Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas

We returned to Elounda Beach having stayed about five years ago and remembering it fondly\. Unfortunately, this visit didn’t live up to those memories\. It’s an okay hotel, but while the facilities may tick the boxes for five stars, the experience certainly didn’t feel like what we would expect from a “Leading Hotel of the World”\. It’s a dated property\. Some parts have aged well and retain their charm; others look tired and need attention\. To give credit where it’s due, we weren’t happy with the noise and view from our first room, and the team moved us quickly and without any fuss\. That was appreciated\. Unfortunately, too many basics fell short\. At breakfast, my poached eggs were cold in the middle and swimming in water, my wife’s omelette was excessively oily and over\-seasoned, and the cappuccino was lukewarm\. In our room, a loose shower\-door seal allowed water to flood the bathroom, the wardrobe light didn’t work and most English television channels were unavailable\. Turndown missed replenishing tea and coffee and emptying the bin\. These items were addressed but the general room maintenance should be checked in between each guest\. The beach service was frustrating too\. We were told the only available sunbeds were beside the towel station, then watched three subsequent sets of guests being offered better beachfront positions\. Getting a drink took three requests and around 45 minutes\.this did improve after complaining and was good thereafter\. More seriously, we returned one afternoon to find our room door wide open after housekeeping had serviced it\. Nothing appeared to have been taken, but securing a guest’s room is a basic expectation at any hotel\. Although this was subsequently addressed, with assurances it won’t happen again, it just shouldn’t happen ever\. I raised these matters directly with the general manager during our stay\. He said the earlier issues had been acted upon and that they had considered this sufficient in place of a reply\. His initial response about the open door did little to reassure me\. After I challenged it, he apologised and confirmed that corrective action had been taken\. That should be acknowledged, although the exchange left us disappointed with how the concern was initially handled\. Individually, some of these things are small\. Together, they affect how a holiday feels, particularly somewhere presenting itself at this level\. This stay was a reminder that “The Leading Hotels of the World” is a brand, and the name alone should not be relied upon as a guarantee of an exceptional experience\. Certainly, our experience here didn’t match the expectation it creates\. The hotel was okay, but we expected considerably better\.

We have just returned home from a lovely relaxing 10 night stay at Elounda Beach. We had a late arrival, the staff were great in giving us a quick run down, took us in a buggy to the room and had left out some nibbles in case we were hungry. The room was very spacious, plenty storage and hangers, had all the usual amenities. The bathroom and some bits of the bedroom were a little tired and could do with updating. Comfy bed and excellent shower and steam room. Terrace overlooking the sea, comfy chairs and sun beds. Can be a bit slippy on the flooring next to the sea. Sun beds are reserved for each room which is really helpful, an area shared with around 8 other rooms. Had Sun all day in late Sept till around 5pm. Everything felt clean, housekeepers so friendly. Also lovely that fresh flowers were changed regularly (something I love at home). Bottles of water restocked daily by such a friendly room service gent. Sound proofing could be better. Shop in hotel grounds, however unable to buy water or alcohol there. Drinks prices very expensive on site. There are local supermarkets but means carrying it back. The hotel is sprawling. Buggy service is excellent, takes you to elounda Bay Palace entrance which knocks off ten minutes of the walk into elounda which is helpful. Also really easy to get a taxi into elounda and back. Never had to wait long (11 euros each way). The breakfast has an excellent variety, always regularly stocked up. Staff were helpful and friendly. One negative of the breakfast experience is that at times it can feel quite frantic. Staff walking at speed, often bumping into you. If you’re sat in a busy spot it can often mean breakfast isn’t very relaxing. We didn’t eat at any of the restaurants in the evening, seemed very expensive. However lots of options in Elounda. Enjoyed cocktails at the jetty bar. Huge range of rooms, some look a little less private than others and likely don’t get much sun. Overall we had an excellent stay and would return. Thanks for being so lovely!

I wanted to love this hotel - the location and view is stunning - but it’s a bit ‘tired’ and the service was generally poor. Our room was a bungalow with an absolutely stunning view, but it was very dated and the beds were uncomfortable. Some of the equipment didn’t work (sauna in shower) and there was a lack of sockets. It just felt like it needed an overhaul. The Italian restaurant was excellent (although incredibly expensive with no prices on the menu) but the Greek restaurant was awful - we had to wait an hour before even placing our order and couldn’t get attention from any of the staff. The breakfast options were very good but all the staff seemed to be bustling around in a hurry and most (not all) of the staff were grumpy and unapproachable. I also wouldn’t bother ordering room service as they forgot we had ordered and had to wait 90 minutes for our snack meal to arrive. I had to demand that the additional 15 euros for delivery to the room was removed from our order (it wasn’t offered). The food was good but we were kind of past the point of hunger by then! One of the things we liked the sound of was knowing we had the same beds reserved at the beach every day. Unfortunately, every time we went, the people working there seemed confused with an unreliable system meaning that our beds had been given away. We weren’t all that bothered but it’s a service promoted to guests that doesn’t appear to be working successfully! Overall we had a good holiday but we were disappointed as had high hopes for this hotel. Worth heading into Elounda for an evening meal, using the buggy service to the entrance - these chaps were always cheery and willing to help at any moment.

Fabulous location with amazing views and ambience. The layout was wonderful and pretty much all the staff were outstanding. Two miserable ones (waiter and waitress) let the side down but otherwise first class and very friendly. Felt very welcome. The breakfasts wrte wonderful with an extraordinary array of choices to suit all tastes. Probably best we’ve ever enjoyed in many years of travel. The restaurants were excellent apart from the Greek which served dried and overcooked meat. Offered to replace but defended it as “normal”. My wife had an accident whilst we were there and three members of staff stood out in helping us. Bran from the dive school and two buggy drivers. George and Chris. Christiana in the bar also warrants special mention for great service. Very little contact from management about the accident on hotel property which surprised us quite a bit. Bit scared to address it maybe? All in all loved it and would definitely return. Highly recommend.

Best hotel wonderful people and a wonderful garden