AKS Minoa Palace Hotel

What People are saying

Definitely not 4*/ not disabled friendly.

dafydd w on 04/10/2017 12:48

When looking for a hotel to stay I do my research very carefully. I have to consider my partner who uses a mobility scooter and myself with other disabilities. I have been involved with UK national charity for over 15 years. I have also advised hotels of disabled access and facilities for disabled people this hotel advertises that it caters for people with disabilities but it does not.

First impression of the hotel looks very nice but looks can be deceiving as when you get into your room it's a big let down!!! It's a bit like " fawlty towers " (Uk tv comedy). The rooms look are very dated and are in big need of upgrade and renovation.

We were put in room 104 and could not believe how bad it was. After some complaining to reception they agreed to move us to room 253 which is a bigger room but it's like being in the middle of the motorway!! There are Cars, motorbikes and dogs barking all the time. Also the room is next to the main lift and stairs and you get people passing talking and shouting and noise from the bar/ restaurant. I'm on holiday and have come to rest and relax , I am not able to do this.

The room:

1. No power sockets by bed and limited in room.

2. A fridge, frosted up with ice in it which I would have Health & safety concerns over.

3. Damage walls and old furniture that you can not open or slide.

4. Very hard beds and bed clothes look old and tired.

5. Rooms are small not much room to get around.

The hotel:

1. Need work doing to it big time!!

2. Very low seating in public areas that look old and tired. My partner could not use as so low was unable to get up from them.

3. The bar area is not very welcoming it looks like a public building with glass frontage over looking the sea if you can see through the windows which don't look as if they have ever been washed!!!

4. A/I is not what I would call all inclusive. A very limited choice in the bar( see photo of list) if you want a cocktail or anything else you have to pay for it. On average €7 per cocktail.

5. No disabled toilet in public area, apart for outside by the beach bar.

The restaurant:

1. Reminds me of the staff canteen. It has these big ceiling fans everywhere and intensive bright lights.

2. The food is not all that good, with a very poor choice and if your a vegetarian I hope you like salad and vegetables because your not going to get much more!!!
Ohhh and if you like cold food as well even if you get there when they open.
Ps: I have directions to McDonald's!!!

Summary:

This hotel is not in my opinion 4* it would be borderline 3*.

Oh and if you like airplanes, you have come to the right hotel as you can see one land and take off every few minutes from the comfort of your sun lounger!!!🛫🛬

The only thing going for the hotel is the friendliness of the staff.

I always do my research in to hotels well, and the reviews on trip advisor has let me down BIG time as they are way off ,I am sorry to say.

I write truthfully as others rely on what you write.

This is my opinion others may disagree but I can only write what we have experienced.

GREAT HOTEL

teeger9 on 25/09/2017 17:21

We stayed at the beginning of September and found it a really clean, friendly place. the beach is divine, although people swimming when the lifeguard is warning them off because of the wind was interesting to watch. The staff are so friendly and helpful (Eftheriorda in restaurant I know this is the wrong spelling but she was so very friendly, as well as Dora). The rooms are a bit dated but they work hard to keep them spotlessly clean. The food was awesome and I ate my body weight in feta cheese. It was great to try all the local foods and was served beautifully. We also had a massage and body treatments and these were very good value performed by knoelwdgable, friendly staff. Our only gripe is the all inclusive alcohol - we paid all inclusive and didnt get it! The wine was okay but you cant drink that all night. We paid for one G&T - 6.40 euros - you can get it cheaper in the most salubrious bar in Edinburgh! They did have a happy hour at 6pm but you want a drink after dinner. The cocktails were professionally made and delicious - the bar staff are so friendly and helpful but the managment need to sort out the all inclusive. We had a fabulous stay and would not hesitate to come again, sadly due to the price of their drinks we probably wont. Well done to all the staff though - bravo! PS we loved watching the planes landing - was never intrusive - just fascinating.

Small but nice hotel with a perfect location!

Fabrice H on 12/09/2017 17:39

We stayed for 10 days in AKS Minoa Palace and enjoyed our holiday very much!
The location is great and the view from the pool to the sea/beach is amazing!
Rooms and hotel are very clean , most of the staff is friendly , especially Dora , working at the restaurant was a nice and friendly person serving all day long the guests with a big smile on her face.

Some points we didn't liked:

-Very small selection of drinks (cocktails) in the all in formula
-Animation could be much better , we only liked the Greek evening , the other days there was simply no animation which made our evenings a little boring , especially as there is nothing to do in the surroundings of the hotel...
-Pool water is ice cold!

Family holiday

Martin T on 02/09/2017 01:02

I visited this hotel in August for two weeks on an all inclusive basis. We were a party of 4 adults and 4 children aged 7-11.

I give the review 5 stars as I got exactly what I wanted from the holiday. I paid a significant but reasonable amount of money for this trip in the school holidays and as such I wanted a good holiday. I got one. It was lovely.

Firstly I would say that Greek people as a rule are very pleasant and I found that throughout the holiday.

The location of the hotel is excellent but quiet. It is 15 mins from Heraklion. It so directly on a great beach, lovely sand and warm shallow sea area. The hotel looks over the sea. Some have complained about airplane noise. I never heard a plane once from my room. They land fairly often and you can see the airport from the beach. The noise is barely audible over the noise of the sea. The beach is open to the public but only for people walking across the sea edge. It feels very safe and quiet. The surrounding area is quiet, only two small shops and a cafe. We got the bus to Heraklion which is easy and cheap. You wouldn't want to do it every night for nightlife though. If you want nightlife go elsewhere. If you are happy to relax in the quiet hotel bar then it's fine. Location wise it's easy to get to Watercity water park which is fun day out for kids. The taxi cost to the airport is 15 euros each way.
One point on the beach is that it can get windy. That makes it lovely to relax and never too hot. It was 30c heat but never felt hot on the beach. Be aware however that waves and current can build more than 20ft out to sea. There is a life guard at times. My kids were often in the sea but watch the life guard signs as there are significant currents in places further out. The beach in general is really lovely and great for kids and adults. There are many sunbeds on the beach. Always lots of space. There is a guy who works really hard all day on the beach cleaning beds, rubbish, and sweeping areas of matting etc. He really does a great job. On one day we had winds that were too high to relax on the beach but that was a one off.

The pool is a really nice basic but decent size pool with an infinity type design overlooking the beach. It's lovely. Not too deep, not too busy. Sunbeds are hard to come by at the pool but get up early enough and you will be fine.

The food is great. It's not restaurant al a carte but it's lovely for what you want or expect at this price. The main restaurant is self serve and has a wide choice. Obviously some options better than others. Firstly there is a big option of salads and fresh fruit. Lovely feta and vegetable salad. Then you have a number of main courses. The children always had a choice of pasta dishes that keeps them going as children do. They do Greek kebabs, then sometimes themed nights. Mexican night was pleasant with lovely tacos etc. Chinese night was average and the dishes were fairly plain, but chicken satay without much satay flavour was a favourite of the kids. There is moussaka, lasagna, fish, pork steaks etc. We always looked forward to meals which is a good sing. Desserts were very nice with many options and basic variations of ice cream which the kids love. Breakfast is as you would expect with cereal, breads, croissants, choc au pain, fruit etc. All meals are plentiful. It feels a little bit cafe style as it's self serve but that's the nature of all inclusive help yourself at this price. None of us went hungry and enjoyed our food.

The alcohol drinks option is average. I had an issue where the company we booked with (holiday gems) didn't convey it was all inclusive light. Alcohol is local Crete beer, local wine, raki, brandy or ouzo. That really is a limited option. One of our party was limited and bought some drinks which defeats the object of all inclusive. I don't think it would break the bank to add a few more none branded drinks like vodka, rum and gin. Local Crete red wine is not great but I still enjoyed a few glasses as you do. The beer was perfectly enjoyable and plentiful. Soft drinks are none branded but fine. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate etc are all available.

There is a cafe bar next to the beach as an option for lunch. They serve about 70 percent of the restaurant food which again was nice. Greek kebabs, salads and fries were all well received. They also do cookies and cakes as snacks. The kids were always snacking in between swimming and loved it.

They have an entertainment team of three people, two Romanian guys and a Lithuanian girl. They are brilliant and pitch it just right. They are multi lingual and grey fun. The Lithuanian girl couldn't be a better role model for young girls like mine. University student, speaks five languages, played UNO cards with them any time and was always smiling and singing. The guys were great fun and very fluent in different languages. Beach volleyball at 11 and
was the highlight of the morning then others did water polo, aerobics and table tennis. It's all really low key and pitched perfect as a bit of fun. Evening entertainment is as you would expect, Greek dancing, a band one night, bingo and quiz. That's all done outside and the bar area inside is quiet. People play cards, one couple even watched a film on a laptop. It's perfect for talking to kids, having a laugh and relaxing. Not lively though so don't come for that. The barman is a great bloke, old school barman who does great cocktails (that you pay for) and has a laugh and is great with kids.

The hotel itself is slightly dated in places. The bar and reception is new ish but the rooms are a bit dated. Everything is very clean though and they work hard for that. Once slight issue was power cuts, we had two and it cuts off the air con until it's re set the next day.

The staff are really very pleasant. Dora who is a waitress is lovely and works incredibly hard. Maria on reception couldn't do enough to help us with excursions etc.

One previous review mentioned a cockroach. We saw one in our bathroom but I'm afraid to say this is Greece and short of eradicating them from Greece you will see them. It's not a cleanliness issue it's the fact it's boiling hot and it's impossible to prevent in Mediterranean countries. It was a one off and caused us no issues at all.

Along the beach is a water sports outlet. They are very responsible and wouldn't take people out for a few days due to wind. It eventually calmed down and as a treat we took the kids on the banana boat which was pitched perfectly and great fun.

The hotel has a great international vibe. We met people from Russia, USA, Canada, Portugal, UK, Germany, France, etc. It's a real mix which I like.

Overall we had a great holiday. We got exactly what we wanted from our two weeks away. Great beach, lovely pool, short transfer, plentiful and decent food, great staff, clean hotel. If I had one bit of feedback for improvement it would be to increase the drinks selection.

Don't hesitate to book if you get the price you want. 👍

Excellent and so friendly

Irina K on 30/08/2017 07:28

Fantastic location, nice layout, very quality beach and pool, superb food and exceptional service! Evening entertainment included an excellent Greek music and dance night and a quality rockband. Thumbs up, we will be back for more!