Aulus Chania, Curio Collection by Hilton (ex. Isla Brown Chania)

We have just returned from a one-week stay at Aulus Chania and had a fantastic holiday. Overall, I’d happily rate it 5/5 and would absolutely recommend it. There are a few small teething issues, but once these are ironed out I genuinely think this will become the best adults-only hotel to stay at in the area. The buffet restaurant was excellent throughout our stay, with a great variety of fresh, seasonal food every day. There was always something different to try and the quality was consistently high. The hotel currently has one à la carte restaurant, with the menu changing every three days as well as at lunchtime. While we appreciated the variety, we found the à la carte dishes didn’t quite match the standard of the buffet. The hotel has three beautiful pools, two saltwater and one freshwater, all of which were well maintained. The biggest issue during our stay was the number of sunbeds available. The hotel was clearly not at full capacity, yet guests were still struggling to find somewhere to relax, with some people waiting around or even sitting on the floor. To the hotel’s credit, they recognised this and started bringing out additional sunbeds towards the end of our stay, so it’s clear they’re listening to feedback and taking action. The evening entertainment was enjoyable and suited the relaxed atmosphere of the hotel. It was generally intimate, featuring solo singers, musicians or dancers rather than large productions. The entertainment spaces themselves are lovely, but seating can be difficult to find later in the evening. On a couple of nights we ended up returning to our room because there simply wasn’t anywhere comfortable to sit. Hopefully this is another area that will improve as the hotel continues to develop. What really made the holiday special was the staff. Every member of the team was friendly, approachable and genuinely invested in making sure guests had the best possible experience. They were always checking in to see how we were and were quick to resolve any issues. A special mention has to go to Dimitris from Guest Relations, who was exceptional throughout our stay. He is incredibly personable, welcoming and a real credit to the hotel. We’d also like to thank Mara from Concierge, Tom from the bar and Panos from the pool bar, all of whom provided outstanding service and always greeted us with a smile. We stayed in a Sea View Room with a plunge pool, and it was absolutely worth it. The location of the room was perfect, it was spotless throughout our stay, and housekeeping refreshed it every day to a very high standard. Overall, we had a wonderful holiday and left feeling excited to see how the hotel develops over the coming months. The foundations are already excellent, and once the small operational issues around seating and sunbeds are fully resolved, I have no doubt Aulus Chania will become the best adults-only resort in the area. We wouldn’t hesitate to return.

Very relaxing adults only holiday, however, this was mainly because the hotel was not very busy and seemed to be at around 50% capacity at most. There are around 50 sunbeds and 10 or so bali beds around the main pools and then around 20 or so at the pebble area (its not a beach) and then a handful around the quiet pool. Whilst we were able to get a sun-bed most days, there were a couple of occasions when they were all taken so if the hotel was busier it would be a struggle to get a sunbed, there are definitely not enough. The hotel has a policy of removing towels after 30 minutes if they are not occupied, however, this is not adhered to, so people do reserve the beds for hours and then disappear. The rooftop bar area was really relaxed, and there was a quiet vibe on a night, however, we did see people constantly wandering just looking for seats some nights. The restaurant situation is not as advertised and this is misleading - the websites for Domes and Hilton, as well as other holiday companies all imply there are three al-a-carte restaurants, however, there is only one restaurant and at lunch time its an Italian open for a few hours, then 3 nights its Yellow Fin and 3 nights its Meze. The menus are also extremely limited to 3 or 4 choices and one dessert choice. In Meze you are only allowed 6 sharing dishes between two people, so with dessert its just a normal starter and main choice. We cancelled our bookings after one visit to each as we found it too limited. Service wasn't particularly good in the al-a-carte's, and each time you ordered wine you ended up with a glass from a different bottle and courses were brought before you had finished the first course, it felt as though we were rushed out. Booking times were also limited even though the restaurants were not busy. The buffet service was more consistent, and service was really good, you also were served the same wine each time you had a glass, the buffet food was also very good, with lots of choice and plenty of availability, however, fresh cooking was minimal. There were some issues with keeping the food hot, but overall it was pretty good. I think again as the hotel was so quiet we found the buffet relaxing rather than the usual queuing for food and noisy atmosphere. At breakfast we were often the only people in the restaurant. The buffet is not in the location as pictured on the websites, its not overlooking the pool, that area is now rooms, but they don't appear to be recent renovations so the pictures are either AI or extremely out of date. Other pictures also appear very dated or AI representations. The hotel also advertises a beach and jetty to enter the water, these are not in place, there is a decked area with sun-beds overlooking the sea which leads onto a pebbled area with some bali beds sat on the pebbles at an odd angle due to the ground not being level. There is no access to the sea and the jetty is not in place, we were advised the Government had not agreed this as the water was too dangerous to enter. We would not have booked this location had we known there was no beach/water entry. The closest beach is a 25-30 minute walk away and the shuttle bus advertised to this is not available, the hotel advised they had a mini-bus but no driver. To get a taxi the cost is around €30 each way for a 5 minute drive, as there are no local taxis. The walk is pleasant but only early or late when its not too hot. We visited Stavros Beach, Blue Beach and Zorba's beach all in one trip and had a drink at Zorba's Beach Hotel we were also offered the use of the pool there, its a lovely little place if you do walk out to the beaches. We used the shuttle to Chania once, which was ok, but again misleading as the voucher offer for shops and a drink is not available. The Concierge staff check with you regularly when you are at the pool or in the bar, there is no Whatsapp or working room telephones to contact them, so if you need anything you have to go to reception. Our mini-bar never got filled so we had to ask everyday for water, apart from the day before we were leaving and then it was topped up without asking. Drinks were ok, but there is only a limited menu, if you asked for anything not on the menu, staff just said they didn't know how to make it so you couldn't have it even though they had the drinks to make it. Good bar service around the pool, with service to the sun-beds, some food was available at the counter, but the Grab and Go's choices were limited to the bar opening hours and not 24/7 as advertised. Our room was clean, comfortable and quiet although the bathroom was very small. The cleaning staff were really pleasant and checked each day if you needed anything. Overall we had a pleasant relaxing holiday due to the hotel being so quiet, but we would not have booked this had we known the facilities were not as advertised in relation to restaurants and beach access. The hotel is in a remote location, which we knew, however, we did expect these services as advertised, as they are not easily accessible outside of the hotel. Unfortunately, its not one we will return to as anticipated in September.

Myself and husband had an amazing full body massage, full body wrap and facial treatment. Was amazing from start till finish. We were staying at the Aulus Chania curio collection by Hilton. The staff there were all amazing, showed us around firstly, then got us to change into dressing gown and slippers. We were then put in the relaxation room for a while then the girls came and got us both . We shared a room so we were together . It smelt amazing in room , with music on low in back ground . The massage was amazing. The ladies kept asking if everything was ok with us both . We then had a body wrap , with towels on top to keep us warm .cream mask on our faces which made our faces feel amazing. Hour and half later we got put back into relaxation room , then finished our afternoon off with sometime in sauna . Everything was amazing , staff , comfort , treatments .

We had such an amazing time at Aulus Chania! First thing that I have to mention are the sunsets, they are worth booking this hotel for on their own. We loved our room overlooking the main pool with big sun loungers on the balcony. Again amazing sea views. Food wise the buffet was better than most all inclusive I have visited and I must have had at least one Greek salad per day. Technically there are 3 a la carte restaurants, but currently there are all in the one place. Through the day it’s an Italian restaurant and on an evening it alternates between the Asian and the Greek restaurant. There will soon be two evening ones, but one isn’t finished yet. The food at all three options was superb and easy to book online. The only downside as I can see it to this hotel is that it’s quite remote. If like us you are wanting to just chill out then it’s not an issue, but if you like to have a walk out it’s something to be aware of. There is a lovely town called Stavros that’s about 30 mins walk (we walked there and got a taxi back for €20), Chania itself is around 30 mins drive. Last thing to mention is the staff who were all so nice and helpful. From the minute we arrived we were really well looked after. For me this hotel is superb value right now and the cost will no doubt go up as Domes continue to upgrade the hotel. If you are considering it, I would say to get it booked in asap.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazing Stay We had a fantastic stay at Aulus Chania. The room was clean and comfortable, the food was delicious, and the staff were always friendly and helpful. The hotel has a lovely atmosphere, and we would definitely visit again. Highly recommended