Name: Elounda Bay Palace
Price range: from £0pp (7 nights includes flights and transfers)

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The hotel is clean and comfortable. The staff are extremely professional, warm and friendly. My wife and I are Vegetarians and a Sous Chef,( Gregorius, I think his name was),went out of his way to cook for us specially  something vegetarian everyday. I would definitely suggest he needs a promotion to be the main chef,for the care he bestows the residents. The Dining room manager Paniakalis and the guest relations lady,Anne Maria are two others, I need to mention,who made our stay extremely pleasant.

Six days at Elounda Bay Palace hotel.

We have just returned from a wonderful 11 night stay at Elounda Bay Palace. The hotel is located in a beautiful bay, perfect for swimming and snorkelling.  The sandy beach is private, clear water teaming with fish. Plenty of sunbeds on the beach, gardens and around the pool.  No need to reserve early or quibble about these. No issues leaving your things and going for breakfast or lunch as there are plenty of beds available for all. The sunbeds are fitted with soft toppers and the attendants place clean covers on these for each use. Clean pool towels are provided daily in your rooms. Rooms and other areas of the hotel are kept very clean. All members of staff, without exception were friendly, helpful and polite.  We arrived very late and were so grateful to find that a tray of food waiting on the table of our room.  Also fresh flowers, fruit, water and wine. Wifi and the safe are free of charge.  It would have been nice to have tea and coffee facilities in the room, however this is an option and can be ordered, I just didn't read it in the provided information until well into our stay so this is for information and not a criticism. 

I read reviews before travelling and one of these did cause me some concern so I would like to offer my views on some of those comments. It said that the bed was not comfortable, mine was very comfy but there is information in the room which says that if you want a more firm or more soft mattress staff will be more than happy to change it, there is also a pillow menu.  Towels were checked twice a day and changed frequently, just follow instructions by leaving the dirty towels so staff know that you want clean ones. For a change of bedding you just leave the provided card on the bed and bedding is changed.  The hotel is large and spacious which I found to be nice as there were so many quiet areas to sit, rest and relax but I noted that one review mentioned this could be problematic for those with disabilities. I think this is something one would usually check prior to booking, however there are little electric buggies which are readily available to take people from one side of the resort to the other. There is more than one entrance to the dining room and one of these has no steps, during my stay I saw a few people arrive at this entrance by buggy. These electric buggies are driven by hotel staff who are very happy to help. I am quite a picky eater and had no problem with the food. I found it to be good quality with plenty of choice and did not find it to be repetitive.  We ate at the Argonaut on one occasion and really enjoyed this. The hotel is about a 10 minute walk or a short taxi ride from the lovely town of Elounda where there are lots of small shops, bars and tavernas. The town feels safe and was very friendly. We found a lovely bar in the square with good music.  

I read some comments that this hotel is not 5 star, I disagree, it absolutely is. It isn't modern and I would not change that, UK royal palaces are not modern but they certainly have class. What makes if 5 star is the environment, location and level of service.  However, I would change that question to is this hotel worth the price you pay and again I would say it absolutely is. You can pay several hundred or several thousand pounds a night for 5 star, its a continuum. I had a wonderful holiday which was worth every penny paid. I will be booking again and looking forward to my next stay in this lovely hotel.  

Many thanks to all the staff who work very hard to ensure customers have a lovely time.

Perfect setting for a wonderful relaxing holiday

FANTASTIC !  One of the best hotels we have stopped at, staff couldnt do enough for us, hotel food and staff were amazing, thank you, we are in the process of re booking the same hotel for next year and cant wait to return there, 
Please dont listen to any negative reviews as they must have been staying at a different hotel if negative feedback has been left.
You wont be dissapointed if you book.

Elounda Bay Palace Hotel

This is not a 5* hotel. The rooms are extremely dated. Air con is very old and loud. Dirty chairs in the restaurants that have old sweat marks in them. The corridors are dirty and the floors are never clean. Breakfast was ok but the same everyday. The evening meal was the poorest I’ve ever eaten. I would say a 3* buffet would be better. The restaurant is too small for the amount of people be prepared to queue for a table no matter what time you arrive. There are lunch options at the hotel we never used them as 22 euros for a cheese toastie was a bit excessive. The drinks prices were ridiculous double the price of in town . No wonder all the bars in the hotel were empty at night. On our last day we were told we couldn’t use one of the beaches as a private group had hired it everyone else ended up being pushed in together around a tiny beach and pool. I spoke to reception a few times during our stay regarding a late check out as our flight was late and checkout is 12. I just got told to come back. The day before we came home they told me hotel is full you can’t keep your room. You will have to use the beach showers. I would have expected a room for half an hour to freshen up before the flight home especially being a 5* and offering to pay extra to keep the room on. The only plus is that the hotel is only a 20 min walk into Elounda. Elounda is lovely but please choose a different hotel.

Not what I was expecting

We chose to celebrate our anniversary at Elounda Bay.  We have stayed at the hotel on 5 previous occasions and in the past have accepted the tired bedrooms as a payoff for the beautiful, peaceful  beach and swimming area.  Sadly because of our experiences this year we will not be returning.   The rooms are old with damaged, 
 stained  furniture, ripped and worn sheets and aircon that is noisy.   Our room also featured dripping and leaking taps and a bathroom that flooded when the bath plug was removed.   We were given an ‘upgrade’ to a ‘partial’ side sea room - the balcony of this room was overlooked by a lot of the rooms in the main block, was noisy and only got the sun for about an hour in the morning.  The basic bedrooms with Mountain View are, in our opinion,much better situated offering views of the sunsetting behind the picturesque mountains.  Most guests from the uk, when booking a package holiday, have no alternative other than to stay at the hotel on a half board basis.  In the past the food has been ok, but this year the food was very poor, cheap fatty meat, limited choices served at lukewarm temperatures.   We ate out more than we ate in.   The restaurant furniture was tatty, many of the seat covers stained and each time we ate in, after queuing for a seat, we were placed in the area of the restaurant used to seat families (very tired and very tearful pre-schoolers) It was all very unpleasant.  Credit has to be given to the amazing housekeeping staff, who provided clean towels twice a day, replaced the flowers and bedding regularly.  

The jewel in the Elounda Bay crown is the beach.  On our final day, our enjoyment was ruined.  The hotel was hosting some sort of corporate event which meant that one of the beaches was closed off to regular guests, all sorts of water based toys appeared for the corporate event and the sea was populated by novice SUP users, pedalos and canoes all accompanied by a music system blasting out to overly loud disco music.   To make matters worse amongst all this was a man with a very fast submarine type jet ski, cheerfully and obliviously weaving his way amongst the chaos.   All of this meant we felt it was unsafe to swim in the sea which was a huge disappointment.    We raised the issue noise issue with the hotel management and a note was subsequently posted under the door advising of the private event.   It should also be added that the managers were unfailingly polite but having to deal with situations that are beyond their control.

Getting old and tired.

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.

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Elounda Bay Palace