Hotel Heracles

Top choice in Rethymno Province


These five balconied rooms are quiet, spotless and simply furnished, but it’s the charming and softly spoken Heracles himself who makes the place so special. Intimately familiar with the area, he's happy to put you on to the right hiking trail, birdwatching site or hidden beach. Optional breakfasts (from €4.50) feature local eggs and an array of homemade marmalades.

Heracles also rents two apartments in the traditional 200-year-old Cretan house where his great grandfather grew up. The apartments have wonderful historical features and great views over the Lefka Ori (White Mountains).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Rethymno Province attractions

1. Folk Museum of Spili

0.13 MILES

Up a footpath at the northern end of town, this place is a treasure trove of local vintage artefacts. The giant loom or the coffee-bean roaster might…

2. Monastery

0.14 MILES

Spili is a bishop’s see (seat of a bishop), based at the massive modern monastery on the main road at the western end of town. You’re free to walk around…

3. Venetian Fountain

0.2 MILES

The main local attraction is this restored fountain that spurts water from 19 stone lion heads into a long trough. Fill up your own bottle with some of…

4. Maravel Garden

0.4 MILES

On the western outskirts of town are these botanical gardens filled with an aromatic variety of plant species from Crete and across the globe. You're free…

5. Preveli Beach

5.74 MILES

Also known as Palm Beach, dazzling Preveli is one of Crete’s most celebrated strands. At the mouth of the Kourtaliotiko Gorge, where the river…

6. Moni Preveli

5.82 MILES

Historic Moni Preveli cuts an imposing silhouette high above the Libyan Sea. Like most Cretan monasteries, it was a centre of resistance during the…

7. Triopetra

7.05 MILES

Separated by a headland, Triopetra is divided into two beaches: ‘Big Triopetra’ and ‘Little Triopetra’. The former is the main attraction and features a…

8. Military Museum of Chromonastiri

7.41 MILES

Offering a sobering account of the Battle of Crete – one of WWII's most infamous battles, which was waged in 1941 in this very area – is this small war…