Blue Palace, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, Crete

We stayed at the Blue Palace resort for one week and we loved it. What I liked the most is the fact that they use a funicular which goes from reception to the beach. The Spinalonga island is just in front of the hotel and that makes it even more interesting. The rooms were very clean, the staff nice. If there is something that was missing was a real Greek breakfast. I was a little disappointed to see that they had just tzatziki, local cheese and Greek salad from the Greek cuisine. The rest was international but I guess there are not many people requesting a Greek breakfast.

Firstly I have to say I have been wanting to stay at this hotel for years. Sadly I had no idea it was a resort, and I’ve been disappointed but I guess that’s my fault not the hotels. Water sports, good range and a great team, very much worth doing Food in restaurants is not great, apart from breakfast, and is very overpriced apart from beach bar, where food quality for the simple menu is good and a welcome change. For good food you have to go elsewhere in my opinion, there is a great selection in Plaka, Elounda felt a bit of a Benidorm place but I can’t confirm as I didn’t go. Spa is great, treatments pricey but very good quality, a bit too hard on the sell on products but I guess you expect it in these environments. Warning - this place is huge and built on a hill, you will get tired legs unless you want to spend half your vacation waiting for the vernacular. There is only one car, it’s slow, very warm and many use it and it can be a frustrating wait. There have been some comments on rudeness from staff, and I think I have experienced where it’s coming from and it’s a few of the team on reception who seem to think they are superior to all their guests and it’s too much trouble to deal with them. Apart from these individuals everyone here was great, very welcoming and warm. The pools are super, three in all on different levels. Only watch out is shade is minimum and the umbrellas limited in what they can provide.

We booked our honeymoon around this resort and have been disappointed on every level. The only thing that was great was the service. All of the people were incredibly nice. The room with a pool, not worth it. The pool is freezing and we were in it maybe one minute of our total trip. The Spa was terrible. Loud, not relaxing, poor facilities, we got a couples massage and were rushed in and out. The food was WAY overpriced and frankly not good. we paid for a $150 Cretan Feast and not even water was included for that price and 75% of the food was gross. Every single thing disappointed us over and over again. Honestly, by the end of the trip we were broke and so upset that we decided to come half way around the world for this place.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our four night stay at the Blue Palace. It is a very large but attractive and largely well maintained resort which enjoys exceptional views across the bay and to Spinalonga Island and seems perfectly located wedged between the busy Elounda and the more charming village of Plaka. I believe however without your own transport the enjoyment of your stay maybe comprised. The highlights of our stay were otherwise the exceptional service throughout notably the concierge desk, the lavish 'champagne' breakfast and housekeeping who maintain rooms spotlessly and who undertook a truly comprehensive turn down service each night with a treat. With St Regis tariffs without necessarily that level of luxury, I do question whether it is good value. If I have any other small gripes, they include someone need to teach the cooks how to cook bacon, shade is very limited with few trees and small umbrellas, the premium wifi is little slow and patchy and that no area is set aside for smokers at breakfast.

This hotel is truly in a league of it's own. The staff is very welcoming and can/will assist you with any/all needs. We stayed here from September 1-5th and it was still very warm. We had breakfast that was available every morning at 7 am and it was quite the spread! fresh and filling. We had mimosas with breakfast before heading down to the beach (remember to pack water shoes - this is not a sandy beach). The towels are available at 9 am, so if you're an early riser (like myself) make sure to grab some before heading back to your room in the evening. They have a lift that will take you from the reception level down to the beach area. It can get packed, so make sure to time yourself wisely. Breakfast tends to get busy around (9:30 -10 a.m.) I also recommend going to Plaka, you can get there via the beach and walk over a path. It will literally take you 8 minutes. Eat at the The Carob Tree (best meatballs) and the locals are very pleasant. If you go into Elounda, which I recommend as well - make a reservation at Palio Kantouni - the one waiter they have owns the restuarant where his wife cooks. It is reservation only and the food is great. We had the lamb, spiced pork (the best!) and many others. Please do not limit yourself to this beautiful resort, go see the nearby areas for a taxi ride of maybe 8 euros! Not saying the resort is not breathtaking because it truly is. Hands down the best place I have ever stayed out of my many travels and hope to return one day! Also, this hotel is an hour away from the airport. Make sure to schedule a taxi ride (BS Shuttle website) it only costs Twenty Euros for the HOUR LONG ride! you cannot beat that. We tipped them an additional twenty euro and they were more than grateful. But, an hour long taxi ride for Twenty dollars is something you cannot beat anywhere. Have a great time at this wonderful resort.