Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas, a Member of the Leading Hotels of the World

The people at Elounda Beach Hotel & Villas are what made my two-month stay so memorable. Nikolina, Erini, Marios, Valeria, kirilos and dimitris came to feel like family. I’ve never met people so genuine, kind and hardworking. Their warmth, professionalism and constant smiles made each day better, and they went out of their way for me. Honestly, they made the whole stay ten times better. It’s a beautiful place, but the people are what make it truly special. I’m so grateful for the memories and friendships, and for feeling at home from day one. I can’t wait to return. - Saint Tala

This is a legendary resort, with beautifully designed grounds and staff who are warm and caring. The watersports team are the best in the world. Some people complain that the rooms haven’t been refurbished, but that comes down to taste. The older rooms use wonderful quality marble and wood, and replacing all that just to follow the times doesn’t feel very sustainable. Plenty of guests have been returning for decades, and many staff members have stayed too. It’s a unique hotel.

The setting along the beach is beautiful, with different pools and stretches of shore to explore. Our loungers were assigned to us for the stay, so nobody could take them early in the morning. Food was excellent throughout, and breakfast was varied and consistently good. The town is about a 15-minute walk if you want to try local cuisine. For a shaded table with a perfect breakfast view, get there early because they’re in demand. We had a blissfully relaxing stay a couple of weeks ago. The hotel checked us in four hours early and upgraded our bungalow to a room with a steam room and jacuzzi. It’s not the most modern hotel, and our room had a dated CD player and safe. A few USB charging ports would have helped, but those were minor things for a leisure trip. The gym is clearly an old dance studio, though it has decent equipment and lovely staff. It was fine for a quiet week, but could use an update and better suited equipment, like pull-up bars, a bench and more of a multi-gym. Alexandra, the gym instructor, ran excellent classes and deserves a special thank you. The staff made everything feel easy, with friendly, gentle and seamless service throughout. There are a few details to refine for a gym enthusiast determined to train on holiday, but if you want to relax, enjoy the food and views, and get good value, we’d recommend it.

The grounds are lovely and so well kept, and we honestly couldn’t find a single thing to complain about. Our room was spotless, huge, and had a wonderful sea view. The staff were brilliant and couldn’t do enough for us. The sandy private beach had crystal-clear water. The beach boys assigned us a sunbed for the whole week, so it was ours whenever we wanted to sunbathe. It’s about a 20-minute walk into Elounda. If you take the turn to the right past Thea resturant, the route follows the seafront past all the restaurants.