Minoa Palace Resort

My husband and I have just returned from a two week stay here. The location of the hotel is faultless, however, it is far from a 5 star resort. Although we have had a lovely holiday, there have been some annoying incidents which have marred an otherwise beautiful hotel. - Depending on where you stay in the hotel, you will get different facilities. This is particularly clear during breakfast. The beachside residents have a much nicer breakfast by the beach with more breakfast foods and better service. You are not allowed to eat there unless you are staying on the beachside of the hotel...feels like two separate hotels. - Beware of conferences happening at the same time as your stay. The hotel prioritises these events, closing facilities like the beach bar and beach restaurant early to ensure the conference is properly accommodated. This was incredibly disappointing as the beach bar in particular is a great spot to enjoy an evening drink and it felt unfair that a facility which we had paid to enjoy was closed for us for a few days of our holiday. The staff also gave conflicting information about its closure and seemed to have no clue about it being closed until we were quickly ushered away from the bar to make way for conference delegates. - The beach is red flagged most of the time, even when the sea is still...very frustrating. - Service is incredibly inconsistent. We had some fantastic service only twice out of the 28 times we were at breakfast or dinner. Most of the staff did not seem to care and could be a little rude. I think the hotel has the potential to be 5 star but is certainly not there yet.

Tucked away to the west of Chania, Minoa Palace Resort is a splendid resort of the highest quality with superb facilities, breakfasts, bars, beach, pools, spa, shop and restaurants. But what makes it truly amazing is the people. From our first arrival when our bags were taken care of, and we were greeted by Labrini from customer relations - who was so lovely - to everyone at every level, it was always smiles, a warm hello (or kalimera!), and such friendliness from top to bottom. Another star of the week (from the many we could choose from) were George the resort sommelier - who I spent a most enjoyable couple of hours with one afternoon being educated in Greek wine - some of the finest in world - I can fully recommend booking a session with George in the excellently appointed and perfectly temperature-controlled wine cellar. Finally, Sergio, a genuinely wonderful young gentleman, not only the perfect host, but also a superb guide on food and wine in Galazio restaurant - another recommend. He is surely a future expert sommelier in the making, his knowledge and skill already is terrific. The whole week also turned into quite a gastronomic experience, apart from the joy of so much cheese selection for breakfast, the Sunday evening five-course dinner with paired wines was tremendous, so much so that we booked at Galazio for another two nights. With the team of George and Sergio looking after you, you really can't go wrong! We also made use of the spa, a beautiful and tranquil place, with a great selection of treatments at very reasonable prices. Our final treat was an a la carte breakfast on our penultimate day, an early morning looking out over the sea being looked after by the ever-attentive staff, wonderful. A total recommend, I could write so much more, we will definitely be going back. Thank you to everyone at Minoa Palace!

I had the chance to do a private wine tasting with George, and it was an exceptional experience. What impressed me most was not only the quality of the wines but the way he guided me through them: clear, knowledgeable, and never pretentious. Each wine was paired with food in a way that showed just how much thought had gone into it, and it was a revelation to see how flavours can elevate each other. The focus throughout was on Greek wines, and he demonstrated why they deserve to be considered on a par with, or in some cases even surpassing, more well known regions. I left not only having enjoyed some excellent bottles but also having learned a great deal. Professional, personal, good-humoured, and worth every penny. Highly recommended!

We had the most relaxing 10-night honeymoon at the Minoa Palace Hotel, and we couldn’t be happier with our choice. The hotel is perfectly situated right on the beach and also right in the heart of Platanias, and just about a 15-minute car ride to Chania. The combination of beachfront tranquility and easy access to town made the location ideal. The grounds of the hotel are beautiful, with two different types of buildings—one older and one newer—we stayed in both and each had its own charm. The older building has x2 larger pools but the imperial pool looks right onto the beach so nice to mix up the days, with more than enough space, and we never had trouble finding sunbeds. Towels were always plentiful, and service for drinks and room service was impressively quick. We also made use of the gym on several days, which was always quiet with plenty of space. The hotel actually has two small separate gyms—one weight-based and one cardio—as well as a calming spa area. There’s even a separate indoor pool for rainy days (though thankfully the weather was perfect for us!). We stayed on a bed and breakfast basis, and the breakfast was simply fantastic—tons of variety (hot, cold, omelettes to order) and we were gifted a special waterfront à la carte breakfast on one morning that was a real treat. The staff really paid attention to the little details. Since it was our honeymoon, they also upgraded our room not once, but twice! For the last three nights, we had a gorgeous waterfront room that would normally cost significantly more, which made our stay feel extra special. On arrival, we were greeted with a wonderful surprise of a bottle of red wine followed by a bottle of prosecco, honeyed walnuts, and chocolate-coated strawberries, which was such a thoughtful touch. Then, on our way home, the night before we left, they gifted us some Cretan tea to take home with us—a lovely way to end our stay. Housekeeping was impeccable—the room was always spotless, towels changed twice daily, and we had separate towels for the pool. Room has shower robes, nespresso maker, fridge, glasses, mugs, toiletries (including tooth brushes/paste, razor, moisturiser, needle and threads) and hairdressor. They really think of everything to make your stay comfortable! A very special thank you to the receptionist, Elfonsi (we think!) who went above and beyond to make our stay effortless. She kindly handled all our outside dinner reservations, organized taxis for different evenings, and ensured everything ran smoothly for us. This hotel truly deserves its TripAdvisor rating and lives up to its 5-star reputation. In short, it was a peaceful, wonderful stay filled with thoughtful touches, beautiful surroundings, and outstanding service. We’re already looking forward to returning in the future!

Fantastic!

When you go to a place like this its quite often the staff that make it better and this is the case with Minoa Palace. We have just come back from staying a week and we got nothing but great service right from our initial booking and enquiries to leaving. We stayed in one of the imperial rooms bed and breakfast. They even noticed that my birthday was during my stay and brought a cake to our room - nice touch. The fitness manager and tennis coach, Areste, is areally good coach as well. Thanks to all the staff.

Myself and my wife stayed for 10 days from the 1st of September, firstly the hotel is in a prime location and just a minute walk to the strip, on arrival, the staff were so polite, kind and attentive, and very kindly gave us an upgrade to the most beautiful suite for one night as it was our wedding anniversary, and complementary vouchers for our car breakfast, the grounds are kept in pristine condition with beautiful flowers everywhere is simply kept spotless, the rooms are really lovely and are cleaned every day by very lovely cleaning staff, we stayed bed and breakfast and the breakfast options are exceptional and the food is piping hot and very tasty , the only little blip that we had was for a couple of days there was a very funny smell in our room. We called reception and within minutes we were told that we could change rooms. The staff came to our room almost instantly to help us take our bags across and we were shortly after called to make sure that we were happy. I couldn’t recommend this hotel more highly.

Wonderful 5 star resort. We are currently staying here on our honeymoon/babymoon and the hotel and grounds are fabulous. Upon arrival we had wine, processco and chocolate strawberries in the room. We were also provided extra pillows to make the stay more comfortable for myself. We decided to stay in the imperial side of the hotel and are so pleased we did, the room is beautiful. The pool and beach are just a few minutes from the room with incredible views and breakfast can be taken overlooking the beach. Breakfast is lovely with lots of selection, we also were given a voucher for the Al a carte breakfast on the balcony, this was wonderful and a lovely treat. Hotel is extremely clean and well maintained. There are many wonderful restaurants just a few minutes walk from the hotel in the evening. Wouldn’t hesitate to return to this beautiful hotel.

Beautiful hotel, 5 star quality. Spotless facilities and food is excellent. Stayed in both sides of the resort, recommend both. Breakfast options are brilliant. Swimming pools excellent. Rooms cleaned everyday, towels changed everyday. Only issue i had was waiting staff look for a tip on every transaction. Simple order of to soft drinks and they are asking for a percentage tip on card machine. I stopped asking them for drinks and went to bar myself.

A fabulous resort. On our 7 day stay we maximised the pools, gym and pool bar. It was so tranquil. All staff were delightful especially the reception staff. Only one day we ventured to Chania old town. Platanias has everything you want. Would visit again. Special shout out to the gardeners, the landscaping is spectacular!