Galaxy Iraklio Hotel
Five-star city hotel on Dimokratias Avenue with a 225 m² freshwater pool, a free 24-hour gym and hammam, and free parking
About this hotel
Galaxy Iraklio is a 127-room five-star hotel on Dimokratias Avenue, south of Eleftherias Square. Its centre is the pool: 225 m² of fresh water, which the hotel bills as the largest freshwater pool in the city, with a Pool Deck serving salads, burgers, sandwiches and cocktails to the loungers. Vetri, beside the pool, does the buffet breakfast, then Italian-inspired lunch and dinner with Cretan touches, and Per Se Lounge stays open all day. Rooms run from the 20 m² Superior to the 36 m² Executive Suites with a power Jacuzzi, and pool-view rooms have a private balcony. The Wellness Club, with a gym and an all-marble hammam, never closes, and parking is free, with valet service.
- Five stars and 127 rooms, rated 9.1 from 1,838 reviews
- Gym and Wellness Club with an all-marble hammam, open 24/7 and free for guests
- 225 m² freshwater pool, with snacks, light meals and drinks served to swimmers during the day
- Buffet breakfast at Vetri by the pool, all-day Italian-style menu at Per Se Lounge
- Bathtub in Executive rooms, power Jacuzzi in the Executive Suites
- Free on-site parking, about 5 km from Heraklion airport
Our take
Galaxy Iraklio's gym and all-marble hammam are open around the clock and free for guests, which suits a late ferry arrival or a dawn flight, and its freshwater pool measures 225 m². The hotel stands at 75 Dimokratias Avenue, about 1.2 km from Lions Square and the Morosini Fountain, so the old town and the Archaeological Museum are a 15-minute walk rather than a step outside the door. Breakfast is a buffet at Vetri, beside the pool, and Per Se Lounge serves Italian-style dishes and cocktails all day. I would book it for a car-based stay in Heraklion, with free parking on site, not for a beach holiday or for evenings spent in the Venetian lanes, where a hotel near Lions Square works better.
- ✓For a guaranteed bathtub, book an Executive room (26 m²): the 20 m² Superior rooms, pool view included, come with an enclosed shower or a bath without a choice, and the power Jacuzzi is kept for the Executive Suites and some Executive rooms.
- ✓Families of five should ask for a Family Superior: two connecting rooms, each with its own bathroom and entrance, joined by a lockable soundproof door, for up to five guests on floors 2 to 4; Executive pool-view rooms sit higher, on floors 4 to 6.
- ✓Knossos lies 5 km south of the city centre: drive there in 10 to 15 minutes, or use the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus, which has a Hotel Galaxy stop on the same loop as Knossos Palace. City bus line 2 leaves from Eleftherias Square, a 15-minute walk back along Dimokratias Avenue, and takes about 20 minutes.
- ✓There is no beach within walking distance: Ammoudara lies west of the city and Karteros east, beside the airport, both a short drive from the hotel's free car park.
- ✓With an early flight, Nikos Kazantzakis airport is about 5 km away by road, and the gym and hammam stay open through the night, so a workout or a steam fits in before you leave.
Why we love it
- 225 m² freshwater pool, with food and drinks served on the deck all day
- Gym and marble hammam open 24 hours, free for guests
- Family Superior units of two connecting rooms for five, on floors 2 to 4
- Free on-site parking, and the Archaeological Museum about a 15-minute walk
Why guests love itGalaxy Iraklio serves snacks, light meals and drinks to guests at its 225 m² pool through the day, and Vetri, beside the pool, has terrace tables for lunch and dinner, so children can swim and eat without leaving the hotel: a workable city base for families, not a resort. Family Superior units, two connecting rooms with two bathrooms, sleep five on floors 2 to 4, and babysitting can be arranged for an extra charge. Windows are double-glazed against the traffic of a busy avenue. The Archaeological Museum, whose Minoan collection is the best preparation for Knossos, is about a 15-minute walk, and Knossos itself 10 to 15 minutes by car. Pets are not accepted. The real limit is the sea: there is no beach on foot, so a family that wants a daily swim in the sea is better placed in Ammoudara or on the coast east of the airport.