The Syntopia Hotel

“The Epitome of Rest and Relaxation”

Overall this has to be one of the most chilled hotels we’ve visited. Location - 10 mins from Rethymno and a short walk to a local beach. Atmosphere - Zen music is played by the pools everyday. (Sunday has a DJ). Rooms - Spotless. Has everything you need, bed is comfy, big shower with good pressure.… more

Overall this has to be one of the most chilled hotels we’ve visited. Location - 10 mins from Rethymno and a short walk to a local beach. Atmosphere - Zen music is played by the pools everyday. (Sunday has a DJ). Rooms - Spotless. Has everything you need, bed is comfy, big shower with good pressure. Noise Level - crickets are present at all times, however adds to the background noise nicely. Service - efficient and with a smile. Pool boys by main pool were super quick. Pools - 3 pools. Main pool has plenty of sunbeds, although “floating beds” are reserved/taken by 8am. There are plenty of other beds available and the Jungle Pool always has space. Jungle pool was the best pool for me as it was so relaxed. Rooftop pool is more of a dip in and out pool, but we used the rooftop bar for drinks in the evenings occasionally (they put on a special gin night - sunset was sensational). Food - very high standard, enough choice for weeks stay, they do theme nights (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday). Plenty of meats/fish, salads and desserts. Ice cream outside of lunch/dinner is €3.50 from one of the bar fridges. Drinks - everything you will need is all inclusive. Cocktails are frozen during the day (otherwise you have to pay), then after 5:30 the spritz’s are not frozen and free. Gym - Max 4 people, and enough equipment for 4 people to exercise adequately.

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“Thank you Syntopia”

We had a truly wonderful holiday from start to finish. This hotel is a real haven behind its whitewashed walls, with a peaceful, relaxing retreat feel that made it easy to unwind from the moment we arrived. Everything was faultless. The staff were warm and welcoming, the rooms were beautifully pre… more

We had a truly wonderful holiday from start to finish. This hotel is a real haven behind its whitewashed walls, with a peaceful, relaxing retreat feel that made it easy to unwind from the moment we arrived. Everything was faultless. The staff were warm and welcoming, the rooms were beautifully presented, and every detail had clearly been thoughtfully considered. The atmosphere throughout the hotel was calm and tranquil, making it the perfect place to relax and recharge. The location was ideal too, with several bars, restaurants, and shops just a short walk away. The stunning and charming Old Town was easily reached by a short bus ride or taxi, making it the perfect base to explore the area while enjoying the hotel's peaceful surroundings. We left feeling completely refreshed and wouldn't hesitate to return. Highly recommended.

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“Excellent!”

I booked this holiday a few months ago with my boyfriend, we stayed for a week at the end of June 2026. We had the most wonderful time, the hotel is spotless & exceptional service all round. The staff were incredibly helpful & nothing was ever too much bother for them. The Canteen which provides yo… more

I booked this holiday a few months ago with my boyfriend, we stayed for a week at the end of June 2026. We had the most wonderful time, the hotel is spotless & exceptional service all round. The staff were incredibly helpful & nothing was ever too much bother for them. The Canteen which provides your snacks throughout the day between 10.30-6.00pm was amazing, the quality of food was fabulous & the chef was so kind & helpful. The only downfall I would say is that the all inclusive buffet is VERY SMALL. There isn't a lot to choose from & the variety isn't great either. The hotel was based in a very good location to Rethimyno. This is a must visit, the old town their is beautiful. Chania is also gorgeous in the evening, by the port, this is a must have visit! We travelled to WaterCity Water Park, one day which was about 1 hour 20 minutes away, closer to Heraklion, hiring a car if you want to go out of the days is essential as everything is quite far apart from one another. If you want to visit a really lovely beach, Elafonssi is stunning. It's about a 2 hour 30 minute drive but wow is it worth it! The clear water & the views are incredible. I would 100% recommend this hotel & location :) My boyfriend & I had a lovely stay, thank you so much.

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“Actual Review, of Actual Things.”

Everyone on here has spoken about the sunbed saga, I was so worried before we came but honestly this is just a genuine non-concern. Still here now writing this review. There are 3 pools, the hotel website is not great at demonstrating this. The main pool which is in all the photos, the 'jungle' p… more

Everyone on here has spoken about the sunbed saga, I was so worried before we came but honestly this is just a genuine non-concern. Still here now writing this review. There are 3 pools, the hotel website is not great at demonstrating this. The main pool which is in all the photos, the 'jungle' pool which is the opposite side, and the rooftop pool. Of all the hotels I have stayed at, this is the easiest to get a sunbed by far. If you want a sunbed at the 'main' instagram pool, then you need to be up at 6am. But this is literally pointless. There is genuinely no benefit, people eat at the restaurant there and stare at the sunbeds, they have breakfast next to the sunbeds, zero privacy there. Let the influencers be influencers, and look to the next two pools. Round the sound of the hotel is the Jungle pool, absolutely fine here, great pool, a personal bar, and multiple beds still available at 9-10am. Rooftop pool opens at 10:30, queues start forming around 10:05ish for the British, however if you are any other nationality you just drop into the queue whereever you want. I've found multiple times asking the German's who just got out the lift to stand behind me. However, this is again, fully optional. Even after the queue to the rooftop pool there are still sunbeds available after everyone has filtered through. Service throughout the hotel is exceptional. Everyone is just smiley, friendly, and all over making sure you are ok. The waitresses around the pool are consistently asking if you want drinks, more so than any other hotel I have stayed in. The scent of the hotel is fantastic, they sell oil, candles and reed diffusers in the shop on site to take home. They also sell local fragrances which we loved so much we bought 2x of one of them (midnight dahlia, you will smell this and buy it, I already know). The food is a 7/10, good for an all inclusive, but it is not ground breaking. There is plenty of salad, but the fruit selection is limited (this is one of the reasons I believe it's lacking its 5th star - eg, no berries, no cherries, only citrus and kiwi fruits, along with apples). The salad selection (eg. premade like Caesar etc. is incredible) and the chips for an all inclusive are very very good. Tossed in rosemary and rock salt. The gym is small but adequate. There is a cable machine with two cables, two benches, a range of dumbbells upto 25kg and a barbell which I'm sure you could get to 50kg if required. 2 treadmills and a rower. You need to book this on the app, 99% of the time this is adhered to, but sometimes you can just rock up and go in, nobody will complain. Drinks are fine, free flowing. However, the biggie is that the cocktails available until like 6-7pm are frozen only. They're in big slushy machines which I imagine is to save time. This is genuinely the biggest letdown of the whole hotel. I understand that the service is very fast because of this (we've all been there when Sandra orders 2x Strawberry margs and a standard mojito but with no ice, 30 min delay), but it would be nice to have the option of just premade cocktails in a normal drink. Evening entertainment is just perfect. If you don't fancy it, no issue. Have a few beers inside, or venture outside the hotel. There are hundreds are bars and restrautants, supermarkets and cafes within a few hundred meters. It feels super safe also. Plenty of women walking around solo without any fear of grief or hassle, very very safe. The beach we never went to in the day, but in the evening you MUST go and watch the sunset at the Roulis bar, it's cheap, and the setting is like nothing else. I've never seen skies like it, they look fake on pictures it's that good. Food is amazing although we didn't eat there as hotel food genuinely just fine. Overall, 9/10. Missing a 5th star because of the cocktails being frozen and not custom made through the day. Do not believe the sunbed saga stories honestly, relax and enjoy probably one of the best looking hotels you've ever experienced.

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