Read our guide to The Best Hotels in Elounda, a small town on the northern coast of the island of Crete.
Read our guide to The Best Hotels in Elounda, a small town on the northern coast of the island of Crete.
Elounda Peninsula All Suite Hotel
Elounda Peninsula All Suite Hotel is one of three sister hotels (including Elounda Mare below) that form a part of the same resort that share some facilities.
Elounda Peninsula All Suite Hotel is the most secluded of the three, set on a peninsula with its own private beach.
Every suite has a sea view and a private, heated swimming pool – be careful if you are partial to swimming naked as on one side of the pool you can be seen by passers-by from the waist down!
Many of the suites are split over two floors with the ground floor sitting area (with sofa bed) opening on to the pool and an upstairs bedroom which opens on to a private terrace.
These are good options for friends sharing as there is a bathroom on each floor.
For dining options, Calypso serves up gourmet French dishes with a view, and Koh, although closed during my visit at the end of the season, is a Pan-Asian restaurant with an excellent location on the rocks stretching out over the water.
The hotel’s facilities include a luxurious Six Senses Spa, a nine-hole golf course, an excellent children’s club, a range of water sports, three tennis courts and a beautiful sailing yacht for private cruises.
Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites
Elounda Gulf Villas is a family-run, boutique hotel built on the hillside overlooking the magnificent Gulf of Mirabello.
All ‘rooms’ are villas or suites and are designed to offer complete privacy and relaxation (as well as breathtaking views).
The Villas (ranging from 120 to 350 sq.m) offer 1 to 4 bedrooms and all feature large private swimming pools with Jacuzzi and expansive terraces with sun-beds and panoramic sea views.
The spa pool villas also feature a private spa, including private gym, sauna and steam bath.
Rather odd, perhaps, but if spa treatments are really your thing, book one of the new massage pool suites where the whole lower ground floor is a private massage suite.
The design of the villas and suites includes the use of bold colours and accents, although the soft furnishings could do with being updated.
Located ten minutes’ drive from the Elounda Gulf Villas & Suites, the hotel offers a daily private shuttle service to the beach.
For children, there is a crèche and kids’ club catering for children from 4 months old to 12 years old that meet the UK Ofsted childcare standards.
Elounda Gulf Villas is set on beautiful grounds with huge villas and suites that offer total privacy and you can sense the family-run approach in its operations and level of service.
A refresh of the design of the rooms would elevate the hotel to the highest level.
Elounda Mare
An understated and elegant property, Elounda Mare (part of Relais & Châteaux) is the sister hotel to Elounda Peninsula All Suite Hotel featured above.
The hotel is the most charming of the three sister hotels, especially with its 36 individual bungalows scattered around the grounds.
The décor is classic and traditional throughout with old stonework, dark wood and antiques that have been collected from the owners’ travels around the world.
The Yacht Club is a Mediterranean beach restaurant offering fresh seafood and traditional local dishes, while the star is the Old Mill, set around an ancient millstone, specialising in Cretan cuisine created from local ingredients.
The best hotels in Elounda
While Crete doesn’t have the chicness of Santorini or the energy and scene of Mykonos, Elounda is a good option for those looking for a slice of Greek life, especially for families.
The Bon Vivant Journal
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