LUXME White Palace: Step Inside This Dreamy Hotel In Greece

Crete is one of Greece’s most popular and sought-after islands to visit, with incredible scenery and a rich sense of history. LUXME White Palace, part of the Grecotel group, offers an amazing trip away, letting you experience the island and all it has to offer in luxury five-star comfort. We had to visit- here’s one writer’s experience.

The location

LUXME White Palace, one of many Grecotel locations in Greece, is located on the northern coast of Crete, near the city of Rethymno. Being the largest Greek island and one of the biggest in the whole Mediterranean, Crete probably needs no introduction to you as a reader: it’s a beautiful island with striking blue waters, stunning landscapes and a wealth of truly fascinating history. White Palace overlooks the Aegean Sea, facing towards Athens and the mainland, and is located close to plenty of other restaurants, tourist experiences and other hotels- including Caramel, another Grecotel establishment.

First impressions

The LUXME White Palace in Crete certainly lives up to its name on arrival: approaching it as you come in certainly feels regal. The luxurious yet inviting all-white complex, with a stunning view of its main swimming pool and the sea from reception, doesn’t cease being a marvel to look at. It’s a welcoming view designed to put you instantly at ease, the way all good hotels do, and gives a feeling that soon you can forget about the flight and journey and instead just relax.

It encourages you to happily let the Mediterranean holiday vibe take over.

It’s apparent that LUXME’s mission- to provide you with an upscale all-inclusive experience that you won’t forget, and top-notch service on the seafront- will be easily achieved within these walls and terraces. It’s a location that feels both quite secluded and connected, meaning you can easily explore other areas around Rethymo if you choose. After some drinks upon our arrival and surveying the many sun loungers just waiting and asking to be laid upon, we were taken to our rooms.

The rooms

What’s terrific about the rooms at the White Palace, in my personal experience, is that they’re both relaxingly lush to stay and sleep in (again, a lot of soothing white) and also have an instant cooling feeling to them. You know that sometimes slightly too warm feeling you can get when you’re indoors in the Mediterranean climate? Not so here, everything feels just right.

My accommodation was a Lux Me Swim Up Bungalow, allowing me to slide a door and easily step out onto a private terrace and just as easily go for a dip in the shared pool, or just simply take a look out at the picturesque view of the Aegean sea, stretching out ahead. All the amenities you’d want and need are here, down to the expansive pillow selection to ensure a really comfy night’s sleep. It was also located a stone’s throw away from the main pool and restaurant area, meaning it’s hard to get lost on the way to breakfast. From what I saw during my time at the hotel, every room will offer you an excellent experience, whether you’re the type to stay by the pool all day or prefer to get out and explore Crete.

The food

Another of LUXME’s highlights is the food and restaurants, which are again top-notch. When you arrive at White Palace through that amazing entrance, you might wonder (as I slightly did at first) how much restaurant and bar space you can fit into the hotel. The answer is: a lot, with a fine selection of options on offer to try out during your stay. On our first night, however, we went to eat at the nearby Agreco Farm, owned by Grecotel, which is honestly worth a trip all on its own. Come for the animals and sense of history (including an olive press once pushed by a donkey), stay for the food, with traditional Greek dishes like gemista, and delicious smoked meats.

You can also buy olive oil and honey from the farm shop.

Back in White Palace itself, when the warming sun is rising in the morning, you can help yourself to a buffet breakfast, or you can opt for a more private affair by the sea, where fresh pastries and yoghurts are brought out to you. The White Fine Dining restaurant offers some pretty spectacular options- our tasting menu took us through many delights with amazing fish, meat, and veggie dishes presented beautifully with style. We even had a candy floss tree to finish- a branch in a pot with fluffy white candy floss that you can pull off and eat. Quite something!

The outdoor area of the White restaurant offers a view of the Aegean, and can on windier nights give you quite the sea breeze. Lobsteria, another restro highlight, revolves as you might imagine around lobster and other seafood favourites. Lobster soup, lobster linguine- all of it is amazing, tasty and just the right portions. We even got served a fun, Heston-style dessert presented as an underwater scene of some lobsters with coral and a rock (made of ice cream) and it was all totally edible. There are plenty of other foodie surprises to be found, like a wine-tasting experience that you can combine with some delicious lunch, or White Palace’s Asian restaurant, Asia White. There’s even a patisserie on site with a selection of cakes and pastries that’ll make your mouth water. Maybe save that one for after dinner.

Things to do nearby

Being in Crete, there’s much to explore and discover near White Palace, though you’ll probably want to narrow down to a few choice highlights. In addition to the must-visit Agreco Farm, we headed to the small village of Margarites, which is famed for its ceramics. It’s a lovely little place to stroll around, and at points, you’ll almost trip over all of the stunningly crafted ceramic bowls, plates and other trinkets – definitely a place for a souvenir from one of the local shops.

In addition to the must-visit Agreco Farm, we headed to the small village of Margarites, which is famed for its ceramics.

If you’re into history, take a visit to the Arkadi Monastery, close to Reynthmno, and listen to the guides’ stories of how it was involved in battles and uprisings. Dipping out of the beaming sun, we also headed down into the Melidoni Cave, one of several on Crete, again offering plenty of history to learn and is a mesmerising sight (as well as a good place to escape the heat!)

There are also plenty of activities and experiences that the hotel itself offers from scuba diving to yacht trips, E-bikes, cooking lessons and even a romantic private dinner by the sea.

For the fitness and health conscious, there’s a gym on-site, yoga sessions and pilates classes, as well as a very enjoyable “Hippie Spa”, for all kinds of services and pampering. The hotel also offers wedding venues and, having visited, I can say you can see why people choose to tie the knot here- romantic is an understatement.

Getting there

Due to its location, LUXME White Palace is a fair distance from the nearest airports on the island, with the journey from Heraklion International Airport being just over an hour long. The good news is that the vistas out of the window make it hard to get bored as you wind through one of the world’s most breathtaking islands. Grecotel offers private transfers for both arrival and departure, making for a streamlined experience. Taxis, rental cars, and the aforementioned e-scooters are available for hire to get around to other places.

The verdict

For a truly relaxing holiday retreat on the beautiful Crete, LUXME White Palace offers a premium experience that’s not only unforgettable but unmissable. I’d always wanted to visit Crete, and my first trip there was as comfortable and welcoming as I could hope. What I really like about it is just how well everything at the hotel fits together, keeping a luxe feeling wherever you are in the resort. It lets you experience the island and Greek food in a way that fits the five-star billing and feels properly authentic. I felt like I was leaving just as I had started settling in, and I only wished I could’ve stayed longer.