The Royal Senses Resort Crete, Curio Collection by Hilton

We had the most wonderful, relaxing and enjoyable holiday at The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete. A five-star experience which left us sad to leave, but we did so refreshed. Every member of staff we met went out of their way to help and often suggested things, we weren’t aware of to make our stay as enjoyable as possible. Arrival: We arrived by hire car and found the hotel easily. We were immediately greeted, our luggage removed from the car and we were shown to reception. We were requested to take a seat, where we were offered a lovely cocktail and ice cold towel to refresh us. The check-in process was calm and thorough. I was welcomed as Diamond member and despite having booked a lovely room we were given a complimentary upgrade to the best room type in the hotel, a Grand Villa with Sea View and Private Pool. We were then driven (buggy) to our Villa, luggage taken upstairs and given a tour of the facilities. From the Villa (1606) we could walk around the grounds or take the funicular/cable railway straight down to the restaurants/main pools. Villa: Our villa had the main bedroom upstairs (large TV), glass ceilinged shower/double sink and dressing room area. Also, upstairs was a private suntrap with king-size lounger area with pillows. Sockets had a USB A point on either side of the large and incredibly comfortable bed. Downstairs we had two sofas, one was made up for our son’s bed, large TV, dining area as well as second shower/double sink area. We enjoyed the Nespresso coffee maker and complimentary water. The TV’s allowed you to connect your phone and play music from the hotel app or your own music app. The outside table and chairs let us play cards and relax and when we got too hot, we could take a dip in our private plunge pool. (Having first taken a shower and after, if you wanted to clean off the salt water). Waking up each morning to an infinity view out of our Villa and into the blue ocean was marvellous. We could also park our car just a stone’s throw from the Villa or we could have left it by reception too. Eating: We opted for half board and enjoyed dinner, and breakfast, in the main restaurant. We opted to sit outside as it was pleasant and away from the bustle of people choosing food. The range of food was large and of excellent quality and we usually paid for wine/water too. We were lucky enough to try the degustation menu (with wines) in the Cretamos restaurant which was outstanding. Generally, I no longer choose paired wines as I know what I like, but in this instance it was a great way to try new Greek wines, which were all lovely and suited each course. And as we were half board, we got a small credit towards that meal as well as our son being given a complimentary main course which he loved, a rare steak. Pools: the kids loved the water slides, one lazy river (sit up and it is very lazy, lie back and you go like a rocket) and two straight down slides. It took hours for the kids (and adults) to get bored of them and you

We visited Royal Senses for 4 nights for our honeymoon and the stay was incredible! We had great service and all of the staff were super friendly. We were supposed to have a room with a shared pool and were upgraded to a room with a private pool and we had a beautiful view of the sea. We will definitely be back!

This hotel is outstanding, the service we received was above and beyond. I previously worked in the travel industry so I am well travelled and can easily say this is the best hotel we have experienced. I couldn’t recommend this hotel enough. I traveled with my husband and my son who was 18months old, we were looking for something luxury but still child friendly and that’s exactly what we got. My son has a milk allergy so I was a little worried about food options, however the food in the buffet restaurant was clearly labelled and detailed all allergens which just made our stay so much easier and stress free. We also had a meeting with the chef who was so accommodating, he agreed to make any food dish needed at any time which he done through out our stay. The food in general is of a high standard, not your usual hotel food. I am a fussy eater and there were so many options, the food was always fresh and really tasty. Maria and Kalokairi in the buffet restaurant were so friendly and always made a fuss of our son, who loved all the attention. Thank you for making our stay so special. The kids clubs was amazing, the girls there were so good with our little boy. We visited at least twice a day for a hour and he always had so much fun, his favourite part of the day. The two Maria’s working there are amazing at their jobs!! We enjoyed the pool with the kids slide and the service there was also very good. Maria would always go the extra mile, bringing our son fruit and slushy drinks, she was so lovely and always took care of us. The hotel is very aesthetically pleasing, everywhere is beautiful and the sunsets were stunning. I don’t have any negative points to say. We would love to come back again soon.

Beautiful hotel with top notch staff and amenities. We had an absolutely gorgeous stay. The one thing that really disappointed us was not being able to make dinner and spa reservations. My one suggestion for the hotel and advice for those that are going to stay is to book everything before you arrive or book it immediately upon arriving. My partner and I thought we could book same-day spa services, but were not able to. We were informed of a tasting menu multi-course dinner created by a Michellin awarded chef. We were unable to get a reservation out of the four days we were there. We were hugely disappointed and it ALMOST overshadowed the beautiful weather, private pool, private beach, and incredible staff. 1. book your amenities early 2. Royal Senses - we would have spent more money if we had received an email about booking the spa treatments in advance, private dinner options (luckily we saw this option posted near the cable car), tasting menu dining options 3. Airport shuttle service would have been a great value

So far, this has been one of the best hotel experiences I've ever had. Here's why: 1. Amazing customer service by all staff, from reception staff (Anthi) to Spa (Angelina) and restaurant staff (Victoria), there are others but too many to name. Always with a smile, and nothing is too much trouble. 2. Received a free upgrade to a villa and free unlimited access to spa (not inc treatments). Top Tips/Facts 1. No beach, but sea views all day long. There is a shuttle bus to beach (30 min). 2. Location is pretty isolated, the town is a distance but no problem to get a taxi, etc). Although there is everything you could want for on the resort, inc beautician, few shops (clothes, touristy bits, basic groceries etc. 3. September is an excellent time of year to visit, temp in late 20's, blue skies, and its not so busy that you have to stake a claim to a pool side lounger/day bed. 4. Would recommend a package deal to include food, as the main restaurant is amazing both in terms of physical environment and ambience, choice of food from the buffet style me which I promise you is delicious. I'm a foodie, and the quality of the food is a strong 9/10. There is a choice for all dietary requirements, and the options will cater to the fussiest of eaters. Fyi, the dessert section is visually stunning and the taste another level....worthy of Harrods food hall of desserts!! There are a few other restaurants to choose from, but we did not bother given the choice, and quality was so very good as part of the half board package. Would recommend this place to friends and family without doubt!!