Elounda Bay Palace, a Member of the Leading Hotels of the World

I have thought hard about the score to give and I think 4 is the correct level based on balancing the Pros and Cons Pros Fantastic location, beautiful beaches with great views whilst sitting on the beach Beach staff - highly attentive, they greet you as you walk to the beach, find a space, help set up the sunbeds and parasols and conduct running repairs ( see the cons) The food quality was very good but the range could have been wider given its 5 star label Our second room was very good Cons Purchased food and drink is expensive. €14 for two lattes and €6.50 for 750 ml of sparkling water. I have seen management comments that the price is comparable to other 5star hotels. But, do management want to follow the crowd or set the benchmark? Take the initiative and show that you can provide reasonably priced food and drink. Do you accept the challenge? :) Some rooms are not 5 star. Our first room had a pillar in the bathroom which meant negotiating reversing into the toilet! Is it 5 star? I think I think it might be 5 star by local standards, but it would not be 5 star by other European countries’ standards. I have stayed in other Leading Hotels of the World in Europe and AsIa and regretfully this was bottom of the league based on my experience. The beach furniture is in desperate need of upgrade. Parasols, particularly those on the grassed areas are dangerous with the wooden splints sticking out from the material. Luckily the beach staff are on hand to repair them during the day. Staff use golf carts to move around the buildings. Whilst some staff drive sensibly other drive very fast. I saw one parent grab their child as a cart sped along the path in order to get momentum to go up an incline. I also saw staff on motorcycles on the hotel baths by the beach. Would we visit again? Yes, but we would lower our expectations and remember that Cretan 5star is not comparable to European or Asian 5star.

The hotel, the service, the staff, and the beach – everything is five stars and more. We stayed for 10 days and regretted not staying longer. Check-in was handled by Danai, who was warm and professional. She explained everything clearly and showed us our room. The food at the Aretoussa Restaurant is delicious – there's a wide variety of dishes and a great selection every day. All the staff from the restaurant are incredibly friendly and always smiling. A huge thank you to Costas , who made us feel right at home with his positive and professional attitude. He always had everything under control and was ready to help with anything we needed. You can tell he genuinely cares about every guest. We also rented a car for two days. Both Elounda Bay Palace and Elounda Beach have a car rental desk, where the lovely Phaedra provided us with a clean, well-equipped car at a great price. She speaks several languages, is funny, and such a pleasure to be around. She also gave us excellent tips on what to visit and where to eat. All the staff were extremely polite and paid great attention to the guests. Whatever you ask for is done in half the expected time, to the highest standard, and always with a smile. Last but not least, the beach is amazing. There are two piers and two swimming pools. You’ll find sunbeds on the sand, as well as on the large green areas with grass and trees which provides natural shade

On arrival at the hotel we were met by a member of front of house staff and taken to the reception area to sign in, we were then taken by golf buggy to our room where our luggage had already been delivered. Our room was exceptionally clean and comfortable with a king size bed, Mini bar and wall mounted flatscreen tv. Bath room was spacious with separate toilet and shower, with plenty of good quality toiletries, replaced daily. Good air condition and also a balcony, with a stunning view of the bay. The outside area was very peaceful and relaxing. Always plenty of sunbeds available, with towels too. No need to save a bed!!!!!The indoor pool and outdoor pool were both inviting! The beach area is very clean. The main restaurant was buffet for breakfast and dinner with plenty of options for both meals. The down side to this splendid hotel is lack of entertainment in the evening and the cost of the drinks and food.

The hotel itself was pretty, set in nice surroundings and within convenient walking distance of Elounda. The staff were also very friendly snd helpful… However, the hotel does not offer value for money and cannot be compared with the impeccable standards and offering of other 5 star hotels in Europe, let alone the Leading Hotels of the World group. €11.50 for 2 diet cokes served in blue plastic beakers on the beach, €31 for 2 G&T’s at a buffet dinner…daylight robbery! I fully appreciate keeping prices high to maintain exclusivity but this is ridiculous for the setting. You’ll notice most guests drink water (€5), even at dinner. I saw a number of guests barked at during breakfast as they tried to fill up water bottles at the water dispenser. The bars are empty, as are all the restaurants, except the buffet which is included in the halfboard rate (but not 1 drink included). Even the buffet is tight on its hot food offering…more school canteen rather than an offering for paying guests. Surely it would make business sense to drop the F&B prices a little to encourage guests to spend their money and create the much needed atmosphere this sleepy hotel needs.

Elounda Bay Palace & Hotel Review When you choose a five-star hotel, particularly one that promotes itself as luxurious, expectations are naturally very high. Small details you might happily overlook in a four-star property become far more noticeable when you are paying and expecting a five-star experience. Below is my account of our stay at the Elounda Bay Palace. Arrival & First Impressions We booked a 10-night half-board stay beginning on 10th September 2025. Unfortunately, our TUI flight departed the UK late in the evening, meaning that even with a private transfer we didn’t reach the hotel until 2:30 on Sunday 11th September. After a stressful journey, not helped by an overly enthusiastic taxi driver, we arrived exhausted. The night porter welcomed us warmly and directed us to reception, where everything was calm and quiet. The night receptionist, noticing our tiredness, handed us an envelope marked express check-in and explained that we could raise further questions in the morning. This was thoughtful, but my attention was immediately drawn to the room card, which stated 10th–17th September instead of 10th–20th. I raised this straight away and was assured it was simply a clerical error. Unfortunately, on the 17th our key card stopped working, and we found ourselves locked out of the room at lunchtime. Reception apologised sincerely and fixed the issue immediately, though it was frustrating given that I had already highlighted the error earlier in the week. Our suitcases were delivered promptly, and by the time we settled in, it was close to 3:00 Rating: 3.5 stars – Smooth arrival, but the key card issue soured things slightly. The Room – 256 To be frank, our first impression of the room was underwhelming. It bore little resemblance to the photographs on the hotel’s website or the various booking platforms. The décor looked tired, dated, and in need of investment. The hotel may describe this as “traditional Cretan style”, but to us it felt more neglected than authentic. Sadly, even after a few hours of much-needed sleep, our opinion hadn’t improved. A basic Premier Inn room is far more modern and inviting. Normally we would take photos or a short video to share our hotel room with family. On this occasion, I didn’t take a single photo of the room—only of the balcony view. That said, there were positives. The bed was comfortable, with crisp white linen and decent pillows. The bathroom was spacious compared with the size of the room, featuring double sinks, a separate toilet, and a generous shower with excellent water pressure. Like the room, it was dated, but the toiletries were replenished daily, the towels were fluffy and fresh, and we appreciated the regular clean supply of clean bathroom and pool towels. There was far too much furniture crammed into a relatively small space, leaving little room for luggage. Wardrobe storage was inadequate; the doors didn’t close properly, and the interior light remained stubbornly on as the swit