Hotel Rinela Beach Hani Kokini
, Crete, Greece
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Hotel Rinela Beach Hani Kokini
, Crete
A great holiday despite the whinging poms
Submitted by: Steve Sharp in 18/09/05 - Age Group: 41 - 50
- From: United Kingdom
- Traveller type: Mature Couple
Holiday from Hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Submitted by: Mrs Helen Collins in 06/09/05 - Age Group: 31 - 40
- From: Greece
- Traveller type: Family Traveller
Well my family had worked hard for this holiday and paid alot of money and for what? We arrived at the hotel at lunch time on the 16th august with the excitment of having a wonderful holiday on our mind, oh how wrong could we be. 1. on arrival hotel looked great the reception was lovely as we checked in there was one rec staff shouting down the phone and the other shouting at my mother like she was a 12 year old child .
2.as we looked through doors of reception all that came to mind was butlins in the sun!! Then we got to our rooms we had to be the lucky ones they had given us v.i.p rooms lovely sea view right by the smaller of the 2 pools and mum was right next door.
Pools very dangerous, tiles loose and missing, water very dirty and it was salt not fresh with a nice green slime ring around the edge of both pools lots of bad accidents in the 2 weeks that we spent there with adults and children it was a nightmare.
There was no evening adult entertainment on top bar very boring and not alot to do out of the complex. The entertainment was great for the kids but could'nt stay there as room could only hold about 200 max and there was 1300 on site. Food was very nice which is more than I can say for most of the staff in dinning room, the waitress on the balcony was so nasty we stopped eating in there and went to eat in the beach dinner. We could only have waiter service in the evening so you could'nt go to the bar if you did you would be told to sit down what a way of saving money. On our 2nd week a porter decided to just let himself in to our room at 8.00am. We all laid in bed in shock with a big greek man stood at the foot of our bed with a welcome letter my husband took it off him and asked him to leave, I reported it to reception and told them how unhappy I was and she laughed at me by this time I was at boiling point! What a complete waste of money for 300 more we could have gone to Cancun I wish we had never ever again it was horrible I could just cry we worked so hard for this holiday. p.s it's also in the flight path we saw every belly on every plane they are that close I could see the pilot picking his nose!!!!!!!!!
2.as we looked through doors of reception all that came to mind was butlins in the sun!! Then we got to our rooms we had to be the lucky ones they had given us v.i.p rooms lovely sea view right by the smaller of the 2 pools and mum was right next door.
Pools very dangerous, tiles loose and missing, water very dirty and it was salt not fresh with a nice green slime ring around the edge of both pools lots of bad accidents in the 2 weeks that we spent there with adults and children it was a nightmare.
There was no evening adult entertainment on top bar very boring and not alot to do out of the complex. The entertainment was great for the kids but could'nt stay there as room could only hold about 200 max and there was 1300 on site. Food was very nice which is more than I can say for most of the staff in dinning room, the waitress on the balcony was so nasty we stopped eating in there and went to eat in the beach dinner. We could only have waiter service in the evening so you could'nt go to the bar if you did you would be told to sit down what a way of saving money. On our 2nd week a porter decided to just let himself in to our room at 8.00am. We all laid in bed in shock with a big greek man stood at the foot of our bed with a welcome letter my husband took it off him and asked him to leave, I reported it to reception and told them how unhappy I was and she laughed at me by this time I was at boiling point! What a complete waste of money for 300 more we could have gone to Cancun I wish we had never ever again it was horrible I could just cry we worked so hard for this holiday. p.s it's also in the flight path we saw every belly on every plane they are that close I could see the pilot picking his nose!!!!!!!!!
Not as good as i was expecting
Submitted by: Dawn in 02/09/05 - Age Group: 31 - 40
- From: United Kingdom
- Traveller type: Family Traveller
I have just returned from Rinela Beach, Me my partner and my 2 children aged 7 and 8. My children have never been abroad before and its been 11 years since we have been so we booked this holiday in january hoping it would be a little special and memorable... As we first walked in to the reception area it looked beautiful and very posh, but when we were shown to our room (in the 200 block) what a dissapointment, I have stayed in better at Butlins, it was dark and in need of refurbishment one of my kids had to sleep on a rusty old camp bed. The food was ok very repetative but they did cater for all different nationalities. The chinese restaurant is well worthy of a visit but we had to book this at half past 7 in the morming, but we were up at this time anyway because we had to put towels on the sunbeds to reserve them. I would say this hotel is a 3 star. The hotel looked shabby around the edges and the swimming pool had tiles missing. My children kept saying they were bored but they would not go to the kids club. The entertainment in the evening was the same every night (a few dances on the stage for the children). Overall we had a nice relaxing holiday but we wouldnt come here again, we payed nearley £3.000 for our holiday and I dont think we got our value for it. We heard no end of people complaining about their rooms to the receptionists, but they couldnt give a toss and they were just telling them to see the manager.
The best holiday you will ever experience
Submitted by: Kitty D. in 17/08/05 - Age Group: Under 18
- From: United Kingdom
- Traveller type: Young & Single
This was the most beautiful hotel and the animation team were fantastic. They made the holiday particularly kuku a funny entertainer, Magda a fantastic actress and of course the gorgeous Thomas who was an excellent all round entertainer. I will be a regular visiter to this hotel, enjoyment guaranteed!
Valuable experience
Submitted by: Mike Humphrey in 12/05/05 - Age Group: 51 - 60
- From: United Kingdom
- Traveller type: Family Traveller
My visit to Rinela Beach Hotel took place between 3 - 10 May 2005. Overall, I was very happy with my early season visit enjoying the package and warm sunny weather. I would estimate occupancy at about 60%. The UK agent was Sunstar Leisure, flights seemed to be through Olympic Odyssey and on Island administration and tour representation was by Aegean Travel. The 3 agencies mentioned above all fulfilled the contract and Sunstar kept me well informed. The Aegean agent's hotel visits were not well spaced through the week, 3 visits. However, she was contactable through an emergency number. Olympic Odyssey stated that they needed 48 hour confirmation of return flight booking but I did that through the Aegean Rep. Transfers to and from the Airport were efficiently conducted and the journey time between airport and hotel was about 15 minutes. Only 1 downside was beyond the tour operators. Queuing for check in was chaotic and poorly controlled with the choke point being the x-raying of baggage prior to check in. The departure lounge is quite inadequate for the number of departing passengers.
The Rinela Beach Hotel facilities can be seen on www.mitsis-rinelabeach.com. The site accurately gives the hotel facilities but all my emails were returned stating that the hotels mailbox was full. Before I follow the Hotel pattern with observations I will comment on some of the complaints I have seen. The Hotel is about 400 metres off the usual airport approach. The aircraft can be heard but I did not regard the noise as intrusive and could barely hear them when I was in my room. Reception staff always took a courteous approach to me but did show frustration towards a guest that could not speak a language with which they were not familiar. Waiting staff served drinks efficiently during waiter service only hours. There were no queues in either of the main or Taverna restaurants.
I stayed in a standard room that provided everything as advertised except for the music radio. No shampoo was given and the ration of soap a little meagre. Room maintenance was efficient. Storage is not great and laundry services are available at the hotel, not mentioned in any room brochures, or in the village about 800 metres from the hotel. The main restaurant and Taverna serve similar food that varies little from day to day. However, the choice was large although repetitions would be unavoidable during a 2 week stay. The Taverna requires booking at Reception either the day before for lunch bookings or the early morning for same day evening bookings. The Taverna is by the beach and convenient for those idling on the beach. Now note this. The Chinese was delicious despite a relatively small menu, very popular. You must book this 36 hours ahead. If you do not book between 0730 and 0830 the day before you want to eat Chinese you will not get a seat. And that was low season!! All day snacks are merely adequate. They fill a hole. The pools are clean and the sports programme is full. The activities are known as Animations' and although you are invited to participate there is no heavy pressure. During my stay there were no Animations on Monday. Some of the Animations are in the vicinity of the large pool and some people may think the noise intrusive so for those, select a bed by the small pool or the beach. Beach beds might be in short supply in the high season.
Prices in the Hotel Shop are expensive. You can buy 6 bottles of water for a few cents more in the village than 1 bottle in the Hotel Shop. However, newspapers such as the Mail and Mirror, published on the same day in Greece and available in the early same day morning are sold at the printed price. Think carefully before hiring a car. The bus runs from just outside the hotel giving regular and speedy access to Iraklion. Onward connections are also good. Additional to the tours operated by your tour companies there are at least 2 island tour operators situated in the adequate but not noisy village. Overall, this holiday filled all my expectations. I have no major gripes and am happy to recommend this holiday to anyone who has not previously tried an All Inclusive. Especially so if you take it out of high season. I arrived home relaxed and with fond memories of the hotel, village and the island. Importantly, I arrived home feeling in a relaxed state of mind but debating whether or not an All Inclusive offers all. At least for me. A valuable experience that lacked nothing but may not be quite my thing.
The Rinela Beach Hotel facilities can be seen on www.mitsis-rinelabeach.com. The site accurately gives the hotel facilities but all my emails were returned stating that the hotels mailbox was full. Before I follow the Hotel pattern with observations I will comment on some of the complaints I have seen. The Hotel is about 400 metres off the usual airport approach. The aircraft can be heard but I did not regard the noise as intrusive and could barely hear them when I was in my room. Reception staff always took a courteous approach to me but did show frustration towards a guest that could not speak a language with which they were not familiar. Waiting staff served drinks efficiently during waiter service only hours. There were no queues in either of the main or Taverna restaurants.
I stayed in a standard room that provided everything as advertised except for the music radio. No shampoo was given and the ration of soap a little meagre. Room maintenance was efficient. Storage is not great and laundry services are available at the hotel, not mentioned in any room brochures, or in the village about 800 metres from the hotel. The main restaurant and Taverna serve similar food that varies little from day to day. However, the choice was large although repetitions would be unavoidable during a 2 week stay. The Taverna requires booking at Reception either the day before for lunch bookings or the early morning for same day evening bookings. The Taverna is by the beach and convenient for those idling on the beach. Now note this. The Chinese was delicious despite a relatively small menu, very popular. You must book this 36 hours ahead. If you do not book between 0730 and 0830 the day before you want to eat Chinese you will not get a seat. And that was low season!! All day snacks are merely adequate. They fill a hole. The pools are clean and the sports programme is full. The activities are known as Animations' and although you are invited to participate there is no heavy pressure. During my stay there were no Animations on Monday. Some of the Animations are in the vicinity of the large pool and some people may think the noise intrusive so for those, select a bed by the small pool or the beach. Beach beds might be in short supply in the high season.
Prices in the Hotel Shop are expensive. You can buy 6 bottles of water for a few cents more in the village than 1 bottle in the Hotel Shop. However, newspapers such as the Mail and Mirror, published on the same day in Greece and available in the early same day morning are sold at the printed price. Think carefully before hiring a car. The bus runs from just outside the hotel giving regular and speedy access to Iraklion. Onward connections are also good. Additional to the tours operated by your tour companies there are at least 2 island tour operators situated in the adequate but not noisy village. Overall, this holiday filled all my expectations. I have no major gripes and am happy to recommend this holiday to anyone who has not previously tried an All Inclusive. Especially so if you take it out of high season. I arrived home relaxed and with fond memories of the hotel, village and the island. Importantly, I arrived home feeling in a relaxed state of mind but debating whether or not an All Inclusive offers all. At least for me. A valuable experience that lacked nothing but may not be quite my thing.
Read 4 additional reviews of Hotel Rinela Beach Hani Kokini at TripAdvisor.
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"A great holiday despite the whinging poms" - Steve Sharp
"Holiday from Hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" - Mrs Helen Collins
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My wife and I nearly cancelled our holiday having read a review giving the Rinela Beach Resort just 2/10. We now know this to be totally unjust.
However we have just returned from a fantastic holiday which if there was to be a complaint it was about the number of embarrassing whinging Brits complaining about every litte irrelevance from the tea being the wrong type to there being no bacon at breakfast !!!.
The resort by Greek standards is definitely 4/5 star. The food is superb and the selection and number of permutations amazing, for the money paid. Inj fact the last time I saw such an enormous breakfast buffet was in The Marriot, Orange County California, BUT that was $250/ night not £400 a week !.
The weather was superb and the entertainment a treat that made a good holiday, great - it was amazing to see a group of young people work so hard at entertaining and in several different languages - one of the shows put on was in German - who complained - yes you've got it - only the Brits.
If you take this resort at face value, look at what you pay and what is on offer in a poor part of europe and all in all the value is there for all to see.
Had I paid £3000 for a week then I probably would have been disappointed , but I did not, and made the best of what was available - great food ,free entertainment -free drinks all week, free watersports, cleanliness in and out of the room, spotless in and around the pool and the rest of the resort.
My wife and I had a wonderful week spoilt only by our fellow countrymen whinging about anything they could find to moan about. In fact one moron I heard moan about the planes fly by, who had booked from the same company as me, must have seen as we did, that the resort was 17km from the airport ???? -
Finally if anyone reads and takes in the garbage and unfair slating written by Mrs Helen Collins about this resort they will find it very different on arrival.
Her comments were a source of entertainment amongst the Brits who were there to enjoy themselves.
A big thanks to the resort and an even bigger thanks to the entertainment team.