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

Beach is small but very good , nice soft sand , protected from wind , transparent water. Buffet. One for breakfast and dinner looks like cantina with too many package tourists not a pleasant spending time there And that’s a real pity that the hotel doesn’t have only breakfast. Rooms with a mountain view are not having view at all only to the plants in front of hotels , all mountains are closed by the bushes , if you book this category of rooms ask for the highest floor

We booked again for the Elounda Bay Palace, staying for 7 nights in June and looking forward to our 7th visit. We were given a lovely reception upon arrival as always, quick check in progress and were shown to our room. We had a side sea view which was different, but a good view towards the sea. Very clean and spacious with a very comfortable bed. Very close to the restaurant, which was convenient and access to the beach. Breakfast and dinner was excellent with a variety every night, and always hot and well prepared. The staff are so friendly and welcoming, and it makes our stay so much more enjoyable. We have always found the Elounda Bay Palace to be one of the best hotels in Elounda, and even though we have been to another in the early days of visiting Crete, we always came back to the Elounda Bay Palace, as we found everything as we wanted, such an nice atmosphere, relaxing place to unwind and forget about your stressful work life. We have booked to return in early June this year 2026 and it will be our 8th visit. We have booked for my birthday again, but this one isn’t important this, that was last year. We hoped to book one with a private pool, but not this time. Only just moved house, so that’s life. Looking forward to our 8th visit, and the Cretan sun and hospitality.

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

Excellent! The hotel is fabulous; staff amazing especially Anna Maria, she is the best , tries so hard to make your holiday the best, we love coming here. Breakfast lovely, fantastic view looking over the sea, so relaxing ! Beach lovely, loads of Fish swimming around your feet! Always lots of sunbeds . Town loads of fabulous restaurants looking over the sea, only 10 mins walk from hotel . Will definitely return .

An Unforgettable 20th Anniversary & Diving Getaway! We stayed at the Elounda Bay Palace for our 20th wedding anniversary, and it was a wonderful experience. The resort was clean, beautifully maintained, and the staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming. We opted for the half-board package, which was a fantastic value, offering a great variety of delicious food for both breakfast and dinner. The location is perfect—ideal for beach activities and taking a leisurely stroll into town for sightseeing. There are also plenty of restaurants and bars within walking distance along the bay, many of which offer beautiful, romantic waterfront dining. A major highlight of our stay was having the dive center, Creta's Happy Divers, located right on-site. This was actually one of the main reasons we chose this resort, and it did not disappoint! It made our two days of diving (completing 4 boat dives) incredibly convenient and stress-free. We didn't have to worry about transfers or hauling heavy equipment, and meeting up with the team for dive prep was seamless. Overall, our anniversary stay was both romantic and relaxing. I highly recommend this resort to travelers of all ages, groups, and leisure types. We would love to come back in the future!

We have just returned from a wonderful week at this beautiful hotel. We were welcomed by friendly staff notably Anna Maria. She is simply the best..always smiling and helpful. I was very sad to say goodbye but we will be back.

Gorgeous hotel and beautiful rooms. We stayed here for a week as four adults in three rooms and really enjoyed it. The views from our sea view room were wonderful and the food at both breakfast and dinner was excellent and all staff at the hotel were pleasant and friendly- dining room and chefs/ restaurant staff, cleaning staff and the polite gentleman who delivers the coffee pods all deserve a special mention . I have deducted a star because signage around the hotel was poor and even after a week, and asking several staff, we were left unsure as to which additional restaurants we could use the 30 euros credit in ( communication was unclear as to what was open and there were no menus outside restaurants or in the room so that we could see what they offered ) so we ate at the buffet 5 times and ate out twice in Elounda to ring the changes. Some facilities on offer in the in-room guide were not available - eg Playstations, the steam room and some restaurants and bars. This did not detract from our stay, but the guides do need updating. Overall we had a great stay and the lovely beach and relaxing atmosphere made for a lovely holiday.

We come back every year! It is simply a perfect hotel, Perfect staff, scenery, quality and atmosphere. Always clean. They certainly know how to do it.

We are very happy here. We have been coming already 40 times. People are very friendly and it is just as coming home. We already booked our holidays for 2026

Friendly, helpful staff, very clean, good breakfast and dinner buffet and comfortable beds. Concierge very helpful. Lovely welcome.

On the plus side having booked a classic sea view room we were upgraded to a deluxe room which was sea facing but not with a good view. Lovely room and balcony with table chairs, and sofas. The service staff were amazing - all credit to our housekeeper Joanna, restaurant staff Evangeline and Maria. And the brilliant pianist Christina. However … the Jet2 description of the amenities are misleading and inaccurate and needs serious attention to save it from trades description - €30 deduction for eating in one of their listed restaurants was a joke, as many of the facilities are either closed or in their ‘sister’ hotel therefore not on site, and extremely expensive. Cheapest wine in the buffet restaurant was $38, Spa was out of action and had been closed for a long period. Infinity pool filthy and not fit for use. Love Elounda but would never return to this hotel. Sorry but very disappointing and not worthy of the 5* that Jet2 rates it.

On paper this looks a great resort, but unfortunately, unless you are spending big money, you don’t get value for it. Many of the staff are very polite and friendly and will go out of their way to help you. In my experience, it was mainly the ladies. Food is good but very expensive for what is offered. If you are unfortunate like I was to end up in the furthest building in the complex, the wi-fi and cell service is awful. The showers are useless, the linen very thin and everything just feels dated, especially compared to other parts of the building. I wouldn’t recommend for families with teenagers as there’s not a lot to do in the day. Little splash pool for toddlers. I just found it very underwhelming. For the cost, there are far better places giving you much better service and facilities.

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.

Another wonderful stay at the Elounda Bay Palace. From the minute you arrive until you say farewell, the team here make you feel so special. Being greeted when you are dropped and the friendly, relaxed check in process help you settle before being shown to your room. We had a deluxe sea view bungalow this stay, it was immaculate and the views were amazing. The quality and choices of food in the buffet restaurant, for breakfast and dinner, are wonderful, the wine choices are plentiful. The team that work the restaurants are so helpful and attentive. The Sail Inn bar is a must for an evening drink, we were lucky enough to be there when the guy with saxophone was playing on a Sunday. The bar also serves the beach ate during the day, cocktails on your sun lounger are a must. The grounds of the hotel are vast, beautifully maintained, and the beach is spotless with plenty of beds and parasols available. The guys working the beach area are always on hand. The second beach is smaller, but if you like your water sports, there’s a great choice from there. Elounda and the surrounding areas are stunning, and some of the views from the hotel are fantastic. All of the staff we encountered were so pleasant and dedicated to making your stay special. The hotel manager, Dimitris Theodoroglakis, is an absolute gentleman, he has a hotel and team to be truly proud of, thank you once again for helping make our stay so good.