15 Best Hotels in Heraklion, Crete

Heraklion is the capital of Crete and the 5th largest city in Greece in population, so staying in Heraklion will not feel like being on a typical Greek island. But undoubtedly, the best hotels in Heraklion are in the suburbs of the city, and they are some of the best hotels in Greece!

Staying in Heraklion has many benefits, as it is the central transport hub of Crete and (let’s be honest, my Cretan friends…) it is the island’s center. But the best hotels in Heraklion, Crete, are mainly outside of Heraklion, and we are basically talking about hotels in the Heraklion prefecture.

The other great benefit of staying in Heraklion is that you will have much easier access to ferries that visit other Greek islands, such as Santorini or Rhodes. Greek island hopping becomes easier if you are actually staying in Heraklion.

1. Aquila Atlantis Hotel

Address: Igeias 2, Iraklio 712 02, Greece

The 5-star Aquila Atlantis Hotel is located in Heraklion within 150 metres from the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion. The hotel features a swimming pool with spectacular views over the harbour, a semi-covered pool and a restaurant with an elegant decoration.

The hotel can accommodate up to 850 guests. All rooms and suites of Aquila Atlantis Hotel are very stylish and feature balconies where the guests can enjoy views over the city of Heraklion, the harbour, or the hotel’s courtyard. Each room comes equipped with air conditioning, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, free wifi, a coffee machine, and a minibar.

The location of the accommodation is great with an easy walk to downtown. Heraklion Port, connecting to Piraeus Port in Athens, is located 2 km from Aquila Atlantis Hotel, while Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport is at a distance of 4 km. The archaeological site of Knossos lies within 6 km away.

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2. GDM Megaron, Historical Monument Hotel

Address: 9, D. Beaufort, Heraklio, 71202, Greece

GDM Megaronis located in the heart of Heraklion, was built in 1925, and classified as a monument. Overlooking the old Venetian port and within walking distance of all the major sights of the city. This prestigious hotel offers fine dining, a health club and a rooftop plunge pool.

Also, there is free parking for the guests. The 58 elegantly decorated rooms and suites feature the latest facilities such as private telephone line with voicemail, satellite TV, complimentary WiFi, safe, mini bar, tea & coffee facilities, soundproof windows, sprinklers and smoke detectors. Additional amenities, such as spa bath, are provided in some rooms and suites. The “Plaza Café” is a casual, all-day, all-purpose indoor café ideal for enjoying your breakfast, lunch, dinner or just a cup of coffee overlooking the old port.

The Megaron 5th is open only during the summer season. The Health Club on the 4th floor, exclusively reserved for hotel guests, is equipped with a variety of fitness equipment as well as a steam bath, a hot tub, a massage table and a sauna with colour and music therapy.

The sun beds and umbrellas by the pool area on the roof are perfect for relaxing after a busy day. Well-equipped meeting rooms are the ideal venue for meetings, whether it is a seminar, a cocktail reception, a gala dinner or even an exhibition. GDM Megaron is located in the heart of Heraklion’s business and shopping district, within walking distance of the Archaeological and the Historical Museum. Heraklion Port is 1.2 miles away, while Heraklion International Airport is within 3.1 miles of the hotel.

3. Onira Suite Dreams

Set in Hersonissos, less than 0.6 miles from Anissaras Main Beach, Onira Suite Dreams offers accommodation with a seasonal outdoor swimming pool, free private parking, a fitness centre and a garden. Among the facilities at this property are room service and a concierge service, along with free WiFi throughout the property.

Guests can use the spa centre and the hot tub, or enjoy sea views. The units in the hotel are equipped with air conditioning, a seating area, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, a kitchen, a dining area, and a private bathroom with a hairdryer, a bidet and a shower.

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4. Galaxy Iraklio Hotel

Located in Heraklion, this 5-star hoteloffers 2 gourmet restaurants, a free wellness centre, free wifi, and a large swimming pool. Luxurious rooms feature balconies with pool and city views. Vetri Restaurant serves an American buffet breakfast prepared with fresh, local ingredients and Cretan cuisine.

Per Se Lounge offers comfort meals, wines, and cocktails. The Pool Deck serves light meals, snacks, and drinks. Every Friday between May and October, a live music event is hosted at Galaxy Iraklio Hotel.

5. Infinity Blue Boutique Hotel & Spa – Adults Only

Infinity Blue Boutique Hotel & Spa is situated just a breath above the “Blue Flag” awarded beach of Hersonissos. The bright and spacious air-conditioned rooms feature a stylish white-blue decor and large windows.

Each one includes free wi-fi, a flat-screen TV, a safe box, a mini-bar, and a coffee machine. The hotel offers an outdoor swimming pool, pool bar, and two restaurants.

The hotel’s wellness centre includes a spa, sauna, hammam, hydro massage, and hairdresser salon. However, their use is charged extra.

The lively main street, boasting an array of restaurants and bars, is within a short walking distance of the property. A supermarket is 10 metres away, while a bus station is 50 metres away.

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6. Enorme Lifestyle Beach (Adults Only)

Ideally located on the Blue Flag Award-winning sandy beach of Amoudara, with stunning views from around the resort, Enorme Lifestyle Beach (Adults Only) features five shared and two common seasonal outdoor swimming pools. Boasting a 24-hour front desk, this property also provides guests with a sun terrace.

The garden is available to guests. The hotel’s air-conditioned units have flat-screen TVs.

Heraklio Town is 3.7 miles from Enorme Lifestyle Beach (Adults Only), while Hersonissos is 18 miles away. Heraklion International Airport is 5.6 miles from the property.

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7. Palmera Beach Hotel & Spa

Address: 25 th. Martiou 14, Chersonisos 700 14, Greece

Lying directly on a sandy beach in cosmopolitan Hersonissos, the Palmera Beach hoteloffers a pool area with a children’s paddling pool, deck chairs, and umbrellas. The staff is friendly and welcoming, making you feel at home.

The hotel spa offers massage rooms. Palmera Beach hotel provides modern, decorated, furnished, air-conditioned rooms with a private balcony.

The main restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner, serving an excellent buffet with many high-quality options. Guests can enjoy romantic candle-lit dinners and sunsets at the seafront Palmera Restaurant. The Palmera Beach Hotel is situated on the beach road in the centre of Hersonisos, just 14.9 miles from the Heraklion International Airport.

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8. Elysium Boutique Hotel & Spa (Adults Only)

Address: Beach Road, Analipsi, Hersonissos, Crete 700 14 Greece

The 5-star Elysium Boutique Hotel & Spa (Adults only) is set in Analipsi of Hersonissos and offers accommodation with a magnificent outdoor pool and a restaurant. The resort features a private pebbled beach. Free WiFi is available in all areas.

All air-conditioned rooms have a TV, fridge, and a safety box. There is a 24-hour front desk at the property. Only 1.2 miles from the centre of Hersonissos, a place popular for the lively nightlife, the waterslide beach, bars, sports and extreme sports, bungee jumping, carts and shopping centres, close to the beach.

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9. Knossos Beach Bungalows Suites Resort & Spa

Knossos Beach Bungalows Suites Resort & Spalies on its private sandy beach. It offers 3 swimming pools and 3 restaurants. The beach is equipped with loungers, umbrellas, and a bar.

The bungalows and suites offer sea-view terraces and beautiful gardens. Each air-conditioned unit has floor-to-ceiling double-glazed windows and satellite TV.

At the elegant à la carte restaurant, guests can taste creative Greek cuisine made with fresh local ingredients. The pool bar serves drinks and ice cream, while the main bar offers a nice view and a relaxing atmosphere. The 24-hour multilingual front desk offers concierge service and free Wi-Fi throughout the resort.

Free parking is provided at the hotel’s premises for guests’ vehicles. The closest major airport is Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport, 6.2 miles away. Τhe hotel is located 7.5 miles from Heraklion port.

10. Gouves Bay Hotel

Gouves Bay Hotel features a restaurant, bar, lounge, and garden in Gouves. This hotel also provides guests with a children’s playground, an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness centre, karaoke nights, and a 24-hour front desk. Each room is equipped with air conditioning, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, a fridge, a kettle, a shower, a hairdryer, and free Wi-Fi.

Guests at Gouves Bay Hotel can enjoy a continental or a buffet breakfast. The accommodation offers a terrace. Bike and car hire are available at the Gouves Bay Hotel.

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11. Seascape Luxury Residences

Seascape Luxury Residences is set in Agia Pelagia, within a short walk of the beach and the centre. Seascape Luxury Residences offers modern, decorated apartments with free WiFi access. The complex includes two outdoor swimming pools with a decked terrace and a poolside bar offering drinks and snacks throughout the day. Opening to balconies, Seascape Luxury Residences offer views over the sea or the pool.

Each air-conditioned apartment includes a fully equipped kitchen with a dining table, a seating area, a flat-screen TV, and a luxurious bathroom. The complex is stunning, clean, and spacious, with friendly staff. The beach and Restaurants are only a 3-minute walk away, and they offer a lovely array of different foods for everyone’s delight.

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12. Creta Maris Beach Resort

Creta Maris Beach Resort is located in Hersonissos and overlooks the Blue Flag Hersonissos Beach. There are six outdoor and one heated indoor swimming pools, six children’s swimming pools, a brand new waterpark, an open-air cinema, a water-sports centre, a fitness center, and two floodlit tennis courts on site. The rooms are spacious and equipped with a satellite TV, mini bar, slippers, tea, coffee-making facilities, and a mountain, garden, or sea view from their balcony or veranda.

All the accommodation types are renovated, and air conditioning comes standard. Spacious lounges, sun loungers by the beach and pools, a hair salon, and a medical room are available. Free Wi-Fi is available in public areas and rooms, and free private parking is available on site. All-inclusive programs are valid until 24:00, and dining options include Italian, Cretan, and seafood restaurants.

Each guest is offered one free Premium 45-minute Spa Ticket per stay for a minimum of four nights (an appointment has to be set on the first two days of arrival). Children enjoy the pools, kids’ club, playground, baby room with toys, and teenagers’ club. Heraklion International Airport is 14.9 miles away. Front desk staff can arrange car rentals, currency exchanges, and transfers.

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13. Sonia Center I

Address: Agias Paraskevis 77, Limenas Chersonisou 700 14, Greece

Sonia Center I is in Hersonissos, 100 metres from Limenas Hersonissou Beach and less than 0.6 miles from Sarandaris Cape Beach. This property has two apartments available. Both have a fully equipped kitchen and a luxurious bathroom with modern decor and furnishings. The apartments have 1 double bed and 1 sofa bed. Sonia Center I offers spectacular sea views, free WiFi, and a sun terrace.

Glaros Beach is less than 0.6 miles from the accommodation, while Aquaworld Aquarium is a 6-minute walk from the property. In the surroundings of Hersonissos, it’s worth visiting Knossos Palace, the brightest sample of Minoan civilisation, or the archaeological museum in Heraklion city, which is the best museum in the world for Minoan art.

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14. Heaven’s View Apartment

Heaven’s View Apartment is right in the heart of Heraklio Town, situated within a short distance of Heraklion Venetian Harbour and Heraklion Archaeological Museum. The property offers free WiFi, air conditioning, and stunning sea views from the terrace. The apartment has four bedrooms, a flat-screen TV, a fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher and a microwave, a washing machine, and 3 bathrooms.

Heaven’s View Apartment offers a car rental service. Popular points of interest near the accommodation include the Historical Μuseum of Crete, Koules, and Loggia. The nearest airport is Heraklion International Airport, 2.7 miles from Heaven’s View Apartment.

15. Creta Blue Boutique Hotel

Creta Blue Boutique Hotel is located in Hersonissos. This small boutique hotel offers luxurious accommodation with breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea, an infinity pool, and a la carte dining. From the balcony or terrace of Creta Blue’s elegantly designed units, guests can enjoy garden, pool, or sea views.

Air-conditioned Suites and rooms provide LED TVs with media players and comfortable beds. In the evening, the pool bar changes to a romantic open-air restaurant, and guests are invited to enjoy homemade recipes using local ingredients for delicious dishes.

Free WiFi access is available in all communal areas. The staff can arrange car rental and trips to Cretan sights, such as the archaeological site of Knossos.

Creta Blue Suites is just 5 5-minute walk from the centre of Koutouloufari and 0.6 miles from Hersonissos. The nearest airport is Heraklion International Airport, a 30-minute drive from the property.

Our Top Pick

I believe that the best hotel in Heraklion is Aquila Atlantis Hotelif you want to stay in the buzzing city and be in the centre of everything, with lots of shops and amenities. However, if you want to stay a bit more outside of the main city, the best hotel will be Onira Suite Dreams.

To be honest with you, and as always in Crete, there is no bad option here. All of the hotels on this list offer amazing service and 5-star facilities and are located on one of the most beautiful islands in the world: Crete.

Staying in Heraklion will be a very wise choice if you want to be closer to the famous cultural locations of Knossos and the National Archaeologival Museum of Heraklion but bear also bear in mind that Herakiion is big city and in my honest opinion not necessarily the most picturesque in Crete…(sorry my friends from Heraklion but I trully believe Chania or Rethymnon are cuter!)

However, you must pick one wisely because moving around in Crete is an issue, and you need a car if you plan to visit many locations. The island is massive, and even though frequent buses go pretty much everywhere, you will be much more flexible if you rent your own means of transportation.

Heraklion Video Travel Guide