Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas

For a hotel of this level, we expected a completely different experience. Unfortunately, the service has been extremely disappointing. Staff often seem uninterested and you can wait far too long just to be acknowledged. At the beach, getting a drink can be a challenge, and when you do, the prices are incredibly high. Breakfast has been equally frustrating. Tables are slow to be set, coffee takes forever to arrive, and there is very little warmth or friendliness from the staff. A smile and a simple acknowledgment of guests would go a long way. Our room also did not feel as well maintained or cared for as we would expect from a hotel in this category. The property itself may be beautiful, but good hospitality is about how you are made to feel, and unfortunately we never felt particularly welcomed here. For the price and reputation, I’m almost certain there are better hotels in Crete offering a much warmer, more attentive Greek hospitality experience. I would not choose to stay here again.

As a corporate couple, we have both stayed in many hotels and resorts over the years. Overall, this had to be one of the most enjoyable if not the most enjoyable we have experienced. Room: we stayed in a dreamline waterfront villa. As i booked it I thought the rate was expensive, but post stay, I actually thought it was excellent value. The view was indescribably gorgeous, the private pool amazing, the in room whirlpool, steam bath, treadmill, bluetooth music, etc. etc. just made the vacation incredible. Service: honestly, with every interaction we had with a staff member, it was clear the person was going above and beyond to be very accomodating, kind, and go above and beyond. Was the case for housekeeping, dining, bell , front desk staff, everyone. Clearly much cultural training goes on at this resort. Club cars to take you to/from places on the resort were very helpful. Amenities: beach experience was fantastic, having a reserved lounges and umbrella for length of your stay was so convenient, from someone having to fight and hunt for a chair at every other resort I have stayed in. Fitness center was fairly well equipped, with three treadmills, an elliptical, some machines and free weights. Could use some renovating. Watersports center was great, rented a jet ski, was very nice to ride around the bay. Food: Very good all around, best experience was italian restaurant, food was fantastic. Breakfast was expansive, although american food options could have been better. Verghera bar located well out on the water was an experience in itself.

My husband and I spent a wonderful two weeks at the Elounda Beach. The hotel, along with its sister hotel the Elounda Bay Palace, were the first to open in the area and as such acquired the best location along the Mirabello Bay (in my opinion). If crystal clear waters alongside a backdrop of mountains is your thing, you will love this place! We arrived very late evening from the airport and they had put on a spread of cold cuts etc for us in the room, which was a wonderful welcome. We stayed in one of the front row sea view bungalows and it was simply beautiful! The staff at the hotel are the cherry on the cake at this hotel. Every single member of staff was so friendly and couldn’t do enough for you, however a special mention and thanks must go to restaurant managers Marianna and Vaios. They, along with their team members Emoira and Poppi really made us feel so welcome and served every single person in the hotel with great professionalism and pride in their work. Additionally, Aggela on the egg station looked after us every day and made the best omelettes, bravo!! The hotel does need modernising in some rooms and public areas, however this does not mean that it is any less luxurious or looked after. We would definitely recommend!

I first stayed here approx 22 years ago And this is my fourth visit Many of the guests are repeat regulars who regard Elounda as their summer home I must say the service and staff attitude is impeccable this is a big property which represents many challenges to the management who is handling it quite well Some sections of the hotel is aging like all of us and is in need of a facelift I am sure this will be attended to this winter and they will start a challenging season on 2027 and we will be back Thank you

We stayed here for five nights in July 2026 with my mother and young daughter, booking two Deluxe Sea View rooms. I've waited a few days before writing this review because we left after a dispute over our final bill and wanted to make sure I reflected both the positives and negatives fairly. The positives: We received a lovely welcome drink on arrival, and check-in was quick and efficient. The reception area is beautiful, and the staff initially gave us a warm welcome. Breakfast was excellent, with a wide selection of fresh fruit, continental options and hot food. The private beach is stunning, with beautiful views, and the hotel feels very safe and secluded for families with young children. There is a good choice of restaurants within the hotel if you don't want to venture out. Housekeeping was excellent. Our rooms were cleaned to a very high standard every day, with plenty of fresh towels and bottled water replenished each evening. The independent water sports company on the pier next to the hotel beach was fantastic. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, and we made great use of both the boats and inflatable rings. They also offer a boat trip across the bay (around €20) to a beautiful restaurant, which I'd highly recommend. The negatives: The pool area was disappointing. The pool itself is nice, but the surrounding sunbeds, bar and overall pool area feel tired and in need of refurbishment. It was almost empty every day we were there, which wasn't surprising. It's a shame because the lady working at the pool bar was lovely. If you're someone who prefers spending your holiday by the pool rather than on the beach, and you don't have the benefit of a private pool, I probably wouldn't recommend this hotel. I'd read several reviews praising the beach sunbed arrangements, but that wasn't our experience. On arrival we were told there were no beach sunbeds available for our entire stay. After some discussion, we were eventually allocated three sunbeds and an umbrella, but it still felt like a daily struggle to find somewhere comfortable to sit. It appeared that many of the front-row beds were permanently reserved for private villas, even when they remained empty all day, while other guests weren't allowed to use them. It didn't feel like the best use of the available space. If you're ordering food to the beach, be prepared to wait. We regularly waited up to an hour for food to arrive. There were very limited ice cream options for children. Small individual pots (less than a scoop) were priced at €9 each, which felt excessive. The Dine Around option is a nice idea but expensive at €65 per person, excluding drinks. We used it twice. The Italian restaurant was very good, but on our second evening we booked the Mediterranean restaurant for the advertised Cretan Night with live music and dancing. We assumed this was included in the Dine Around package, so I signed the bill without concern. At checkout we discovered we had been charged an additional €65 per person for the entertainment evening. This extra charge was never explained to us when booking or during the meal. When I raised this at checkout, I found the response from reception dismissive and unhelpful. A buffet dinner with one bottle of rosé ended up costing almost €350 for two adults and one child, despite my daughter not even eating there. My advice would be to check carefully what is and isn't included before signing anything. Overall, there are certainly some lovely aspects to this hotel, particularly the beach, breakfast and housekeeping. However, given the price, I don't feel the overall experience justified the cost. What disappointed us most wasn't the issues themselves, but how they were handled. We did raise both the beach sunbed situation during our stay and the unexpected restaurant charges at checkout, but unfortunately no one seemed willing to help. I fully expect the standard response may be that these concerns could have been resolved if we'd mentioned them at the time, but we did, and sadly that wasn't our experience.