Elounda Mare Hotel

29 years ago we honeymooned here. Time passed and we finally found our way back. It has only become better one better. Our room had a private pool with stunning views. The food was outrageous. And the service, from welcome, to servers to cleaning staff were courteous, helpful and friendly. Truly an amazing experience at every step and at every moment. And the facilities and grounds are impeccable. If you stay here and don’t love it, that is a YOU problem.

First visited over 30 years ago and , as ever, warmly welcomed on arrival and found all the staff so friendly and helpful throughout our stay. So lovely to see so many familiar faces as well. We start to relax as soon as we arrive. Our Bungalow ( No 3 ) was well positioned, spacious and with great views. We loved the bungalow pool which is great to relax in and around. Soon slipped into the timeless, classical ways of the Elounda Mare with its lovely grounds ( so well looked after by the staff), great restaurants , beach and main pool. The sea was still delightfully warm starting with our lovely swim before breakfast across the bay. We loved the Dine Around facility giving access to the restaurants at all three hotels with a convenient shuttle service and particularly the boat service .Really high standard with our favourite being The Old Mill ( great management team and sommelier) , We thought the Il Burro restaurant had improved since last visit and Sumosan is always most enjoyable. Friday night " Fish Night" at the Yacht Club is always a great evening with so many different choices and the restaurant setting is superb. So convenient to have the excellent Spa facilities at one of the sister hotels which provides great treatments. Only slight criticism was that twice in the fortnight we were there, restaurants were unavailable because of private functions. First time at the Yacht Club was not so much of a problem as that restaurant is open every night but The Mill was closed on one of the only three days it was open and one would have thought that it could have been hired out on one of the " closed nights" or it could have been opened to guests on another night. Excellent friendly staff throughout the hotel who also helped organise a couple of trips to vist more of Crete and who help to create a most enjoyable holiday. Till the next time!

I can not say enough good things about this hotel. The hospitality was amazing! The staff was exceptional. Joanna was lovely, fun and friendly… she gave us the best advice on what to do. Don’t skip the spa!!!!! Thank you Elounda Mare!

My wife and I stayed here as part of our 25 anniversary and we enjoyed every minute of our stay. It starts at check in, where the staff went above and beyond, they welcomed us with a glass of champagne and then we were escorted to our room by IoAnna, who is an absolute delight. She accommodated any requests with a genuine caring attitude. Hotel has several restaurant options if you don’t want to leave and explore the island. Highly recommend the Italian a Japanese restaurants. Private beach is peaceful, with a fun bar area. Thomas and crew will get you favorite cocktail and some finger foods. This was our final island on our trip so we were content to stay on the resort and not explore the island. If you want to see more of Crete, definitely rent a car bc the island is huge.

This is one of the very first 5-star hotels built in the area, and the clear foresight of its creator must be acknowledged. It is beautifully blended into nature, and its buildings are spread over a huge surface in such a way that – unlike other facilities – they are by no means disturbing. The location, while not offering the very best view of Mirabello Bay and Spinalonga Island – which lies further north – is still breathtaking and its most fascinating feature in my opinion is the secluded, elegant, cozy, reserved, and quiet atmosphere. Letting my gaze rest on the horizon of dramatic dawns or gentle sunsets, or following birds’ flights in the blue from the balcony of my room, has been highly regenerating for me. Interiors are luxurious without being showy. Everything I saw was kept immaculately, with gloss-varnished wooden surfaces and perfectly cleaned floors and furnishings. A small, spotless and serene church that allows moments of reflection The staff is highly professional, attentive, and empathetic, yet formal and respectful. Breakfast was gorgeous, with every kind of excellent food and, though I do not usually indulge in sweets, I could not refrain from noticing eleven different types of cakes (a few of which I guiltily, but more than satisfactorily, tried). The beach is quite small and the shade of the umbrellas may be insufficient at times, but there is an area under the olive trees that I particularly loved. A few spots on the cliffs are simply spectacular. The sea is crystal clear and very salty, so floating requires minimal effort and makes swimming even more relaxing. Though perfection is not human, and in any case subjective, there were minor features potentially upgradable that I may constructively report. Noise from a water scooter occasionally present (along with those from the neighboring Porto Elounda Hotel) and the lawnmower was sometimes a pain in the neck. At least silent lawnmowers might be an easily accessible option. Housekeepers should refrain from chatting while on duty, or anyway avoid speaking loudly. Rope railings and/or handrails may be advisable along a few pathways flanking the cliffs or the sea, which may even become slippery. The glass on the double swinging doors is very useful, but I am not sure it looks shatterproof. Finally, though guests were overall very polite, they appeared underdressed compared to past standards, and a few behaved frankly inappropriately, so that a behavioral and dress code might perhaps be gently reintroduced.