Elounda Gulf Villas by Sandglass

We had a very peaceful and relaxing holiday at EGV. We were given an upgrade to a villa that was really spacious and had the most fabulous infinity pool and spectacular views. All the staff were very friendly and helpful, special thanks to the restaurant staff who were very attentive. The selection of food on the breakfast buffet was extensive and beautifully presented. We would have preferred a set menu or a la carte for dinner rather than a buffet, but the food on the buffet was of a high standard, a good selection, well cooked and very flavoursome. The desserts were much the same every day, so some variety would have been good. Overall we had a very enjoyable stay and hope to visit again.

We just finished a week stay with my pregnant wife and 2.5 year old daughter. As with any holiday with a toddler there are inevitably ups and downs and the EGV team couldn’t have been more considerate, helpful and caring. The chef made delicious off menu pasta and omelettes for our daughter and Athina was incredibly sweet and sensitive at the kids club, doing painting and Easter crafts. George made superb cocktails and mocktails for us and some fresh strawberries for our daughter and Constantinos and the restaurant team couldn’t have been more supportive. Maria and the front desk team were lovely and had lots of very helpful advice and we didn’t have any of the additional charges that other guests have spoken of with the previous management. The lovely warm pool with our room was at no extra charge and the views from it were spectacular. I’d also recommend the beautiful trail walk around the opposite peninsula - Spinalogkas. It’s totally unspoiled and has such a magical feel to it. We had a great trip and would come back again.

Overpriced, simple food selection, no room service at all (although stated on this 5-star hotel’s website)! Our 8-night stay in the 5-star Hotel „Elounda Gulf Villas“ in Crete, Greece, was the most disappointing and stressful vacation experience ever. It started with a different room than booked/confirmed, because it was occupied by other guests. Their so-called „upgrade“ because of the unavailable room, was a clear downgrade for us. We asked them why the „upgrade“, and they said because they are not fully booked and wanted to do us a favour. But we complained and insisted to get our booked/confirmed/pre-paid room and only then they honestly said that someone else got our room. So our first day/night was not relaxing at all. After talking to the manager on the 2nd day and as the other guests checked-out we were luckely able to move into our booked room around 3pm on day 2.  Here is a list of the other issues: - no room-service at all!! - not even a mini-bar in the villa - lunch only till 4pm, then 3 hours break and dinner (simple, small buffet) from 7pm - for lunch they ONLY serve a club-sandwich and a greek salat, AT EVERY SINGLE DAY!! - the breakfast buffet (from 8:30-11:30) offered a solid 3- to 4-stars hotel selection, without á la carte options you typically get in a 5-star hotel - first 5-star hotel we visited in our life without any sparkling wine or champagne at breakfast, no french toast, no eggs benedict, nothing to order besides the breakfast buffet. Also usually 5-star hotels have that certain extra, the little details, but they not even recognized/wished us a Happy Birthday although we augmented our villa with respective decoration - the dinner buffet offered a very small selection of food, nothing á la carte - they forgot to refill our in-room coffee capsules at 2 days (we had to call them twice, after waiting 30 minutes, to get it) - the in-room safe actually is a joke; it was just loose in the wardrobe and you can take it with you; I‘m not kidding  - the prices at the hotel’s Argo Restaurant and Pool Bar for drinks/lunch/dinner are 3x to 5x higher than the prices we experienced in the other close 5-star hotels where we enjoyed awesome food/drinks since we wanted to eat fresh local meat and fish (which seems almost impossible at the Elounda Gulf Villas) - besides the disappointing hotel, you cannot rely on the opening hours of the Elounda‘s supermarkets/minimarkets and it took us 1 hour from hotel to the next open minimarket and back to buy some food and drinks - basically we were trapped in a never-seen „vacation“-situation with more distress than at work. We had to complain 8 times in the first 3 days and then got sick of complaining and went out to the handful of other 5-star hotels (that are in walking distance) to eat & drink.  - It was not worth the money and I personally suffered due to the very limited healthy food options at our hotel. - our 9th complaint was actually on the final day since we asked to pickup our 4 heavy p

Enjoyed 8 nights here We had a 1 bed suite which was huge, with a lovely bathroom and separate lounge Food wise was excellent from the lovely breakfasts, daily lunches by the pool and 2 dinners in the evening Service was friendly and very helpful The villas are around an hour from airport (115 € exec transfer), then in taxis 10 mins from Elounda centre (10€), 15-20 from Plaka (15-€) and 20 mins from Ag Nic (16€) The pool was empty most days as people in pool villas stayed around the villas and others went to the beach club. On a couple of days it was a bit noisy, if family’s were playing in pool, but for the majority of time it was great !!! No probs we reserving beds due to amount of people using pool Beachclub ( located just past Domes hotel) - sea was lovely there on our visit Tip is to ask reception how many people have gone down their in the 15 min courtesy bus, as again it can be busy as only 2/3 working at bar restaurant and took us 1 hour to get lunch So in summary lovely villa, great food and we might be back in the future with our girls !!!

Elounda is such a luxurious experience. The service is impeccable. The suite was sprawling and so well-equipped. We had our own private gym, sauna and steam room in our villa. The pool and hot tub had an incredible dreamy view. The area was beautiful with a quaint adorable town on the water where we found everyone we spoke to very friendly and helpful. Definitely will return!

We recently spent 5 nights at this wonderful place and it was an unforgettable experience for us all ( including our two teenager boys aged 15 & 17). The space of the villas is great, offering lots of room for a family of 4 and lots of privacy. The staff truly make this place special – their 5-star service goes above and beyond. They even went out of their way to cook the fish we caught on a fishing trip (they helped us organise), making our stay feel unique and personalised. Breakfast was fantastic, with a great range of options that provided everything we needed for a good start to the day. While we enjoyed both meals, we found the lunch menus on half board more appealing with teenagers than dinner, as they offered a lighter and fresher selection (they let you choose on the day which one you want to have included). One note for future guests: not all pools can be heated, so choose your villa wisely. I personally loved the refreshing cold dips after doing some Yoga, but our teenagers weren’t as keen! And if you’re visiting on a Thursday, be prepared for dance night – it caught us by surprise but added a fun and lively touch to the stay. Also huge shout out to the beach Club - whilst it seems weird at first that it is 6km away - the shuttle service is really easy - we had a wonderful lunch there followed by a swim (note you do need beach shoes and we only realised on our last day there were snorkels you could borrow at the beach). All in all, we had a fantastic time and would highly recommend this place for families looking for something special, comfort, stunning views, and top-notch service.