Nautilux Rethymno

We had a fantastic stay at Nautilux and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

We stayed in a Classic Room with a pool view, which was lovely and spacious, with a generous-sized balcony. The room and the hotel itself were absolutely spotless throughout our stay. The room was well equipped with a coffee machine, and the mini fridge was refilled with bottled water every day. One thing that’s worth noting is that there aren’t any drawers in the room, so storage is limited to the hanging wardrobe space, although this wasn’t an issue for us as the wardrobe was large enough for everything we needed. Robes and slippers were also provided by the hotel, which was a lovely added touch.

The hotel has two large pools and a private beach, and we never had any issues finding sunbeds, even when heading to the pool after breakfast around 11am or returning from a day trip in the afternoon. Pool towels are provided daily and can be collected from either the pool or beach area. We also loved the little touches from the staff, who regularly came around the pool offering complimentary iced tea, fresh watermelon and frozen towels, which were especially appreciated in the heat.

The private beach was beautiful and very peaceful. The sea was quite rough during our stay (obviously not the hotel’s fault!), so it’s worth paying attention to the red flags before going in.

The staff were absolutely excellent throughout our holiday — friendly, welcoming and genuinely helpful at every turn. From the moment we arrived, they carried our cases from the taxi to our room, and again when we left, which was such a thoughtful touch. They were always opening doors for us, showing us to our tables, and making sure we were comfortable. Nothing was ever too much trouble. They arranged taxis into Rethymno Old Town for us whenever we needed one, and on my birthday they surprised me by leaving a birthday cake in our room, despite us never mentioning it. It was such a thoughtful gesture and made the day feel even more special.

The location was ideal for us. Rethymno Old Town is around a 35-minute walk along the seafront, or about five minutes in a taxi costing around €8 each way. There is a taxi stand at the end of the road by the beach, and we never had to wait long, if at all.

We also did a day trip to Lake Kournas and Georgioupoli, which we would highly recommend. It was around a 35-minute drive from the hotel. We hired pedalos at Lake Kournas and were lucky enough to see the turtles, before taking the land train into Georgioupoli to explore the town.

Rethymno Old Town itself is beautiful, with plenty to see and explore. The little back streets are full of character, with a great variety of shops, restaurants and bars, so there is always somewhere new to discover and plenty of choice for evenings out.

Although there were a few teenagers staying during our visit, it really wasn’t an issue. We usually book adults-only hotels, but this felt just as peaceful and relaxing.

We booked on a bed and breakfast basis, and the breakfast was one of the best we’ve had. There was a huge variety every morning, including fresh breads, pastries and cakes, all styles of eggs, meats, cheeses, fresh fruit, juices and a great selection of teas. Everything was constantly replenished, so nothing ever seemed to run out.

Overall, we had a wonderful holiday and would happily return. Nautilux offers beautiful facilities, exceptional service and a great location for exploring Rethymno while still providing a peaceful place to relax. Thank you to all the staff for making our stay so memorable!

Second visit to this splendid hotel, and if anything it even surpassed the first visit.

We staying in one of the ground floor Jacuzzi rooms, very comfortable and great to have the Jacuzzi to ralax in with a drink.

We stayed half board and very glad we did, the food selection and quality was amazing, particularly evening meals, one of the very best buffets at a hotel. Great selection of healthy food too, salads and plentiful fruit etc.

The hotel doesn’t have a huge number of activities but that suited us. We did however do yoga and Boot Camp, which was really good.

Indoor pool is really nice, we also used the spa area which was good but a bit steep that they charge extra for that.

Outdoor area is really nice as is the beach. The only shame is that there is no heated outdoor pool so in April both were freezing cold. Staff were all so friendly and couldn’t do enough for us.

Underground parking is chargeable which was also a bit of a shame but we mostly managed to find a parking space on the road in front of the hotel.

Would we would we go back for a third visit? Absolutely!