The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete, Curio Collection by Hilton

The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete is the first Hilton hotel on the Greek island of Crete and a member of the Curio Collection, a global portfolio of more than 90 unique hotels and resorts. Each Curio Collection property offers travelers authentic and personalized experiences through distinctive local offerings and upscale amenities. At the same time, enjoy the benefits of Hilton and its Hilton Honors loyalty program. Find out how we enjoyed our time at the five-star hotel resort in our hotel review.

Booking, arrival and check-in

The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete only opened in the summer of 2020, and prices start at around €300 per night during peak season. Just before the end of the season in October, the Deluxe Room, the cheapest option, costs €180 per night. When we booked in May, the price was still well over €200, so we decided to redeem our accumulated Hilton Honors points. In the end, we paid 232,000 points for five nights. With Hilton, redeeming points means you only pay for four nights and get the fifth night free.

Since we only arrived at Heraklion airport around 5 pm and still had about an hour's drive to the hotel, we didn't arrive at The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete until after dark.

We checked in at the 24-hour guarded entrance and were immediately greeted by a staff member in front of the main building. She escorted us to the lobby and took care of the formalities. Meanwhile, we settled onto a sofa and enjoyed a welcome drink and a selection of pastries. Our luggage was unloaded and our car was parked free of charge. Then, accompanied by the receptionist, we drove in a golf cart along the sometimes very steep and narrow paths to our suite.

Where is The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete located?

The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete is located on the north coast of Crete, near the city of Rethymno. The resort's location is ideal for travelers seeking peace and relaxation, while also having the opportunity to explore the island's sights and activities. The resort offers breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea and the surrounding landscape, characterized by the foothills of the Psiloritis Mountains.

What are the rooms (Family Suite) like at The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete?

Our Family Suite (room number 1147) was located on the second level of the hotel complex built into the mountain. It could be reached either by a short walk or by elevator and cable car.

The family suite at the Curio Collection by Hilton consists of a 40-square-meter room. The bedroom and living area can be separated by a sliding door.

The king-size bed was in the middle of the room, offering a great view of the sea. The bedroom had two wardrobes: one with a safe, iron, and ironing board, and two lower wardrobes. One of these housed the minibar, which in our room was only stocked with soft drinks. Unfortunately, the compressor was rather noisy and switched on and off regularly, which was sometimes disruptive, especially at night. Besides the cold drinks, there was a capsule coffee machine with four different coffee varieties and a kettle for the various teas. To enhance the service in a five-star hotel, it would have been nice to have two complimentary bottles of water in the room each day. Even from the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah or other luxury hotels in the Hilton group, we were familiar with this.

The toilet and the spacious shower with a rain shower head were located to the left and right of the entrance. The sinks, two hollowed-out stones, were in the bedroom itself. There was storage space around the sinks. However, we missed having a place to put hand soap. Another minor point of criticism was that while there were stylish wooden hooks for the towels, the towels themselves had nothing to hang them on.

The living area contained two sofas, both of which could be converted into beds. There was also a television mounted on the wall here, just like in the bedroom. On the coffee table in the center of the room, the hotel had prepared a wonderful surprise of Greek specialties for our arrival.

Since our suite was on the upper floor of a two-story bungalow, we had a large balcony. The lower suite had a terrace. The bungalows were arranged to offer maximum privacy. It would be beneficial if the hotel could provide a place to dry swimwear. Surely there are solutions that meet hotel standards and are certainly better than guests having to drape wet items over chairs or glass balcony railings.

There were only a few free power outlets in the room, but plenty of USB Type-A ports. The USB ports by the bed were especially convenient. The free Wi-Fi was very fast during our stay, with upload and download speeds of up to 50 Mbps.

What is breakfast like at The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete?

Breakfast is served buffet-style in the main restaurant, GEA. The restaurant offers indoor seating and a partially covered terrace. Although breakfast was included for status guests and with every room rate during our stay, we never had to wait to be seated.

The food selection was so extensive that I won't list everything here. Highlights included the many types of bread (including whole-grain options), the Greek specialties, the "Make-your-Own Eggs Benedict" station, the wide variety of muesli, and the extensive dessert menu. Of course, there was also a live cooking station where omelets, pancakes, and waffles were prepared.

Breakfast offered a wide selection of specialty coffees served at the table. In addition, sparkling wine, freshly squeezed orange juice, and other vegetable and fruit juices were available every morning.

In addition to the main restaurant GEA, there are six other restaurants and bars on the hotel grounds. The highlight is the CRETAMOS restaurant, which elevates the simple character of island dishes to haute cuisine and combines them with the best Cretan wines.

What does The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete offer for relaxation?

In addition to the suites' private pools, the Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete offers three pools, a children's pool area, and a small water park. With the exception of the children's pools, all pools are filled with saltwater, and there were plenty of sun loungers with comfortable cushions, parasols, and towels available. However, towels were not always available during our stay and were not provided even after half an hour despite repeated requests. For a five-star hotel, this is an area that needs improvement!

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