Elounda Bay Palace

“Beach location, great facilities”

Just returned from 11 wonderful days in Elounda. Hotel staff all friendly and efficient and sandwiches left in our room for a very late (and delayed) arrival were much appreciated. We booked a sea view room which had loads of storage and a fabulous view and balcony. Situated over the roof of the... more

Just returned from 11 wonderful days in Elounda. Hotel staff all friendly and efficient and sandwiches left in our room for a very late (and delayed) arrival were much appreciated. We booked a sea view room which had loads of storage and a fabulous view and balcony. Situated over the roof of the restaurant which was not a problem and we could hear the pianist each evening when we sat having a sundowner on the balcony, which was nice. Although we were half board we went into Elounda for half the nights as we found it a little quiet in the hotel, once we had dinner. Our room was classic with plenty of space, but air con was a little less efficient than I hoped for and a bit noisy. Drinks and wine at dinner very expensive €14 for a glass of wine and €30 +++ for a bottle of wine at dinner. €8 for a beer. Great selection of food for breakfast and buffet style for dinner. You can also visit the sister hotel (Elounda Beach) where they have a lovely pool area. We particularly liked the beach areas at the Bay , which are next to the sail bar. Taxi into town €7 or a 20 minute slow walk where you can take the lower road next to the water for access to plenty of bars and restaurants. We had s fabulous holiday here, but would prefer to be b&b to give us options for dinner. Easyjet included a private transfer from the airport which is essential. It’s an hour this way or 2.5 hours on a coach. People that we spoke to booked a taxi back to the airport as they couldn’t face the long journey back by coach, particularly as most of the flights are at night.

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“Recent visit”

Such a lovely place. Would highly recommend. Staff are amazing, food is splendid, rooms lovely and well equipped. Special thanks to dimitri the manager for his kindness, and the wonderful treatment from the doctor when I was ill. Eleni at the buffet restaurant is such a lovely person, as are... more

Such a lovely place. Would highly recommend. Staff are amazing, food is splendid, rooms lovely and well equipped. Special thanks to dimitri the manager for his kindness, and the wonderful treatment from the doctor when I was ill. Eleni at the buffet restaurant is such a lovely person, as are all the staff. Just an overall great holiday

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“Relaxing holiday but not a 5* hotel”

Firstly the positives: Room: we was upgraded to a suite upon arrival and for our party of 6, we had our own pool and two villas next to each other so it worked perfectly. Service: is generally excellent. Requests for high chairs, kettles etc were dealt with quickly. The guys driving the buggie... more

Firstly the positives: Room: we was upgraded to a suite upon arrival and for our party of 6, we had our own pool and two villas next to each other so it worked perfectly. Service: is generally excellent. Requests for high chairs, kettles etc were dealt with quickly. The guys driving the buggies were great and helped the older members in our group enormously. The buggies can be used to transport you all over the hotel which is great. Hotel: the hotel was very clean and the private beaches fantastic. Breakfast: was good, the omelettes in particular. I have had better in places like Turkey and Dubai, but also a lot worse. Now the negatives: The hotel in general: the hotel is need of a refurb. It looks like they are moving across the hotel bit by bit but most areas are dated and that was the case with our room, the main resturant, etc. The sister hotel is very nice but 50% more expensive. Also in my opinion the cat that lives in the hotel reception is a no no. One of my party is severely autistic and the daily game of dodge the cat wasn’t fun as she is terrified of small animals. Not really expected in a 5* hotel. Room: the shower in our suite was poor. Literally had a sheet to pull across and it flooded the bathroom. If we had paid full price for the suite would have been very disappointed. Again points to the need to refurb. Drinks prices: as stated by others, very expensive. Drinks are 50% cheaper in the village. Hotel resturants : the Italian was lovely but very, very expensive. You get 30 euros a head towards the bill but this barely covers the starters. The meal came to approx 120 euros per person which is bordering Michelin prices. The thalassa was a huge disappointment and again very pricey. Buffet: only went once as it was chaos and as others had stated not a load of hot food. Needs more stations of people cooking to demand to be better. It’s also frustrating you cannot just go bed and breakfast as the food in elounda is much better. Overall: We had a lovely time because of the room set up but wouldn’t go back.

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“Not an all round five star”

Positives … staff were always lovely. They worked very hard. Guest relations were amazing. Hotel was spotlessly clean. Breakfast was excellent Pool and beach areas excellent. Plenty of sun beds of high quality and beach staff on hand to set you up with beds and umbrella . They look ou... more

Positives … staff were always lovely. They worked very hard. Guest relations were amazing. Hotel was spotlessly clean. Breakfast was excellent Pool and beach areas excellent. Plenty of sun beds of high quality and beach staff on hand to set you up with beds and umbrella . They look out for yiu arriving to help you . Hotel Linked to its sister hotel and you can use facilities there They will take you on a golf buggy to restaurants etc. they have fitness activities and instructor very good. Aqua aerobics In sea is great fun . Recommend the Jetty bar for a cocktail OF YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY THE HIGH PRICE OF COCKTAIL.. you can walk Beautiful setting. ROOMs. We had a non refurbished room which was very dated. It was spacious however and clean. Fresh roses and fruit and wine on arrival . Toiletries provided. Robes and slippers but shower was not the best and a nylon curtain … this is what let the hotel down Half Board … in hindsight we would have gone breakfast only. It wasn’t bad but choice was limiting and I think it would be a struggle if you didn’t go Down esrly as it can get very busy in a confined area Plenty of lovely eateries in Elounda . I can’t say the food was bad at all just limited apart from the Abundance of salads . Dress code is not upheld as they suggest. People turning up in beachwear for evening meal … Drinks … I have to concur with other reviews that a five star should not be charging for its water at meal times ! Also the price of drinks and coffee is extortionate We are not wine drinkers so the cost of wine didn’t affect us. However a cofi at 6 euros and cocktails at 16… does seem a little too high. We walked into Elounda most evenings …. Supermarket is only ten mins walk for you to stock your fridge Entertainment … there was no evening entertainment …. Euros football on in one bar and thst was it. It maybe not peak season but surely there should be something even if it’s not every night . We had a lovely stay , the staff were amazing and the setting is beautiful. The little touches like meeting f is from the taxi and Getting our cases to our rooms while we were checked in etc all helped to make it a seamless holiday. However I think the hotel is pricing themselves out of custom with the drinks pricing. So sad really. Would go back but as B&B only. The staff made it for us.

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