Zeus Eleva Mirabello Bay

We slept well in a comfy bed, helped by quiet neighbors, and our deluxe room suite was spacious with a beautiful sea view. The hotel is stylish, well laid out, easy to get around, and designed with families in mind. The staff were kind and friendly, and the scenery was gorgeous. There are daily activities for kids and adults, water sports with knowledgeable staff, good spa treatments, and taxis from the hotel to wherever you need to go. The local town, with great restaurants, is about a 20-minute walk away. We enjoyed the food at Mezedaki and Elia, but the main restaurant was self-service, had cold buffet plates, and offered only beer, wine, and soft drinks on tap. The wine was awful, and overall the food quality was very hit and miss, more like 4-star than 5-star. Drinks regularly meant queues of over 10 minutes, as there weren't enough staff. We were disappointed to find we could eat at the other restaurants only three times, something that hadn't been disclosed; we thought we could go whenever we liked. They also said the restaurants were fully booked, though they were never full. The mini fridge cost extra to restock apart from water, which was free but had to be requested and was never replenished automatically. The spa and gym need maintenance: the steam room was never hot, the sauna was always out of water, and tiles were coming off the bottom of the cold pool. We brought water bottles to use in the sauna. The facilities also felt too small for such a large resort. The gym itself was good, but its equipment was old and the yoga mats were dirty. The towel station didn't open until 10am, when most people were already out, so it should open earlier. In October, one restaurant and two bars were closed, and we hadn't been told; we were disappointed to miss a restaurant we'd been looking forward to. I'd recommend it as a family resort, but not for couples. We'd rate it 4/5 stars, but wouldn't return because the food simply wasn't good enough.

The private plunge pool was a lovely extra, and we had ideal weather during our July 2024 visit to this hotel in Agios Nikolaos. The food was high quality at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Service was outstanding from the moment we arrived until we left. It was a perfect choice, and I highly recommend it.

The location worked well for getting out and about. Agios Nikolaos is about a 30-minute walk away, with plenty of shops and restaurants, plus the lake and its spectacular views. Elounda is a lovely village around 15 minutes by taxi, and you can take a boat from there to Spinalonga. There are lots of shops and places to eat there too. Our bungalow was in the water park when we arrived, and we weren't comfortable with the noise between 10.30 and 6. The staff were happy to move us to another room the next day. The resort is huge and has so much: two beaches and pools, pool and beach bars, some rooms with private pools, villas, bungalows, a buffet and four à la carte restaurants, a water park with a kids' pool, a tennis court, a soccer pitch, and snack bars. I'm sure I've forgotten something. We had a wonderful two weeks at the Mirabello. The staff are friendly and work hard. Special thanks to Karina at Bliss Bar, Mike, Anya, and the other guy whose name I didn't catch at The Yacht Club Bar, and Valaria, who works so hard in the exclusive breakfast restaurant and the à la carte restaurants in the evenings. The main bar felt a bit quiet for us in the evenings, and with just one person serving, it could take a while depending on how busy it was. I also wish there were an adults-only pool area for people travelling without children to relax in peace. The pool area in the Village by Bliss Bar seems like it would be perfect for that. It would help to get a list of what's included in the all-inclusive premium package at check-in, or a code to scan. We didn't realize there was an exclusive breakfast restaurant until we'd been there five days.

The beach was fabulous, and the facilities were great too, though the pool left colored marks on our feet and swimsuits. Staff were polite and nice, and there were plenty of employees around to help, including bringing fresh food and towels. We booked through Arkia for a family of four, but the room we got was very small and didn't suit four people. There wasn't an option to upgrade to a bigger one. The resort is spread out, with lots of stairs to walk. Maybe people with strollers or disabilities get rooms closer by, but I don't know.