Elounda Bay Palace, a Member of the Leading Hotels of the World

Another wonderful stay at the Elounda Bay Palace. From the minute you arrive until you say farewell, the team here make you feel so special. Being greeted when you are dropped and the friendly, relaxed check in process help you settle before being shown to your room. We had a deluxe sea view bungalow this stay, it was immaculate and the views were amazing. The quality and choices of food in the buffet restaurant, for breakfast and dinner, are wonderful, the wine choices are plentiful. The team that work the restaurants are so helpful and attentive. The Sail Inn bar is a must for an evening drink, we were lucky enough to be there when the guy with saxophone was playing on a Sunday. The bar also serves the beach ate during the day, cocktails on your sun lounger are a must. The grounds of the hotel are vast, beautifully maintained, and the beach is spotless with plenty of beds and parasols available. The guys working the beach area are always on hand. The second beach is smaller, but if you like your water sports, there’s a great choice from there. Elounda and the surrounding areas are stunning, and some of the views from the hotel are fantastic. All of the staff we encountered were so pleasant and dedicated to making your stay special. The hotel manager, Dimitris Theodoroglakis, is an absolute gentleman, he has a hotel and team to be truly proud of, thank you once again for helping make our stay so good.

The hotel, the service, the staff, and the beach – everything is five stars and more. We stayed for 10 days and regretted not staying longer. Check-in was handled by Danai, who was warm and professional. She explained everything clearly and showed us our room. The food at the Aretoussa Restaurant is delicious – there's a wide variety of dishes and a great selection every day. All the staff from the restaurant are incredibly friendly and always smiling. A huge thank you to Costas , who made us feel right at home with his positive and professional attitude. He always had everything under control and was ready to help with anything we needed. You can tell he genuinely cares about every guest. We also rented a car for two days. Both Elounda Bay Palace and Elounda Beach have a car rental desk, where the lovely Phaedra provided us with a clean, well-equipped car at a great price. She speaks several languages, is funny, and such a pleasure to be around. She also gave us excellent tips on what to visit and where to eat. All the staff were extremely polite and paid great attention to the guests. Whatever you ask for is done in half the expected time, to the highest standard, and always with a smile. Last but not least, the beach is amazing. There are two piers and two swimming pools. You’ll find sunbeds on the sand, as well as on the large green areas with grass and trees which provides natural shade

The hotel is in a beautiful location, with wonderful facilities. The grounds/pools are well kept and the staff are very attentive. We paid extra for a side sea view and in hindsight it really wasn’t worth it. Our room (main reception block, 3rd floor) was very old fashioned, with a small balcony which did not get any sun. While these rooms can sleep 3 (2 adults and a child) there is not enough space to accommodate the luggage that comes with 3 people. Not enough wardrobe space or places to store cases and the space that is available soon becomes a bit messy. The hotel marketing states that there is a TV in the room with up to 30 tv/music channels. We certainly didn’t have this in our room. The reception and picture quality on our TV was poor, with only 1 English speaking channel available (Sky news). Food quality and selection was fantastic, with plenty to choose from at breakfast and dinner. Fussy kids are well catered for, with options of pizza and spaghetti on every night, but no chips. Much has been mentioned about there being no “free” drink with dinner and this is really where the hotel falls down in my opinion. A glass of house red/white or a soft drink would not break the bank when you consider how much it costs to stay here. The majority of guests simply drink water (5 euros a bottle) The cost of other food and drink in the hotel is ridiculous and it was hard not to feel that we were being ripped off. Kid’s lunch options at the hotel are around 13 euros and adult meals 20+ euros. Milkshakes and freshly squeezed juice are 10 euros. It is an easy 5-10 min walk into Elounda to pick up more reasonably priced supplies from the supermarket. (Take a right at the sign to Nina’s for a more picturesque walk into the town) For the first half of our stay, there were very few Brits staying at the hotel. Each morning we would stroll down to the sun beds and find plenty to choose from. The second half, the Brits descended and then the ridiculous reserving sun-beds started. One family taking up at least 10 prime position spots and then not appearing until just before 11am. Hotels really do have to put a stop to this! If we came back to Crete we would not return to the Elounda Bay Palace.

Location 10/10 Services 10/10 Experience 10/10 Staff 10/10 Room 7/10 ( the one we stayed outdated , needs an update asap) In general is amazing hotel but age has accumulated and a good revamp needs to be performed. Once done, this place will be second to none. Are we going to stay again … absolutely YES!

My first visit to Elounda Bay Palace hotel & I absolutely loved it from the moment we checked in. This hotel is most definitely a five star & all of the little touches really made a difference. From the attentiveness of all the staff to the friendly housekeeping & cleanliness of the rooms. Mr Dimitris the hotel manager takes time to speak to the guests ensuring that they have everything they need. Nothing was too much trouble & we really appreciated the time he took to check in with us to see if we needed anything. Thanks for an amazing 4 days & I definitely hope to return to this hotel one day.

First time at the Elounda Bay palace & certainly wont be the last! This resort deserves its 5 star rating. From check in to check.out, the attention to detail is first class. Rooms were spotlessly clean with all modern touches, coffee pods & milk replenished daily. All staff - from beach, bars & restaurants were honestly amazing, nothing is too much trouble & they are genuinely happy to help. Special appreciation to Anna Maria at the main restaurant & the general manager Mr Dimitris for making our stay so special! Well done & thank you Elounda Bay palace.