Elounda Bay Palace

What a beautiful place & setting. Crystal clear waters and 3 large pools to choose from. A peaceful spacious retreat to enjoy the grounds and relax. We asked to move rooms which the staff kindly arranged and it made such a difference to our overall enjoyment. Still Mountain View but updated with modern facilities. The buffet had a large variety of dishes in the evening and the staff were efficient and friendly, especially Maria. I just feel so disappointed; the hotel is so lovely and yet at night, soulless. Everyone disappears and there is no atmosphere. I appreciate the effort of the lady on the electric keyboard but this place is so stunning, it deserves some life in it at night. There is a lovely bar area which was empty, outside the bar is a fab terrace with large white rattan sofas. All in darkness, no encouragement to stay, no tea lights, just nothing to draw you there for a relaxing evening sitting under the stars with a bottle of wine. Background music was virtually inaudible. I know the manager has said that the drinks are in line with other hotels but hardly anyone was drinking which has to reflect the price points. I would love to return as there is so much to appreciate here but until more energy is put in to encouraging guests to stay and enjoy light entertainment (maybe a beach bbq, a small Cretan music group) anything! Then I would return in a heartbeat. Thankyou to the lovely staff

The staff are excellent, the location beautiful and grounds very well maintained. Loved swimming in the bay and in the fabulous outdoor pool If the exterior belongs on a “White Lotus”set , the room interiors might not make it . Our sea view room was spacious , clean and comfortable. Others have commented that interiors are a little dated. I think satisfaction with buffet will depend on personal taste - if you love salads , fish , hummus , whipped feta you’ll be good , plenty of fresh fruit I saw staff being kind and helpful to families with very young children Others have also commented about the price of drinks and eating at lunch - it’s very expensive We had drinks in Sail Bar and ate lunch because the setting is so pretty We also took the short walk in to Elounda to cocktail bars and for lunch out Morning walks around Elounda before too warm well worth attempting It is quiet after dinner , maybe because early in season but you may need to walk in to Elounda if you want it livelier Good gym with helpful attendant

We have just returned from our holiday at Elounda Bay Hotel, we had a lovely De luxe Sea View room, with fantastic views. This is our third time at this Hotel, I have to say that last year the food was not that great, but this year with a new chef the food was so much better, and there was a good choice of food as well. I don’t eat Pork or red meat, so last year this was a problem for me, so we had to eat out most of the time, but this year there was plenty of lovely fresh fish, including sea bass and choice of chicken dishes. My only crititsim being, it is a buffet restaurant, parents where allowing children to handle food on the buffet table, if they changed their minds or starting creating a scene the food was put back on the table. This is not hygenic at all, and really puts you off eating certain foods, plus the children were dropping food on the floor which is dangerous for older people, for a 5* Hotel this is not acceptable. The other point is that I have to take medication with my meal, I don’t drink alchohol, so I had to pay 6 Euros every night for a large bottle of water to take my mediation, as you were not allowed to take water into the restaurant. The majority of Hotels around the world offer free water with your meal, but it seems that in Greek Hotels they charge you for everything. We were also very surprised that the Climate Resilience tax has gone up from 10 Euros last year to 15 Euros this year per room per night, we were there for 12 nights, so we had to pay a further 180 euros, this is much higher that other European countries. The Hotel is lovely, although it is very quiet in the evenings, no entertainment at all, except a lady playing the piano in the restaurant every evening, although she is quite good,its not very stimilating. The two beaches are beautiful, lovely for swimming, the toilets by the beach are spotless all through the day, the Sale Bar is great for drinks, but there was no where to get a light snack at lunchtime while we were there. The staff as always were superb, with special thank you to the lovely lady who cleaned our room every day Joanna, Maria and George who served us at the Sale Bar, Frangisco our lovely beach man who looked after us so well every day putting our sun beds out, nothing was too much trouble for him and not forgetting Victoria on the Customer Relations desk, what we would have done without her, always so friendly and vey helpful. We went at the end of June, and it was very full, I think if we go again we will pick a slightly later time, plus this is very much a family hotel.

First hotel we have revisited in 44 years of marriage! And it didn’t disappoint. Friendly welcome from the reception team on arrival. Great selection of food in the restaurant - it was a case of what don’t you have as there were so many things I wanted!. Peaceful location and stunning beach.

When our son and his partner agreed to come on holiday with us, brining with them our only grandchild, 9 month old baby Harry, We wanted to ensure his first holiday and with us was extra special, with minimal risk and maximum enjoyment. For us it was easy there was only one destination in our minds. Elounda Bay Palace Hotel (EBP) . we have been here many time and have never been disappointed. Our stay duration was for one week (too short really) Key Points . Elounda as a region is absolutely stunning, with its enchanting wide bays, incredible history and breathtaking mountainous backdrops, the town is a small fishing village looking out onto the historic Island of Spinalonga, Here there is truly something for everyone. The hotel location is beautiful, clean & safe with its adjourning sister Hotel Elounda Beach Hotel (EB) combined they provide extensive facilities and choice, if wanted. Our accommodation, was two adjourning villas with own pool, they were both clean, spacious and fully equipped with everything we needed which was perfect for this very special family occasion. the beds were comfortable and the AC was very efficient. the cot provided for the baby was ideal. Things do go wrong, and we had a problem with the hot water late one afternoon, once reported, it was attended and fixed within one hour, good service. The EBP layout from indoor pool, to outdoor pool to the children's paddling pool, to the beach and then the sea was perfect, with very easy access for the old and young. There is a life guard on duty and the beach staff are friendly, diligent and always on hand to help. the fishing village of Elounda is a 15-20 minute walk from the hotel or a 5 minute taxi ride, there you will find everything you need including two good pharmacists (its our age) Dinning, The buffet breakfast and dinner choices were excellent and delicious, the staff from the maitre d and the servers were very friendly and efficient, however I would recommend pacing yourself, I gained at least 3kg probably more. Restaurant choices, As well as the EBP facilities you also have access to those at the Elounda Beach hotel, combined there is substantial choice . I have in this just reviewing those we used. Argonaut. EB, Italian dinner, different starters and main courses of varying meat, fish, pasta and vegetables, sharing one desert. having the recommended red wine. Verdict, excellent. Thalassa. BP. Sitting at the waters edge ( amazing views) We all had mixed starters, mains, catch of the day fish to steak, delicious wine. Verdict, excellent Thalassa. BP. Greek Night, Harry was mesmerised as we all were with the incredible dancers and dancing, Buffet style, starters, mains, deserts. Verdict, excellent Ariadne. BP. Last day big lunch I had the Cesar salad one of my favorites and I cant remember having one better anywhere in the world. Verdict, excellent The sail-in bar. a late afternoon drink after a hard day of doing very little except playing with Harry - Perfect. The Aretoussa bar - for an after dinner cocktail, while listening to very pleasant live music - Perfect. We needed to be here longer to be able to have used all the other bars and restaurants available but talking with other guests the general opinion the same as our findings - perfect. Other facilities. The Spa at EB, we encouraged our son and partner to use this and to give us their opinion after, (my wife and I have used it many times and think its fantastic ) after their relaxing massages and tour or the roof top pool and relaxation areas they returned very impressed and suitably zoned out. Quote "the view of the Bay of Mirabella from the roof top of the spa is outstanding as was the treatments" EBP GYM, if you are inclined, my son visited there most days it was very well equipped, with running and rowing machines, weights and much more, the member of staffs knowledge and assistance was excellent After breakfast each day I would take baby Harry for a walk in his pushchair, I managed to cover most of the grounds of both hotels, my step count at the end of our week exceeded 20km, in my travels I looked closely at, two five-a-side pitches, two tennis courts, volley ball courts, mini golf, children's playgrounds, basketball courts, oh and helipad. I must state I never used any but they all looked great, after my daily jaunt I would then return to find his parents and grandmother somewhere very comfortable on sunbeds !!! Now we have a reason I also looked into the staffed "Kids Club" which was full of toys and occupied by two lovely ladies (correct and proper staffing ratios) they invited me to return with Harry to let him play at any time although due to his age he would need to be accompanied... sadly we never had time on this holiday. Water Sports: The team and and their equipment were great, with my son being very keen we hired a self-drive speed boat, good tuition from very experienced staff ensured we had a great time, He also used the jet skis and finally managed to pursued his partner share a ride on an inflatable towed by a fast speed boat, I sat in the back to film it all, you could hear her screams from the beach, the experienced staff member ensured it was safe and great fun. The standards of the hotels are down to all the hard working staff from the green team looking after the grounds, The Beach team, House keeping, serving staff and all guest relation staff. Special Note: If there is an issue the readily availability of the hotel manager Mr. Dimitris and assistant Manager Maria Manioti is reassuring, Unlike many locations this senior management team are highly visible and active and always available, I'm sure Mr. Dimitris step count must be at least double to mine as he seems to be everywhere everyday. Negatives, Drinks are perceived expensive however in my opinion the costs need to be in balance with everything else you have around you, including, the comfort, quality and views for example, so if costs are at a premium all that you have needs to be considered in the mix, there after as individuals we all have a choice. Summary As you can see from the above this is quite rightly our very positive review based upon our experience, we had a fantastic holiday made even more special by having a grandson who we never thought we would have present with us, in truth it was quite emotional. On the evening of our last day we asked our son and partner would they like to return with us next year, they immediately said yes please, so next week I will be rebooking for 2026. Thank you Elounda Bay Palace.