Phaea Blue, Elounda, Crete

Wow - it was amazing. We have stayed at some pretty special hotels but this was one of the best. From the moment we arrived we had fantastic treatment. Our car was parked for us, our luggage taken to our room and we were given a drink in the gorgeous reception area. Our room was spacious with a balcony, dressing room and lovely view. The staff went above and beyond and clearly loved their jobs - nothing was too much trouble. Everything was immaculately clean. We had the 'pop-up' dinner in the vegetable garden one night - we sat at a group table and had plates of food to share all cooked outside over wood and in outdoor ovens and all fresh local produce and great communal dining. Breakfast had a huge self service buffet of fresh produce and amazing cooked to order choice. There is a private beach and you can get a speedboat to Spignalonga island and you can eat a snack lunch on the beach. The pool is heated and the pool area is relaxing and clean. We just loved it all.

The understated elegance that fully takes at advantage of the natural views that come with this location is truly stunning. We truly appreciated the food and the service I this amazing spot. Each experience met every expectation Our room may have been the nicest room we had stayed in as the combination of view and quality of room

This was our first time to this part of Crete and therefore Phaea Blue and we were not disappointed. We were greeted at the door and led into the lobby area where we were checked in and given a complimentary drink before being taken to our room by buggy. We absolutely loved our room (723) from which we could see the island of Spinalonga. The room included a huge bathroom, walk in closet and a good sized balcony. The rooms have been well laid out within the grounds and we had total privacy. Breakfast was excellent, lots of choice at the buffet and on the menu. Staff were very welcoming and attentive. We didn't eat lunch or dinner at the hotel. It's true that the hotel is set into the hillside and for some people this may be an issue, but the buggy service is readily available if needed. We didn't really use the beach, but there looked to be plenty of sun loungers. The beach is big pebbles so would recommend taking rubber shoes for getting in and out of the water. Think there is a pier too with steps for easier access for swimming. I did note the sunshades are fixed and quite small, but I guess most people wouldn't be bothered by this. We took the speedboat from the hotel to Spinalonga and back (€40 for up to 4 people). Takes about 90 seconds each way and is absolutely brilliant! Totally flexible from a timing aspect too. (The boat from Plaka or Elounda to Spinalonga is €12pp each way so the speedboat is a cheaper option as well as far more fun.) From 2026 there will be a new 140ish room hotel next door so I don't know whether this will impact the Phaea Blue at all. Plaka is a 5 minute walk away with a good selection of restaurants (we particularly enjoyed Porta. Fabulous team and the food was delicious.) and Elounda about a 40 minute walk - fine during the day, but probably not to be recommended in the dark as pavement missing in places. We wouldn't hesitate to stay at Phaea Blue again if we returned to the area.

It was our second visit this year, and once again we enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing and peaceful holiday. We were pleasantly surprised that the hotel staff recognized us and made us feel as if we were returning to our second home. The restaurants were excellent, very good quality, offering delicious breakfasts with a small buffet and à la carte options , you must try the poached eggs with avocado and toasted bread. Room service was fast with very taste mediterannean dishes. We had also body treatments in the wellnes area that was so relaxed. Thank you to everyone for your hospitality and special mention to Maria. We’ll definitely be back!

The original hotel on the larger plot has been separated into two parts - Phea Blue, designated a boutique hotel and a much larger hotel currently in development which I’m led to believe will be a Rosewood when completed. First impressions were not good. When we arrived in our taxi it felt like we were being delivered to the tradesman’s entrance. The entrance was an unassuming door which opened onto an unassuming corridor, which you then had to navigate past a bar area to get to a reception desk tucked away in the corner of the room. The room was very nice with a fantastic view of Spinalonga island over the bay. Each morning we were woken to the delightful sound of building work next door, which started at 7.30am most days. It was disappointing to not be told by the hotel that this was going on beforehand as a general courtesy to its guests. Breakfast was one of the worst I’ve ever seen at a 5 star hotel. Extremely limited options on cereals, fruit and pastries (no croissants), hot food limited to eggs and avocados (which my wife likes but I don’t). I tried an omelette first day which was dry and spoilt by the use of feta which gave it a very bitter aftertaste. They don’t provide milk and juice options - orange juice was delivered to the table and each day I had to request milk for the muesli, and then wait 5 minutes for it to be delivered. My wife ordered scrambled eggs, sliced avocado and grilled tomatoes this morning, with all 3 parts delivered separately with 5-10 minutes in between. We tried dinner at the Blue Door restaurant which was okay but unexceptional. We didn’t try the other restaurant as it had limited food options for my wife and just about every main course was a “sharing plate” which we dislike. The hotel is set into a steep hillside and walking down to the beach area is challenging, and walking back up to our room doubly so. The beach set up is fine - beds, bar and attentive staff. It was notable that in its previous incarnation as a single hotel there was a large pool area and loungers next to the beach, but this was all closed off for redevelopment of the new hotel. On a positive note the staff were all friendly and helpful - particularly the buggy drivers, who were excellent. I think this hotel is clearly compromised by being part of something much bigger when it was hived off to create Phea Blue. The entrance/reception area is just underwhelming. The breakfast set up is compromised by clearly not being designed as such. The beach and pool areas are good, but it is clear that some facilities have been lost in the split. In summary we won’t be back.