Recharging in Style: Our Stay at The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete, Curio Collection by Hilton (Review)
Hilton's expansion in Europe doesn't stop in Greece either, The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete, Curio Collection by Hilton is the first Hilton branded hotel in Crete. We were able to visit it in its second season after opening and want to share our impression with you here.
LOCATION
The Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete, Curio Collection by Hilton is located pretty much in the middle of nowhere relatively in the center of the island of Crete. It is about equidistant from the two major cities of Chania & Heraklion, that both have an airport and cruise ship port, a little over an hour each by car.
Due to the location, it is highly recommended to take a rental car for the stay, which fortunately usually very cheap on the island. This is not only necessary for the journey, if you want to explore the surroundings or even the entire island, you will be lost without a car. Just for the dinners in the neighboring villages, this is very helpful, because there is hardly anything to reach on foot.
By the way, parking is included free of charge at the hotel.
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PROPERTY
The resort is located on a hillside, so all rooms have a direct view of the sea and there is never a building in the way of the unobstructed view. On the lowest level of the hotel you will find the front office building with check-in, a small market, the main restaurant where the breakfast buffet is served, the large outdoor pools and pool bar. The next floors are mainly occupied by the villas and rooms, with a few restaurants in between. On the right side of the site there is a large part dedicated mainly to children - in addition to a small water park with slide, there is also a supervised Kids Club, so the complex is also very attractive for families.
ARRIVAL, LOBBY & CHECK-IN
We arrived at the hotel with our rental car and parked directly in front of the entrance to the front office building. A friendly employee helped us directly with the unloading of the luggage and also took care of it immediately. He also parked our car while we could already go to the check-in.
Once inside the building, we were greeted in a very friendly manner and led to a comfortable seating area. Immediately, we were served a small platter of various snacks, two drinks, and a wet towel to freshen up. A staff member asked for our passports and credit card to complete check-in while we enjoyed the Greek specialties. We have rarely experienced a more pleasant form of check-in.
Our Diamond Benefits were explained to us and we were given an upgrade from the standard room we had booked.
ROOM
KING FAMILY SUITE WITH SEA VIEW
Instead of the standard room we booked, we were upgraded to a King Family Suite with Sea View (40 sq. m./430 sq. ft.). This is about 8 sq. m. larger than the standard room and the living area is equipped with two sofa beds, so up to four people can stay in the suite. Immediately after entering the suite you will find the restroom on one side and the shower on the other side. The sinks are located outside, they are already in the room, there is one on each side. Next to it, you will find a closet on each side.
The bed is in the middle of the room with its back to the entrance door, there are dressers to the right and left of the bed, the TV is mounted on the left wall.
This is followed by a divider with a sliding door to the living room area of the suite. Here you'll find a sofa bed on each side, another TV and a small coffee table.
In our case, this was followed by an outdoor terrace with a relatively large garden area with great views of the sea. We missed a few sun loungers to enjoy the green area here, unfortunately even when asked we were told that this was not provided for the suite and no additional loungers were available. These were mainly located in the suites with pool access. Too bad, this would have been a nice addition. We hope that the hotel will still improve here, because this would certainly be a good way to compensate for the lack of direct pool access for many.
Incidentally, six of the nine room categories have direct access to either a shared pool or even a private pool. In addition to the two entry-level room categories, the Family Suite is unfortunately also one of them, although it is already the fifth category in terms of price and smaller rooms already have it.
ROYAL SENSES VILLA WITH SEA VIEW AND PRIVATE POOL
Since the hotel's booking situation eased considerably towards the end of our stay, after a bit of flirting we were offered the chance to try the highest room category currently available as a free upgrade for our last night, which we were of course very happy to accept.
The 84 sq. m. (904 sq. ft.) villa is located in the top row of the hotel's hillside buildings, so you'll have the widest view of the sea from there. The two-story villa welcomes you on the lower floor with a spacious living room equipped with a large sitting area with TV, a large dining table, and a bathroom with shower and guest toilet. On the ground level terrace you will find a (unfortunately unheated) private pool, a dining table for four people and two comfortable sun loungers.
The upper floor, accessible by a winding staircase, contains the Master Bedroom, a dressing room and a large bathroom. In addition to a sensational view from the bed, there is also a small sun terrace with a sun bed, which, due to a relatively high wall when lying down, does not offer the best view, but all the more privacy.
WIFI SPEED
As always, we measured the wifi speed while sitting on the bed. We were able to measure an average download speed of 42.5 MBit/s and an upload speed of 34.4 MBit/s. Generally a sufficient speed for modern remote working, our requirements were met.
ROOM TEMPERATURE
The air conditioning worked well, the lowest temperature we could measure in the rooms during our stay was 15.3 C, definitely too cold. However, especially on hot summer days the strong performance of the system will be useful.
HOUSEKEEPING
We were very pleased with the housekeeping team, our room was very clean and was always made neat and on time. We ordered extra pillows late in the evening, they were delivered after about 20 minutes. Due to the size of the resort and the fact that every task has to start with a ride on the Club Cart, we found this very speedy.
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BREAKFAST
The breakfast buffet is located in the main restaurant at the foot of the slope. There is a large indoor and outdoor area overlooking the pool area and the sea in the distance. The buffet itself is one of the most extensive buffets we have experienced in Europe.
Every wish is fulfilled, besides a large selection of all the usual dishes, there was also a good selection of Greek specialties. The extensive salad buffet and the area of sweets and desserts also stood out, surpassing many city hotel buffets in size and selection. Of course, there was also an Egg Station, where fresh food was prepared to order.
LOUNGE
Unfortunately, there is no lounge at the hotel.
RESTAURANTS & BARS
The hotel offers seven different restaurants and bars:
CRETAMOS
A sophisticated restaurant that offers elevated Cretan cuisine with stunning views. It takes inspiration from traditional Cretan grandmothers' recipes and serves them with the best Cretan wines.
EUPHORIA POOL BAR
A perfect place to relax and unwind by the pool. They serve refreshing drinks made with local herbs and frozen cocktails.
GEA
The main restaurant at Royal Senses, serving the breakfast buffet as well as colorful community buffets for lunch and dinner. You can enjoy a variety of fresh-cooked vegetables and light meat options at GEA's buffets.
MITATO
This restaurant specializes in traditional Cretan lamb dishes served from a round grill. They offer shared platters for couples and groups.
PLATIA
A lively marketplace with a variety of local fare and drinks. You can find sandwiches, mezze, gyros, cheeses, and Cretan drinks here. They also have pop-up shops from local restaurants and stores.
SPHERE SNACK BAR
A snack bar by the Aqua park where you can enjoy delicious and tempting snacks while embracing the fun and healing qualities of water.
ZENO LOBBY BAR
An easygoing bar that offers cocktails with Cretan liquors like Raki and local extras like honey, berries, and grapes. They also have a Raki flight with matching snacks, which is a definite highlight.
ROOM SERVICE
Of course, there is also room service in the hotel, so you can also dine in a private atmosphere in your own room or terrace. A special highlight if you have a room with a private pool is the Floating Breakfast, which is served directly in the pool. One of the best options to experience breakfast.
GYM
Of course, there is a modern and spacious gym, so that fitness needs are not neglected during the trip.
POOL
In addition to the many private pools at the rooms, the hotel offers four more public pools. There are two huge long pools at the bottom of the slope that are perfect for swimming long laps. One of the two is heated, while the second pool is filled with seawater and is unheated. Additionally, there is a smaller non-swimmer pool on the same level.
The fourth pool is an indoor/outdoor pool and is located in front of the spa area. Among other things, it allows you to relax in the water.
In addition, there is a large Aqua Splash Park for children, so that even the little ones are kept busy. It should be mentioned that there is of course also a Kids Club with supervision, so that parents can also enjoy a few hours in peace.
BEACH ACCESS
There's also direct beach access through the partnership with the sister hotel on the other side of the main road. There is a free shuttle between the two hotels several times a day. As usual on the island, however, it is a rather stony beach with dark sand.
SPA
The spa area itself contains a sauna, a steam room and a cretan hammam, in addition to the pool area. Of course, various treatments can be booked.
OVERALL SERVICE
The entire team was very eager in all areas to make every wish possible for the guest, we were very satisfied. They also thought ahead. For example, we had a maintenance employee for a repair in the room, who then informed the housekeeping team independently to have the dirt removed.
STAY DETAILS
We visited the facility in early October 2022 for five nights and used points to pay for it. Our stay cost 260,000 points for the entire time, as usual with points stays, the fifth night was free. Since we booked on very short notice this was very worthwhile. Depending on the season, the standard room costs between 200 € and 450 € per night, if booked in time.
STATUS RECOGNITION
We received a great recognition of our Diamond status, starting with an upgrade, which was further changed to the highest category available for our last night. Of course, the full breakfast was included free of charge and we found a gigantic welcome gift in the room. We were also able to get a later check-out on the day of departure without any problems and free of charge.
SUMMARY
Hilton's first resort in Crete invites you to relax. All rooms have excellent sea view, most of them have direct access to a pool. The large complex offers not only a great spa facility to relax with large outdoor pools for swimming but also has a huge water park for children and several good restaurants with delicious cuisine.
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