This summer, Stephi toured the Mediterranean with a focus on the Greek Islands. When choosing hotels, I wanted to try to avoid chains and stay in primarily locally owned hotels. I figured it'd be a waste to stay in an internationally owned chain hotel in a country with as much character as Greece. In addition, I wanted the majority of my Euros spent in Greece to stay in Greece given their recent economic issues.
I chose Renieris hotel from a combination of their high Trip Advisor score, their location, and how helpful the owner Giorgos was. This guy was great, I emailed him probably close to 30 times prior to the trip with questions all about Chania and Western Crete. He told me many different beaches, restaurants, activities, and things to check out that I would have definitely missed were it not for his advice. He even gave me a bottle of olive oil when I checked out as a gift.
This hotel is actually in Stalos, just outside of Chania. For anyone visiting Chania, I'd recommend to stay in this area if you prefer a more quiet and serene experience. In the summer, Crete is LOADED with tourists in the big cities. If you are coming to Crete to relax, stay here and then just take the bus (station just outside the hotel) into Chania. We had a car, but would actually recommend the bus. Even a taxi could be hired pretty inexpensively to get into Chania if needed.
The beach just outside the hotel was calm, relaxing, and quiet. The beaches in the more heavily touristy areas were not as nice in my opinion and they were more crowded. After all, people come to Crete mainly for the beaches, not for the cities. If you plan to hike the Samaria Gorge, that is also not difficult to get to from this hotel's location and there are tours available if you prefer.
The prices vary per room and date, but are VERY reasonable by Western standards. My favorite thing to do here was to order in room service and just sit on the balcony taking photographs of the view. The room service menu is your basic pub food. There's plenty of restaurants in the area if you prefer some traditional Greek cuisine. If you're on a budget though, you can eat at the hotel for about 3 or 4 Euro per meal, that's a good deal! The hotel has breakfast, wi-fi, a computer station, a nice pool, poolside snack bar, and is perched atop a hill providing the best view of the beach.
Overall, if you need a base in Western Crete, don't stay in Chania, I'd recommend this hotel based on location, value, helpfulness of staff, and atmosphere.
For more information, photos, location, or contact info:
http://www.renierishotel.gr/
Enjoy your time in Crete!
-Jason of TWiBT
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