As the name suggests, White Palace is a place that is pristine. The immaculate resort in Crete sits on its own private stretch of beach with four large buildings – white buildings that is – surrounding a swimming pool, immediately bringing tranquility to the mind. A short distance from the old town of Rethymnon, it’s a great location for total relaxation where the contemporary sleek design of White Palace is contrasted with the hustle and bustle of the town.
Hospitality is in the blood of the Greeks and above everything, we found the service at White Palace to be their priority. Different to lots of other resorts, White Palace offer a personal touch, like their WhatsApp concierge service, a brilliant and easy way of getting info without going to reception and interrupting your holiday zen. From making restaurant reservations at one of their six locations to finding out how to get into town, it’s a convenient perk. White Palace also offer their LUX ME ALL-IN LIVING to all guests, meaning you can experience, or rather indulge in, all they have to offer from their restaurants to activities to entertainment, which, believe us, is what you want from your stay.
[URIS id=97857]Our room was just one of 15 different room types and, you guessed it, was mostly white, and looked out to not only ocean views but a swimming pool too. When you can roll out onto your own private sun terrace and into the inviting water you know you are winning at life.
When it comes to food there’s no shortage of choice with Greek, Italian, Thai, French and fusion cuisine. We found White Palace offered more choice than any other resort we visited in Crete, which is ideal if you are staying a while. The White restaurant, on theme, is all about fine seafood. Not only can you catch an unforgettable sunset, you can choose from one of three concept menus, ‘White’, ‘Bianco’ and ‘Blanc’, all offering four courses of world food. Stand out dishes for us were the super fresh and zingy ceviche with sea bass and salmon with asparagus, avocado, mango served alongside chilled salad, cream cheese and lime. The lamb too with herb crust, aubergine mousseline and Kritharaki pasta was simply de-lish.
One of the most fun things about White Palace is just having the ability to get whatever you want when you want it. Take the ice cream parlour, for example; it’s a dangerous move when you’ve got the keys to Willy Wonka’s factory, which is what it felt like with so many combos to choose from. Yes, we had ALL the ice cream and no we didn’t feel guilty about it. You don’t even have to leave the pool with waitresses bringing over food and drinks on rollerskates. Believe.
If you need any further excuse to unwind, their Hippie Spa is the place for you to well and truly get your pamp’ on. With private massage rooms, nail bar, beauty salon, and relaxation area you’ve got everything from facials to body treatments and our 30-minute body massage teased us into wanting more.
With a stretch of beautiful coastline, a whopping 17 pools and plenty of entertainment including pool parties and dancing, White Palace gives you the choice to indulge in the type of holiday you want and they make it easy. Get lost in a book, get down with yoga and fall asleep to the sunset or dance the night away, wake up late, eat ice cream in front of people on the treadmills… it’s all down to what you want. We’re saying it’s ace either way.
Book with Thomson: From £508pp, Thomson is currently offering a three-night stay (half-board) from London Stansted based on two people sharing.
[maxbutton id=”53″]White palace, Pigianos Kampos, Rethymnon 741 00, Greece
thewhitepalace.com