Grecotel Lux Me White Palace

Please be wary of reviews from people with one or two reviews. They are mostly fake. If you are thinking of staying here please read on..

Firstly. The hotel mostly doesn't look like it does on its website. The photos they use are very economical with the truth (that amazing looking restaurant with the sunken seating with sea all around it? Its on the second floor. Your room (see attached image). The photos make it look modern but please be aware this is very much an 80s hotel with paper thin walls and a couple of updates since then. It desperately needs some TLC. Even the windows in the main restaurant/breakfast/buffet are dirty. If like us you use/have used British Airways for holidays in Crete then this hotel isn't for you. This is very much a TUI/JET2 hotel. I will be going back to Elounda next time. If you want to get drunk all day and stuff your face whilst your child runs around screaming then it is perfect. If you are a childless couple or travelling without your kids I really wouldn't do it. This is very much a childs hotel. Even in the bar at 11pm they are running around screaming. IT'S LOUD (especially in the mornings).

CHECK-IN... A man we can barely understand leads us very quickly to our room which we find isn't ready and hasn't been cleaned. There are ants all around the bin the bedroom where a previous guest had left food. He explains there is four different pillows (bizarre) on the bed and we are to decide which we like and order more. But there is no way of knowing which is which.

RECEPTION... The staff just don't understand English. It's as simple as that. They end up inadvertently lying to you because they don't understand you. and they just aren't interested in helping you. If you call they can't understand you so ask you to walk to reception. Any questions at reception and they have to refer you to their boss who is totally harassed and in the wrong line of work. She has zero people skills.She told us to wear ear-plugs when we told her we had screaming kids either side of our (petit-yali) accommodation and a man above us who dragged furniture around til 1am and again from 8am. We asked to be moved during our second week (it got busier in our part of the hotel but not all the others. One similar area (palace suites) was almost completely empty but they wouldn't move us there. They like to keep you bunched together so its easier for the cleaners. We were in the rethmynon suites (wouldn't recommend it) and they offered us a room two doors down which wouldn't have made much difference.

FOOD... Food is of a high standard for this amount of people. Breakfast is manic but managed pretty well considering. As long as you don't want warm eggs or an omlette in which case there is one person serving a queue of about 5 people at any given time. Breakfast has a large variety of stuff and is generally good quality.

Lunch is a bit different. Shortly after we arrived the greek restaurant closed for lunch and the only options were an 'Italian' (its not that Italian) but does do decent pizzas or the buffet. I wasn't a huge fan of the buffet at lunch but again it was pretty good considering although it seemed to be the same every day. So if you are staying a while you are gonna be stuck for lunch options. You could order off the italian menu from the nearby pool or there was a pretty decent menu at the activities pool.

Staff at the italian and greek seemed pretty freerange with no real methodology and seemed to be running around like headless chickens (italian) or totally disappearing halfway through your meal (greek). In general the hotel needs better focus on staff and staff training.

The Asian restaurant, Lobster restaurant and the white restaurant were of very high quality. Luckily we'd booked before arrival. The staff here were more professional and organised. These three were a high point.

AGROFARM.. Go. Loads of nice food, animals and a lovely sunset view.

WIFI.. isn't great. Average below 20 mbps and drops out a lot

AIRCON .. is very old and only has low, medium or high without a thermostat so you will probably either be too hot (my neighbours) or too cold (us). For some reason our room was really cold at night even without aircon so luckily we didn't need the aircon.

CLEANERS .. are very friendly but very loud. Most of our wing were woken at 7am by loud mopping of the corridor and then the cleaners arrive. Once the loud families have gone to breakfast the cleaners are straight in their room making noise. There is a fanatical/manic approach to cleaning.

DAYTIME/POOL .. During our stay we had several bizarre incidents. A bulldozer came along and spent half a day making loads of noise on the beach moving seaweed around which seemed pretty unnecessary and could have been done out of season. We also had a large Alsation run into our pool area and try and get into several rooms. I couldn't locate his owner and reception didn't understand me when I said a large dog could be a problem as there were lots of babies around the pool area.

OTHER STAFF/FACILITIES.. None of the staff here wear name badges ( I wonder why!) and therefore I'm very skeptical about all the glowing reviews praising them by name. The ones who introduced themselves to me (Yorgos - breakfast usher) and Michael (pool side barman) were both lovely and really good at their jobs. But on Michaels days off we had nobody come to fetch orders (twice!)

SUNSET BAR .. This was a lively buzzy bar. With entertainment most nights of the week. The staff here were all really nice and service was good. One night an extremely intoxicated man ruined the bar area for many and security took too long to deal with him and he was served far too many drinks.

SPA .. Pretty expensive. Had an ok massage which was $150 euros.

RETHMYNON .. There is a bus that leaves literally from the steps of the hotel and takes 30 mins into rethmynon. You buy tickets for it from the hotel mini supermarket. Rethmynon old town is very very pretty and very busy. I would definitely visit. We visited two restaurants recommended by the hotel and both were amazing. They were Prima Plora and Avli. If you are into your food these two are very very good. If you aren't bothered just stay at the buffet.

CONCLUSION .. Really depends what you want from a holiday. I want to relax in peace, catch up on sleep, not get drunk, not be anti-social and be aware of everybody else's enjoyment. If you aren't bothered by any of that and want to get drunk and be loud you will have a good time.

COMPLAINTS/GENERAL MANAGER .. The general manager will email you asking how your stay was. This is either just as you are about to leave or when you have left. I have passed on my comments to him and haven't received a reply two days later.

From the moment we booked until the day we left, this was genuinely one of the best holiday experiences we have ever had. The hotel itself is stunning. The facilities are immaculate, beautifully maintained, and clearly managed to an exceptionally high standard. The food was outstanding throughout our stay, with a fantastic choice of restaurants and plenty of opportunities to experience them all. What truly sets this hotel apart, however, is the service. Before we even arrived, I had been corresponding with Nineta to arrange a special experience for my wife's 40th birthday. My wife is pregnant, and I had quite a few requests and last-minute changes due to weather disruptions. Throughout the entire process, Nineta was professional, responsive, thoughtful, and incredibly accommodating. When our planned private beach dinner had to be cancelled because of the weather, the team immediately found ways to preserve the surprise and make the day special. Flowers and a birthday card were arranged in the restaurant, and the birthday balloons were discreetly placed in our room while we were at lunch so my wife could still enjoy the surprise. When the private dinner was eventually rearranged, we were led to a beautiful surprise location on the beach, where we watched a stunning sunset and were treated like royalty. It was a magical experience that we will never forget. What impressed us most was how every member of staff made us feel genuinely valued. We weren't treated as just another room number; we were made to feel special throughout our stay. The care shown towards my wife was also exceptional. Because the team had been informed that she was pregnant, every restaurant was aware and took extra care to ensure menu choices were suitable. That level of attention to detail and communication across the hotel was remarkable and gave us real confidence and peace of mind. I would also like to recognise the hotel's welcoming and inclusive atmosphere. We felt completely comfortable, respected, and valued throughout our stay, which contributed enormously to what was already a fantastic holiday. A heartfelt thank you to Nineta and the entire team for creating memories that we will cherish for many years to come. We cannot wait to return. Highly recommended. ❤️🌅🍽️