Resort General Information
Meet Aquila Atlantis Hotel. Meet Herakleion City.
The Aquila Atlantis Hotel is located in the center of Herakleion and it prides itself in being simultaneously an ultra-modern European city and carrying the richest of histories.
Every fan of history is aware of the Minoan civilization and its extraordinary palace of Knossos.
And every child has been raised by listening to the timeless myths of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, Or even of Daedalus and Icarus Just a few kilometers away from the hotel.
Just a few kilometers away from Aquila Atlantis Hotel.
Herakleion, however, is also a city proud to be influenced by a multitude of civilizations.
An amalgam of Arabic, Byzantine and Venetian architecture and culture, it shines when one walks it through, starting from the old Venetian town and up to the modern European capital.
By being both the largest city and port of Crete, it inhabits a premium quality that is easily accessible and friendly to visitors throughout the year.
A vast range of modern facilities and options are offered, combining sizeable business activity, famous brands at your disposal, adventurous nightlife and an exemplary infrastructure for hosting conferences and exhibitions. For many years, Aquila Atlantis Hotel has been a quite the model hotel in organizing successful conferences.
The Aquila Atlantis Hotel takes you through time.
It is now time to be more specific. Lets go through the most important museums and attractions of Herakleion.
The visitor initially meets Loggia, which has served as the residence and official seat of both Duke and the Crete officials Club.
A striking Venetian building, Loggia has gathered political rulers for centuries either for recreation purposes or for their official ceremonies.
Its galleries were constructed in the XIV century and reached their final form in the early XVII century.
Loggia is considered one of the finest Venetian monuments and in 1987 it won the 1st prize Europa Nostra, as the best restored and preserved European monument of the year.
South of Aquila Atlantis Hotel we discover the Basilica of San Marco. Built in 1239, it has served ever since as the city’s Cathedral. Today it houses the Municipal Art Gallery of Herakleion, where art and history offer an experience unlike no other.
Just a few meters from the Aquila Atlantis Hotel stand the “Lions”, the lavish fountain built during the first decades of the XVII century.
It was Francesco Morosini who created them in order to enhance the square and to also provide water throughout the great state.
Behind Aquila Atlantis Hotel, the Archaeological Museum of Herakleion reveals itself.
Widely regarded as one of the most essential museums in Europe, we find inside of it archaeological treasures which narrate Crete’s 5.500 year-old history. Minoan civilization artifacts take center stage while the disc of Phaistos prides itself as the most important exhibit of the museum.
Once again nearby the hotel, lies the Historical Museum of Crete.
It is here, among the numerous artworks on display that the visitor can admire the paintings of the great El Creco.
Having been born and then studied painting in Herakleion, El Creco’s life work is featured next to that of another world famous artist, the Cretan author Nikos Kazantzakis.
This preeminent author’s burial place is also located in Herakleion, specifically within its Venetian city and even more specifically in the south wall where we find Martinengo bastion.
(The Venetian city of Herakleion is determined by its mammoth Venetian walls, which made it for centuries the most fortified state in the Mediterranean Sea.)
Aquila Atlantis Hotel is just a breath away from the most picturesque beaches in Greece.
They will take your breath away.
Beaches awarded blue flags and famous for the crystal clear waters, the golden sand and the magnificent sceneries.
Enjoy your favorite water sports, such as water skiing, windsurfing, beach volley, scuba diving, sailing etc.
Starting from Aquila Atlantis Hotel, you can reach within a short time the famous beaches:
Matala, Boidomatis, Tripiti, Agia Pelagia, Fodele, Lentas, Tsoutsouros, Three Churches, Koudoumas, Keratokambos, Vathy, Malia, Kali Limenes, Agiofarango, Kalamaki, Martsalo, Komos, Black beach, White beach, Maridaki, Hersonissos, Trafoulas.
There is more to discover
For the lovers of high-status sports, the tennis courts of Herakleion are located across the hotel, while just 25km away is the golf course in Hersonissos.
Two of the most famous wineries in Greece, in Peza and Arhanes, are also within walking distance, waiting for their secrets to be revealed.