Atermono Boutique Resort & Spa
Atermono Boutique Resort and Spa is a 38-room resort at Platanes, east of Rethymno, with three large pools and a beach a minute’s walk away. Atermono scores 9.0 on Booking.com across 169 reviews and 4.5 on Tripadvisor across 165. Both samples are moderate, and the Tripadvisor distribution carries a tail worth knowing about: 22 of those 165 reviews sit at Poor or Terrible, roughly 1 in 8.
We have no commercial relationship with this resort. Crete Locals earns a commission if you book through the availability links on this page, which costs you nothing and does not change what we write; both ratings were read on the date in the table.
Hotel information
| Hotel | Atermono Boutique Resort & Spa |
|---|---|
| Address | Platanes, Rethymno |
| Type | Air conditioning · Airport shuttle |
| Style | Small modern resort at Platanes, east of Rethymno |
| Signature | Three large pools for only 38 rooms, and a beach about a minute's walk away |
| Keys | 38 rooms; small enough that there is little room to move a guest |
| For families | Staff described as kind, helpful and specifically good with young children |
| The tail | 22 of 165 Tripadvisor reviews sit at Poor or Terrible, about 1 in 8 |
| Evidence | Moderate samples on both platforms, 169 and 165 reviews |
| Eating | An on-site restaurant guests rate, plus several more within walking distance |
| Airports | Chania (CHQ) about 65 km west, Heraklion (HER) about 75 km east |
| Booking.com rating | 9.0/10 (169 reviews) |
| Tripadvisor rating | 4.5/5 (165 reviews) |
| CreteLocals score | 8.2/10 · read the verdict |
Booking.com and Tripadvisor scores checked on September 25, 2026.
Location
Atermono Boutique Resort & Spa is located at Platanes, Rethymno. The map below shows the exact spot; Google Maps and Waze give turn-by-turn directions.
Who Atermono suits, and who should skip it
Atermono suits families who want a small modern resort rather than a large all-inclusive complex, with pools, a beach nearby and staff who are good with children. It suits guests who will eat out some evenings, since several restaurants are within walking distance. Anyone who needs a consistent five-star standard, or an adults-only environment, should look at the hotels reviewed elsewhere on this site.
Advantages
- Three large pools for a hotel of only 38 rooms
- Beach about a minute’s walk away
- Modern and, in guests’ words, incredibly clean
- Staff described as kind, helpful and notably good with young children
- An on-site restaurant guests rate, plus several more within walking distance
- Small enough to feel like a hotel rather than a complex
Disadvantages
- 22 of 165 Tripadvisor reviews sit at Poor or Terrible, about 1 in 8
- Both review samples are moderate, at 169 and 165
- Platanes is a developed strip rather than a village
- At 38 rooms there is limited ability to move you if something is wrong
- Rethymno old town needs a short drive or a bus
- The spa is small by resort standards
The rooms: 38 keys and three pools
Atermono runs 38 rooms with three large pools between them, which is a generous ratio and the clearest structural advantage the hotel has. Guests describe the property as modern and incredibly clean, and the size means the pools are rarely as crowded as they would be at a resort with 200 rooms and the same water.
The beach is about a minute away on foot, which for a family with small children and equipment is materially different from a five-minute walk. Several restaurants sit within walking distance as well, so the hotel does not have to carry every meal.
Good with children, and the tail in the record
The most useful review in the set comes from a parent travelling with a 4-year-old who wanted an intimate hotel rather than a large all-inclusive complex, and who lists what they found: modern, clean, three large pools, a beach a minute away, a good restaurant, and staff who were kind, helpful and specifically good with children. That is a precise description of who this hotel is for.
The counterweight is the distribution. Alongside 123 reviews at Excellent sit 10 at Poor and 5 at Terrible, which on a base of 165 is about 1 in 8 guests having a bad stay. That is a higher proportion than at most hotels in this batch, and it is the reason the score below is not higher. Read recent reviews before booking rather than relying on the average.
How to get there
Fly into Chania airport (CHQ), about 65 km west, or Heraklion airport (HER), about 75 km east. Platanes sits on the coast just east of Rethymno, off the north coast national road.
Pre-book a transfer, with child seats if you need them, since that is the part that is hard to arrange on arrival; the operators are in our guide to taxi and transfer services in Crete. Hire a car if you want Preveli, Arkadi or the Amari valley, and check the terms in our car hire guide for Crete. Rethymno old town is a short drive or a bus ride west and worth two evenings.
The Crete Locals review
Atermono earns 8.2 from us. The hotel has a genuinely good idea: a small modern resort with three pools, a beach at the end of the path, and staff who are comfortable around children, aimed at families who do not want a 400-room all-inclusive. When it works, the reviews are glowing and specific.
The problem is that it does not always work. One in eight Tripadvisor reviewers rates the stay Poor or Terrible, which is the highest proportion among the smaller hotels in this batch, and at 38 rooms there is nowhere to move a guest whose room or week goes wrong. Both samples are also moderate, so the confidence in either average is lower than at the hotels with a thousand reviews behind them.
The practical advice is to buy the recent record rather than the average. Look at the last two or three months of reviews on both platforms, and if they are strong, the hotel’s design and position make it a good family choice. If they are mixed, there are better-evidenced options at Adelianos Kampos and in Rethymno itself.
Book Atermono for a family week where three pools, a one-minute beach walk and a small hotel matter more than scale, and check the newest reviews first. Book a larger, better-documented resort nearby if you want the odds to be more predictable.
