Rimondi Grand Hotel And Spa Resort

H

★☆☆☆☆ If it wasn’t for the amazing guests I met during my stay, I genuinely would have booked a flight home early. The people were the only thing that made this holiday enjoyable and created a far better atmosphere than the hotel itself. Unfortunately, everything else was a huge disappointment and this is nowhere near a 5-star hotel. The food was repetitive, low quality and quickly became something I dreaded. The snacks were clearly frozen and tasted terrible. For an all-inclusive hotel, I was shocked to find that you have to pay extra for coffee, certain drinks are only available at specific times, and after 11pm you have to pay for food and drinks. Calling this all-inclusive is very misleading. The reception staff were by far the worst part of the hotel. Every interaction felt like they were more interested in making money than helping guests. Customer service was practically non-existent. I lost my glasses during my stay and when I asked for assistance, I was shown a box full of lost glasses but only allowed to look at three pairs. I was also told that the CCTV did not cover the area where I lost them, despite there being a camera clearly visible directly above that exact location. The whole situation was handled poorly and left me feeling completely dismissed. The hotel offers virtually no entertainment and very little atmosphere. The gym is not a gym at all—just a dull room with a few pieces of poor-quality equipment. They are also incredibly stingy with towels, and there isn’t even a room service phone in the rooms, which is something you would expect from a hotel claiming to be 5-star. The only staff members who deserve praise are the kitchen and bar staff. They were friendly, hardworking and always pleasant to deal with. They deserve far better management than they currently have. Overall, this hotel falls well below the standard it advertises. The facilities, food, customer service and all-inclusive package were all disappointing. Management needs a complete rethink because the hotel is being carried by its hardworking bar and kitchen staff and the friendly guests who stay there. I would not return and would not recommend this hotel to anyone expecting a genuine 5-star experience.

paul sharples

I’ve read some pretty shocking reviews both before our trip and since I returned some of which is perfectly justified but a lot I feel unfair. The hotel itself was lovely. Very clean and well laid out / maintained. There are 4 spotless pool areas and a kids pool. The view from the adult pool over the sea as the sun goes down is amazing. Sadly they all close at 6pm though. The staff as a general rule were very nice but there were exceptions with one in particular we dreaded having to deal with on a nightly basis. Another I saw daily was a delight and very helpful. I really enjoyed the food. Is it gourmet cuisine? No, but I found a large variety of different things to choose from and it was all very fresh and tasty. The fruit, veg, pastas and salads I thought were excellent. Food was available from different locations all day as a snack bar serving pizza, pasta and drinks was available near the main 2 pools until dinner in the evening. The included drinks were ok but nothing to write home about. Cocktails from a premix machine and warm wine. It is very remote and anyone travelling there needs to be aware of this. The nearby beach is poor and even that is a 20 minute walk away. We visited once for an hour was happy we hadn’t gone sooner. If you’re looking for somewhere to sit and relax for a week then this is perfect for you. There is nothing to do but sit and drink in the evenings though. Rethymno is about 20 minutes drive away and an amazing place but at 23 euros one way for a taxi the price can clock up if you go nightly. Overall we really enjoyed our stay. Is it perfect? No but for the money paid it really couldn’t be faulted too much.

James Fielden

RG Village Hotel is a fascinating place if you’ve ever wondered what happens when “all-inclusive” is treated as a creative writing exercise. The area is lovely, and the bar and restaurant staff were genuinely friendly and hardworking. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the management and reception team, who often seemed annoyed that guests existed at all. Several things advertised before arrival had mysteriously disappeared by the time we got there, and there always seemed to be another little charge waiting around the corner. “All-inclusive” comes with more terms and conditions than you’d expect. The evenings were very quiet, with little entertainment or much to do. My personal highlight was paying extra for a late checkout and then being told my suitcase couldn’t be left where the security camera could see it and had to be hidden around the corner instead. An interesting approach to security. Overall, the location deserves far better than the hotel. It felt like a business focused on extracting every extra euro while providing the bare minimum in return. I won’t be returning, and I’d recommend others read the reviews carefully before booking.

Rhyanna Miller

This hotel advertises itself as a 5-star resort, but based on my experience, it falls far short of that standard. I visited a few years ago and was disappointed to find that the quality has declined significantly since then. Most of the staff were pleasant and helpful, but one woman on reception was particularly rude and unhelpful. It also felt as though there were extra charges for almost everything. For an all-inclusive resort charging 5-star prices, this was extremely frustrating. The room was actually quite nice and was probably the only genuinely positive part of our stay. It was clean, comfortable, and well maintained. Unfortunately, the rest of the hotel did not live up to the same standard. The food was one of the biggest disappointments. The selection was very limited, and the quality was poor. There were few choices available, especially in the evenings. They didn’t even serve chips at night but instead offered dishes such as rabbit, which felt like an odd choice given the lack of more basic options. The salads rarely looked fresh, and overall the dining experience was well below what I would expect from a hotel claiming to be 5-star. To make matters worse, we occasionally received dirty plates in the restaurant, which is completely unacceptable for a hotel of this supposed standard. The all-inclusive cocktails were equally disappointing. They were often served only half full and, regardless of which one I tried, they all tasted unpleasant. Only after 7pm, off-brand spirits such as vodka and gin seemed to be available, and any on brand liquers were extra charge, which again is not what you would expect from a 5-star all-inclusive resort. We also noticed that glasses at the bar were sometimes dirty, further adding to the poor impression. The location was quite far from the town centre, although we were aware of this before booking so would not normally criticise it. However, because the food and drinks at the hotel were so poor, we found ourselves wishing we had stayed closer to town where there were better alternatives. This was made even more frustrating by the fact that the bus service back from town stopped at 7pm. Overall, I would not recommend this hotel to anyone expecting a genuine 5-star experience. In my opinion, it is closer to an overpriced 3-star property at best. Aside from the room itself, there was very little to justify the price, and there are far better places to spend your money.

Hugo Beanland

A genuinely relaxing holiday destination. We had a private pool room which faced East, got all of the afternoon and evening sun and was fantastic. The bar and restaurant staff are all very friendly, helpful and welcoming. Would also recommend going to the restaurant (Paraplous) advertised in the hotel with 10% off. HIGHLY recommend. Some of the best food and drinks we've had in a long time and is right on the beachfront. Pros: - Free hotel shuttle to the beach and restaurant. (There's a little supermarket a 5min walk from here too) - VERY well kept hotel, always clean. - Loads of sunbeds by the pools and extra seating around the hotel. - 2x adult only pools. - Friendly Staff - Food was good with a slight change in variety, but always had some tasty things. - Bedroom Aircon was amazing. Cons: - Uncomfortable beds with really firm pillows. - Rooms are about noisy, you can hear furniture being dragged around and doors being shut in other rooms. Woke me up in the morning a couple of times. - Check out, they cut your all-inclusive wrist band off and tell you that you can't use any of the restaurants or bars... (We paid for late check out until 5pm, with an airport transfer at 7:30pm and we're told at 5pm that we couldn't use the bars or restaurants afterwards) - Quite far if you wanted to walk anywhere.