Avli Lounge Apartments
Rethymno, Crete
A romantic hotel in Venetian Rethymno with 7 stunning suites, an acclaimed restaurant and personal service
Founded in 1987, in a Venetian-era building dating back to 1530,
Avli started out as a restaurant serving high-quality food made
from local ingredients. Lying in Rethymno’s lovely
pedestrian-only old town, its courtyard garden was planted with
palms, bougainvillea and vines, and decorated with objects from
medieval villas and abandoned workshops: stone mill wheels,
antiquated farming tools and restored wooden furniture.
Today the restaurant is known throughout Crete for its creative
cuisine. But what many people don’t know is that Avli also
offers 7 sumptuous suites (‘lounge
apartments’), added in 2005. Delightfully extravagant but
well within the realms of good taste, each combines the building's
traditional elements (stone walls, beamed ceilings, Venetian
arches) with modern comforts and Baroque-kitsch décor.
Best suited to couples, Avil makes a perfect escape for a romantic
weekend or a couple of blissful days of indulgence at the end of a
Crete holiday. Or, with Rethymno lying midway between Chania and
Heraklion, on Crete’s north coast, it also makes a
sophisticated base for exploring the island’s cultural
attractions, beaches and mountains.
Reviewed by Jane Foster
Last updated 14 December 2011
Highs
- Divinely romantic suites: each is themed in a different colour and lavishly kitted out with a jacuzzi, chandeliers, objets d'art and tactile furnishings
- The location in the heart of Rethymno’s medieval old town
- Excellent personal service; thoughtful and generous
- Sublime, beautifully presented food in the courtyard restaurant, along with Avli's fine wines
- Rooftop terrace with jacuzzi and sunloungers, looking out over the terracotta-tiled roofs of the old town
Lows
- Junior suites are without balconies or any notable views, and those overlooking the courtyard restaurant can be a bit noisy at breakfast and dinner time
- Quite expensive for a hotel with no facilities besides the restaurant
- You'll have to park a short distance from the hotel
