were offered and no questions regarding the meal or check-in were received. Again, I ask why were we the only couple during that ENTIRE time we were there to be shoved in the corner in a separate room away from everyone else and ignored?

Bugs, flies and moths all around the food in the à la carte and buffet, filthy cutlery and table was dirty. Very unhygienic.

• Staff won't let you get your own drink in the buffet, but then when you ask politely to order a drink, you're told to wait abruptly and they don't come over for another 10/15 Minutes while they happily help others and by then we've already finished our meal. It also just seems like there isn't enough staff/Your staff can't deal with the capacity of the hotel and the needs of its guests. The staff all look very stressed and could very well contribute to the treatment of its guests. You're also forced to queue outside the buffet and not allowed to pick where you want to sit, We were often put right in the middle of multiple families with young children, Which has two childless people we tend to avoid as we know children run around tables and scream a lot, Which happens their kids at the end of the day, however we're on holiday and we want to enjoy ourselves as well, but we were planted right in the middle of multiple families where their children were not being looked too, and we had kids run up to our table, stand and stare at us while we ate, pull on our chairs, the table clothes, scream right in our ears and then the parents would be staring us out due to us being women together.

• On more than one occasion did we have staff be rude to us. One example would be, one day I accidentally walked near a spill which I had not seen because I was looking at the food and did not have my glasses on, and instead of politely letting me know the staff member ran over to me, raised his voice and repeated multiple times "go away, go back, water" and put his hand up to my face before I could even react to the water on the floor. I do not appreciate being yelled at and have a face in my hand, HOW RUDE.

Onto the Tui Rep, I did not see him once. The times posted on the Mitsis app, were wrong and misleading. When I would say to reception "where is the Tui Rep please" during the time they were meant to be there I would get told oh he decided to come earlier this morning instead. I was then given a phone number to contact the Rep, which is the same offered as the one on the app. However, after calling multiple times and texting a number that I was provided, I was ignored. I was ignored by the TUI rep. He eventually called me one evening, which also happened to be the evening that Laura was unwell in hospital. So I could not answer. In his voicemail he said that he would call me back tomorrow. By the time he did we were already boarding on the way home. what is the point in having a rep if they are never there and ignore the desperate calls and texts of the very people they are meant to be helping?

Great frontline staff and food, but deeply let down by management disorganization, poor empathy, and unprofessional communication.

We recently stayed at Mitsis Selection Rinela as a family. There is a lot to love about this resort—especially the dedicated staff and dining—but our experience was significantly dampened by poor communication, lack of local management empowerment, and frustrating handling of issues by both local and group management.

The Highlights (Why 3 Stars):

• Fantastic Dining: The culinary experience was a major positive. The Italian, Mexican, and Greek à la carte restaurants were exceptional, with delicious food and wonderfully warm, attentive service.
• Kids Club: The Kids Club team was amazing with our 7-year-old child—caring, creative, and hardworking.
• Grounds & Facilities: Despite facing bad weather during our stay, the outdoor setup (slides, beach, bars) is well-maintained and clearly well-designed for sunny days.

Where Management & Corporate Disappointed Us:

1. Misleading Information & Missing Guidance: On Booking.com, the hotel explicitly listed an "Indoor / Kids' pool." Upon arrival, our child was denied entry. Guest Relations acknowledged the listing error, but offered no initial workaround. Knowing it was raining, management never proactively informed us that family suites with accessible heated sharing pools existed—a solution that could have easily saved our holiday from Day one.

2. Stall Tactics & Unprofessional Confrontation: When local staff offered no solutions on Day 2, I emailed both local and Mitsis Group management. Group management forwarded us to local management again. However, after receiving no reply, I called on Day 3—they claimed they saw the email and were "investigating alternatives." Shortly after, local management called our room and confrontationally questioned my wife about our email feedback, flatly claiming no rooms were available.

3. Complete Lack of Empathy & Discrepancy in Room Availability: When I spoke to Guest Relations again, the manager's response to our pool inquiry during bad weather was: "Why do you insist on a heated pool? Crete has Europe's largest aquarium, go visit that." Right after this unbelievable response, I checked Booking.com on my phone and saw multiple heated pool suites available for booking. Only after pointing this out did they offer the room—demanding an extra €130/night upgrade fee.

4. Poor Operational Logistics: After agreeing to pay the upgrade fee, we even inspected the new room at 09:30 AM while housekeeping was starting to clean it. Our luggage was moved at 10:30 AM, leaving us stranded without a room. Front desk kept telling us "it's almost ready" at 10:30, 11:00, and 12:30, only to discover after pressing the issue that the room had been ready all along. Keeping a family stranded for hours when the room was already being cleaned at 09:30 AM shows total disorganization.

5. Late Check-Out Handling: On our final rainy day, having entered the upgraded room late on Day 4, we requested a late check-out in advance. They delayed processing it, then quoted an extra €40 fee, only to reverse it an hour later as "unapproved." Offering to move us to an entirely different room just for 5 hours on a departure day with a young child showed a surprising lack of operational empathy.

6. Infrastructure: During heavy rain, the hotel experienced multiple total power blackouts (including a 20-minute outage), showing backup generator systems need attention.

Verdict: Huge credit to the hardworking restaurant and Kids Club teams who make this hotel special. However, Mitsis Group Management and the local Hotel Manager urgently need to improve guest relations, operational transparency, and conflict resolution.