Elounda Bay Palace Hotel

The refurbished suites are lovely. We had one with a pool shared with just one other villa, and I’d really recommend trying to book a refurbished room. The beach area is lovely too, and the staff were very kind and gave good service. The water arrangements were disappointing. Apart from one bottle on arrival, they didn’t provide any. With half board, a bottle cost €5. For a 5* resort, I expected housekeeping to replace water daily and for water to be included at the buffet, with a filter by the pool too. We saw lots of guests carrying six-packs bought outside the resort, which isn’t a good look for a 5*. They could just charge €5 more a night and provide water. There are lots of reviews about this, so clearly it bothers many people. Dinner at the buffet was a letdown, with most of the food lukewarm. You can use a €30 credit per person at one of the restaurants, but the prices still felt like a rip-off, even with the supposed discount, since we’d already paid for half board. At the Greek restaurant, for example, a prawn saganaki cost €33 and had FOUR prawns. Outside the resort, every saganaki we had came with about 12-15 prawns. I’m glad we went for four nights, but I’d have been really annoyed if it had been our whole trip. Food outside was much better and half the price. A 5* bed and breakfast stay would be better, so you could eat where you like and get better quality, bigger portions, and lower prices.

The setting is stunning, with clear water, lovely beaches, and sunsets that stay with you. The rooms are spacious and elegant, many with beautiful sea views, and are kept immaculately. Service feels warm and attentive while staying professional, and the welcome is genuine from the moment you arrive. Dining was outstanding, with fresh Mediterranean flavours, excellent local wines, and several restaurants around the hotel. It’s a five-star beach resort in Crete that brings together luxury, peace, and authentic Greek hospitality. I can’t wait to return.

The beach was lovely, the sea beautiful, and the location worked well. But the checkout argument over two bottles of water left a bad taste. We had brought our own drinks and even left more water and Coke in the room than we found, yet the room manager insisted we had taken the minibar bottles because they had been refilled. I paid the bill, but that response over such a small amount felt completely unacceptable after an expensive holiday. The prices throughout the hotel were steep. Wine was €12 a glass, while shops on Crete sold a litre of very good wine for €5-10. Lunch dishes such as souvlaki cost around €30, compared with no more than €14 in town. We mostly bought drinks and snacks at nearby shops. The main restaurant food was tasty, though it felt more like a canteen than a five-star restaurant. We stayed in August 2025 and had booked a classic mountain-view room, expecting to use it mainly for sleeping. It looked at least 20 years old, with loose wires and unpleasant plastic shower curtains. The bigger problem was the air conditioning: an extremely loud unit with three fan speeds and no temperature control. It had to run at full blast to cool the room, making sleep difficult. After we contacted our agency, a technician came and the hotel offered us an upgraded garden-view room with newer, adjustable AC, so we moved. The rest of the hotel was noisy too, with doors slamming often. The staff seemed rather neutral and uninterested. Some rooms may be closer to three-star than five-star, so I would be very cautious about returning. Even after cooling down, I still wouldn't.

We stayed for seven days in mid-October 2025, near the end of the season. The resort closes after October, so the crowds may have been easing as the weather changed. Heraklion Airport is about an hour and fifteen minutes away by car. Renting for a week cost half as much as a one-way transfer, whether arranged through the resort or elsewhere. The dinners included with our half-board stay were very good, with a huge buffet and themes that changed from day to day. There were still familiar dishes suited to guests from Italy, Germany, and the UK. Breakfast was just as large, with a more consistent selection. Breakfast drinks, including coffee, were included. We mistakenly assumed coffee served at dinner was charged, and only learned on our last morning that it wasn't; luckily, our room had a coffee machine for early starts before diving or excursions. There was plenty of choice for food and drinks, leisure activities, pools, and the beach. The staff were exceptionally accommodating and tried to help with whatever we needed. The seaside setting was lovely, and well-rated restaurants were an easy walk away, with some varied shopping a little farther along. Vintage's food was fantastic, so we'd suggest going early in your stay. The connected resorts are useful too, especially Elounda Bay Resort next door, where Cretas Happy Divers is about an eight-minute walk from the palace. One thing to watch: the items behind the room doors and in the fridge aren't complimentary, and the in-room prices are high.