Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas, a Member of the Leading Hotels of the World

The complex was quiet and we enjoyed the private beach and pool areas. Plenty of loungers and attentive beach staff. Our room was spacious , plenty of storage and we had a pool which we shared with three other rooms although it wasn’t heated. However, service didn’t meet the claims that they make. We are vegetarians so do not have high expectations for food but none of the seven restaurants had a vegetarian main. I had emailed prior to our visit to ask and received no reply. We asked the hotel services which restaurant we could eat at and she just asked me if I could use a tablet , handed me one and said look in there!!!! I did check again but nothing so I said to her that there was nothing and she just shrugged her shoulders and went back to her phone calls. Indifferent to the point of rude. Similar experience when I asked at breakfast if I could have a decaffeinated coffee and got a weak jug of instant. I was told it wasn’t possible to get good quality decaffeinated coffee due to the humidity (???) . Breakfast overall was mediocre, plenty of choice but not great quality. They lay tables with one knife,fork and spoon and when you’ve eaten something cooked take them away so if you want toast you have to wait for them to ask for a knife … and you do have to wait. Coffee took so long to arrive and order was usually wrong eg hot milk instead of hot water. Very poor for a hotel with such grand claims for quality and service. We do expect to pay more for things in a hotel but €8 for a small (plastic) tub of ice cream is a joke, but not a funny one. We also order a vegetarian sandwich at pool bar and got a salmon one, staff appeared very grumpy when we complained to the point that when they were were around loungers giving out sunglasses wipes two days later we were the only loungers she didn’t offer them to. We are not nigh**are or difficult customers , we just expect to be made to feel that we are ‘valued guests’ which we certainly didn’t. However, Elounda itself is a totally different ball game. The hotel will take you in their electric buggies to the edge of the complex for free where there is a pleasant 15 minute walk into the town. Turn right at main gate and walk along the pavement until you see a pathway to the right, go down here and it’s a lovely stroll along the waters edge where the local restaurants are so pleased to see and serve you and where you can eat wonderful local food, three courses for two in our experience for the price of one main meal at the hotel. The hotel services woman told her not to walk there as it wasn’t a pleasant walk (it was windy that day, don’t know if she thought as we were in our 60’s we couldn’t make it or would blow over lol). You can of course pay for a taxi that they will order if you prefer. It was my husband’s birthday while we were there (a good 5* hotel would have picked this up) and we would have loved to have had dinner overlooking the sea at the hotel but sadly this was not meant to be. We love Cret

This hotel is no longer any where near the standards expected for a Leading Hotel of the World member. It is very very very tired in so many areas. Very disappointing. Needs a full renovation. Also be VERY careful with your room selection- whilst the shared swimming pools seem very attractive, the terraces are on top of each other with no privacy- you can walk between terraces. If you have loud neighbours there is no peace, if they smoke you share their smoke. We assumed no smoking rooms included the terrace of your room- not so!! We came for a relaxing two weeks before a hospital op. but we have noisy neighbours who smoke large cigars! It’s awful. We either find somewhere else in the hotel or shut ourselves in our room. The shared pool concept doesn’t work if you’re a couple looking for a quiet holiday. 4 days into 14 day holiday! !

My wife and I were upgraded to this hotel by EasyJet due to the surprise closure of its sister hotel the “Elouda Bay hotel” This hotel caters for guests who are relatively wealthy. For example; a modest lunch for two costs between 60 and 80 euros, excluding wine. If you booked a packaged holiday with EasyJet your menus choice at dinner is very limited, it’s basically “menu de hote” Minimum cost for a bottle of white wine is 37 euros. Most wines are priced between 45 and 100 euros a bottle. Some are hundreds of euros a bottle! Restaurant waiters are professional but a bit too fussy for ordinary folk who just want to sit down and eat good food. One exception was the Food and Beverages Manager who had a good sense of humour, communicated well and made us feel relaxed. You can get an excellent lunch for two in many of the restaurants in Elouda for between 25 and 60 euros excluding drinks. Draft lager beer is about 5 euros for 500ml. I don’t know why but wine seems to be expensive in restaurants here. Best we could find was15 euros for a litre carafe of local country wine. It was nice easy drinking wine. There isn’t a shuttle bus from the hotel to Elouda village. If you are fit and able the walking distance there and back is 5km. A taxi costs 10 euros from the village back to the hotel. Hotel grounds are carefully landscaped with safe paths leading down to the crystal clear blue Mediterranean Sea. Guest suites and private villas are spread out over a huge area around the hotel. Golf buggies are used by hotel staff to get around the site. Our room was clean and comfortable with a good sea view. Buffet breakfast was good. Plenty of water sports and toys available here. Best not book this hotel if you’re on a tight budget! But if price doesn’t matter then it’s OK.

This is an amazing resort in a nice secluded sea front location. Level of service was excellent. Every body interacted with a smile and intention to help. Ioanna in guest experience was exceptional. Breakfast and restaurants were high standard and Mr Dimitris Ntourlias incharge of food and drinks was on floor and interacted and looked after us well.

From the moment you arrive you know that this hotel is special. As can be expected in a 5* hotel the luggage is whisked away and magically arrives in your room. The reception area is large and welcoming. The hotel staff are attentive, friendly and very efficient. The suite we stayed in had a massive double balcony with external furniture. The bedroom had a king sized bed which had electrically powered adjus**ent so you could get perfect position. My wife was also able to independently adjust her side. 3 large TVs were in the suite but sadly the only English channel was BBC World. No internet connected TV. Our bathrooms had a jacuzzi, steam room and shower. The suite had easy to control air-conditioning and a Nespresso coffee maker. Bottled water was delivered everyday. There is extensive free fast wifi throughout the entire complex. There are numerous specialty restaurants throughout and the breakfast buffet is magnificent. Internal transport across the extensive site is via chauffeured electric buggies. We used to take a buggy to the main gate at the sister hotel Elounda Bay and take the short walk into Elounda itself to enjoy restaurants there. The shallow waters of Elounda are accessible from various locations on site, a large unheated pool and a small heated pool in room 12 are available for guest use. There is lots to explore on this site including gardens, kids club, tennis courts, basketball, mini golf and there is a small shopping area. You can hire a motor vehicle from the pleasant lady located in the reception area. Well recommended

Wonderful relaxing holiday at Elounda Beach and much appreciated our upgrade to our beach view suite. Reception staff are delightful and were very helpful. Food in all the restaurants was superb and staff very knowledgeable and friendly. The resort grounds are magnificent and private beach well maintained with beach staff very helpful ,friendly and welcoming All in all a wonderful holiday and resort We will definitely return!

Just returned from our first stay at Elounda in one of the bungalows. Really enjoyed hotel. The staff were amazing and always so helpful and friendly. On arrival greeted with a drink whilst our cases were taken to our room and everything was explained to us. The room had everything you needed. The shower was also a steam room which is a really nice touch. The breakfast was first class with a wide selection. Particularly enjoyed the freshly squeezed juice. Enjoyed the restaurants, especially the Greek and Blue Lagoon. Sun beds on the beach were nicely spaced apart and didn’t feel crowded. Drinks were expensive but we generally went into Elounda after dinner for drinks. Took the hotel buggy to end of resort then a short walk. All the family had a spa trea**ent which we enjoyed.

Having just spent 12 days at Elounda Beach Hotel, the thing that stood out for us were how friendly and helpful the staff all were (special about out to Apostolos the concierge who booked restaurants, our transport and also tickets to Santorini- nothing was ever too much!). Our room was a stunning waterfront ambassador suite. The balcony was directly over the sea, with access to the water and uninterrupted views (picture is view from our balcony). Truly stunning (and part of a free upgrade - thank you Elounda!). The hotel are also smart in allocating the same beach sun beds for your entire stay - which means there no need to worry about grabbing a bed each morning - although I would say there is no shortage of sun beds across the resort. The general grounds are green and well landscaped, and everywhere you are you can pretty much see the sea. If I were to give any feedback to the hotel, it would be that for the price of the stay (which is definitely in the higher price range) they need to update their communal areas that are a bit dated and old ( reception, pool area and bar). It just wasn’t in keeping with some of the newer parts. I also think there was a lack of activities for kids (other than the very expensive watersports) even though there were volleyball courts, football and tennis courts. I would also suggest having more themed nights with different foods - the only one we saw was the Greek night once a week. There is also a stunning bar that is positioned right out in the water, but was almost always empty. The hotel could have made this a real feature if they had put on some live music, or happy hour, but they didn’t and as a result it was lacking in ambiance or a**osphere. Overall we had a lovely stay and loved our room. I am not sure we would go back at that price again with the hotel in its current state, however I cannot fault the staff or location (elounda and the surrounding areas are awesome). Love Crete and will go again for sure.

If you're up for a perfect holiday getaway, this is the place! Wonderful resort, friendly and very professional staff, delicious food, crystal clear water on a blue flag beach ... definitely worth revisiting!