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- Elounda Bay Palace
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Elounda Bay Palace
Greece, Europe
Elounda
This opulent resort boasts a privileged location in the sea front of Elounda at the north-eastern tip of Crete. Guests will be immediately enchanted by quality service, luxurious facilities and breath-taking views. The resort boasts spacious and sun-lit rooms, suites and bungalows. The sumptuously decorated rooms offer a haven of peace and tranquillity in which to completely unwind and relax after all day of sightseeing. The establishment boasts 7 fabulous dining options, where patrons may take in regional and international cuisines. Visitors may also refresh themselves with a drink from one of the bars or relax at the swimming pool. The complex offers a fitness centre, beauty centre, spa and tennis courts for adults as well as a paddling pool and entertainment for children. The establishment also features impressive meeting facilities and parking.
Hotel Information
Relax at the full-service spa, where you can enjoy massages, body treatments and facials. You can soak up the sun at the private beach or enjoy other recreational amenities including a health club and an indoor pool. This Mediterranean hotel also features complimentary wireless Internet access, concierge services and babysitting (surcharge).
Facilities
- Badminton
- Tennis
- Billiards
- Volleyball
- Beauty salon
- Spa treatments*
- Massage*
- Steam bath
- Sauna
- TV lounge
- Please note some facilities may incur an additional fee
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
The Local Area
Tripadvisor Reviews
4.0 Very Good1,265 reviews
Excellent
55%
Very Good
25%
Average
12%
Poor
4%
Terrible
4%
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Lovely relaxing week
We had a really lovely week here. It has the most fabulous setting and views are gorgeous. Just a short walk along sea front into Elounda.
It took an hour from airport to hotel in a private transfer.
We thought the food in the buffet restaurant was fabulous and the staff in the restaurant were amazing, special shout out to Maria, always smiling and making everyone welcome. All the staff at beach bar and hotel bar were wonderful too.
We will definitely return but probably upgrade our room, we had a classic room and it was a bit small for us, we would prefer walk in shower. Morning housekeeping was ok but didn’t renew things like loo rolls, no complimentary bottled water other than on arrival, also left door open (ensure you pull door until it clicks closed, not sure if all rooms were the same as ours) . Check your bill before checkout, we had entries that weren’t correct but reception sorted once queried. None of these are show stoppers and definitely wouldn’t stop us returning.
Review by debhnsteveh Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Not a great stay
Stayed here with family for a holiday.
Paid for a partial sea view room which has no sea view and you have to get to the bottom of the garden part to see anything.
Rooms are dated and we had so much problems with the lock since the lock was temperamental but the hotel changed the locks without telling us and then we could not get into the room. So two trips to the reception to get that sorted. The new lock then jammed and we got locked inside the room at 8pm and eventually managed to get it unlocked and so back to reception and told them and they said somebody will be there shortly. Two calls after and after 45 minutes of waiting, they finally came and changed the locks again!! Nobody could care less.
Beach is small but we always managed to find a spot and the water was on the cooler side to swim. There is a small children's pool next to the small beach and then a larger pool but nobody was manning this fully since kids were dive bombing in and splashing everywhere when the signs clearly said not to but nobody actually enforced this.
There are tennis courts which we used a few times. You have to book them and they were free and you get the racquets and balls from reception. The courts are not well maintained. The children's play area next to the tennis courts also look poorly maintained.
The food was ok. Plenty of choice since we were on half board and never got bored after a week. Drinks are on the expensive side and have to pay for water at dinner which is free at breakfast and in the room- this is an annoying feature in most hotels.
Car park is free and worth venturing out since there are some nice bars and restaurants in town which is a few minutes drive and also supermarkets.
Overall quite disappointed and it is supposed to be part of the Leading Hotels of the World but sadly not at that level of service.
Review by dselvan Warrington, United Kingdom
Beautiful resort, but the “sunbed war” completely ruins the beach experience
Beautiful resort, but the “sunbed war” completely ruins the beach experience
We are currently staying at Elounda Bay Palace, and while the hotel itself is beautiful and the location is lovely, the situation with the sunbeds is extremely disappointing — especially for a five-star resort.
There is a very clear sign on the beach stating:
“Sunbeds cannot be reserved. If personal items are left unattended for more than 2 hours they will be removed.”
Unfortunately, in practice, this rule is not enforced.
The so-called “sunbed war” starts the night before. Guests leave towels, bags, children’s toys and personal belongings on the sunbeds in the evening to reserve them for the following day. In the morning, the beach can look completely “full” even though the beach itself is practically empty and most of the people who have supposedly reserved the sunbeds are nowhere to be seen.
This morning I woke up at 7:15 am and this was already the situation shown in the photos attached to this review: rows of sunbeds apparently reserved with personal belongings, but very few guests actually using them.
I came back at 9:15 am — two hours later — and the situation was exactly the same. The beach was still largely empty, yet almost all the sunbeds were “reserved”.
What is even more frustrating is that I spoke to the beach attendant, but he explained that there was nothing he could do about the situation. So the hotel has a clear written policy, but the staff apparently cannot enforce it.
This creates an absurd situation where guests who actually want to use the beach are effectively forced to participate in the sunbed war themselves — waking up early and leaving towels on a sunbed simply to have somewhere to sit later.
And this is particularly frustrating for families with children. We should not have to wake up at 6 or 7 am every morning to “claim” a sunbed in a five-star hotel.
I completely understand that guests want to get a good spot on the beach. What I do not understand is how someone can leave their belongings on a sunbed overnight, disappear for several hours, and still consider that sunbed theirs — especially when the hotel explicitly states that sunbeds cannot be reserved.
The problem is therefore not only the behaviour of some guests. The real problem is the lack of enforcement of the hotel's own policy.
The hotel should either enforce its existing two-hour rule or introduce a proper system for allocating sunbeds. Other luxury resorts manage to do this, and guests should not have to fight over sunbeds every morning.
The Elounda Bay Palace has many wonderful qualities, but unfortunately this issue significantly affects the overall experience. A five-star resort should not have a “sunbed war”, particularly when it already has a clear policy designed to prevent exactly this problem.
I sincerely hope management addresses this, because it is completely avoidable.
Third time the charm!
It has been our third time in Elounda, and it just gets better every time. We love the relaxed atmosphere, the thoughtful and personal approach. Our group was composed of people from the age of 11 to the age of 70, and we all felt accommodated and perfectly taken care of. The rooms are specious and very clean as well.
The best thing is the way the food staff had taken care of my niece, who has celiac — it was clear how seriously they took it, and made sure she has everything she wanted and needed and much more. She truly felt so happy and seen.
We will be back, no doubt!
Wouldn’t recommend if you like good service
are currently at this hotel, saw all the reviews and thought it would be amazing! Honestly it’s been a nightmare already! Service is terrible by the beach and pool bars and waiting an hour and 40 minutes for drinks and food (which we saw sitting on the side for 40 mins), The staff are so rude, The rooms are nothing like the photos very dated and the balcony is extremely unsafe for my 3 year old who could easily climb over the rails and fall from the 4th floor, mouldy fruit was left in our room and only cleared as I told reception about it on the second day, we have asked to move for 3 days and nothing has happened. There are 6 of us and We have spent thousands on half board and the only places to eat during the day are the bars if your on the beach or pool and is 22 euros for a club sandwich and chips then comes out cold. Not sure what all the hype is about this hotel as at the moment we can’t see anything apart from the private beach.
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