48 Hours at Elounda Gulf Villas, Crete
As the last stop of our week long trip to Crete, we decided to stay at the Elounda Gulf Villas. Situated just atop of Elounda bay five minutes by car from our previous hotel, this boutique property is located on a narrow but long land on the hill. Walking from the bottom of the resort to your villa on the top can be exhausting under the Mediterranean sun, so the golf cart service on site comes handy. Once we arrived at the front desk building, we were warmly welcomed by the two lovely ladies from the front desk who were very personal from the moment we walked in. Paperwork was easy and fast, within two minutes we were already in the golf cart on the way to our villa. Even though the hotel‘s name might refer to only offering villas, there are also suites on site (some of which come with garden view) - so pay attention when booking in order to secure yourself one of the stunning villas with pool. When the golf cart stopped, we were accompanied upwards to our home for the next three days.
We were upgraded to a one bedroom Executive Spa Villa with private pool. Once we climbed up the stairs we were welcomed by a vast terrace with two sunbeds, a dining table for two and a stunning infinity pool with a gorgeous view over the Aegean sea. The views alone are reason enough to stay here and we were totally blown away by this unique setting. Having stayed in one of the hotels below Elounda Gulf Villas the days before, we appreciated that we were now having a broad view of the entire bay. For those seeking a bit of shade, there was a sun sail over the two comfy sun beds. Our tour continued and when we entered the villa we were welcomed by bright colors and a sun filled kitchen adjacent to a living room. The Executive Spa Villa is spread over two floors - with the terrace, pool, living room and kitchen on the second floor. There was an additional guest bathroom with toilet and shower right behind the sofa so one can shower after swimming without changing floors.
The kitchen itself was equipped with a coffee machine, some water in the fridge as well as a welcome bottle of red wine and some crackers. On the other side was a sofa that can be turned into an extra bed, a television and an armchair - all overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Walking down the internal staircase, one arrives in the private gym with a treadmill, ergometer and a TechnoGym bench for an entire full body workout. I have to admit that it was the first time I had a private gym inside my hotel room. Even though I currently workout quite a lot, when on vacation I pause and enjoy the freedom of eating and drinking whatever I want before getting back into my routine. So needless to say the en-suite gym remained unused. Another unique facility inside our Villa were the sauna and hamam which - thanks to the warm temperatures in June in Crete - was also unused by us. Walking further there was a generous wardrobe space with even a washing machine that was very convenient for us. This way we could wash our laundry and arrive back home with no more work to do!
At the end of the corridor was the main bathroom that had a vast double vanity desk and a spacious jacuzzi tub overlooking a courtyard. Double doors opened onto the bedroom which came with a king size bed. The entire interior was very British with a Mediterranean touch and one can feel why this property is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Everything reminded me of staying at a boutique hotel - each corner of the hotel felt unique and I am sure none of the suites and villas look alike. This makes the property also appealing for repeat guests - as you might end up with a different style each time you stay at Elounda Gulf Villas. There is a daily maid service and I have to say the housekeeping staff here deserve a lot of respect. Our villa was spread across at least 100 square meters and there were so many things to consider when doing the cleaning, it’s definitely not an easy job to maintain such a vast property. However everything looked inviting on the grounds when walking from the villa to the main pool and restaurant area. We never had the impression that something is left untouched or dated.
Elounda Gulf Villas is situated on a hill and therefore does not offer direct access to the sea. That’s why the hotel has a private seaside area outside of Elounda that can be reached by the hotel’s own shuttle within 10 minutes or so. Since we split our day in enjoying the private pool and sipping Rosé at the main pool by the restaurant, we were not able to visit the hotel’s private beach club. Most of the guests we saw around joined us at the hotel pool so we have no reference of the services offered on the beach. During our time at the pool bar and also during dinner, we enjoyed the warm hospitality of the service staff which really goes above and beyond for the hotel’s guests. Might it be the maitre who was very friendly from the first moment we met her to the last day when we left or each single server that was always smiling and friendly - everyone at Elounda Gulf Villas seemed to love what they were doing. It also was a huge part that we felt so welcome here. Since we did not have a rental car in Elounda, we ended up having dinner at the hotel restaurant Argo twice.
Argo restaurant is located on the pool next to the pool bar and has a truly romantic setting in the evenings. Candles and lights are hanging from trees, tables are decorated nicely between the olive trees and chairs are super comfy. The menu is set and comes with a selection of salads, appetizers, mains and desserts - during our two evenings there were no specials of the day. We booked half board so a three-course dinner was included in our package. That actually reduced the selection of dishes since half of the menu is subject to surcharges ranging from 7.5 euros to 28 euros for lobster pasta. We were well aware of this surcharges when ordering, hence we found the dishes with surcharges more appealing and ended up paying 50-80 euros for dinner each evening. Considering the high quality and stunning presentation of the food, I would say it was well worth the splurge. For wine we had an excellent recommendation by our lovely waiter. He was offering A’Muse Rose to start with and then switched to a white colored bottle of white wine for the main course. Though extremely delicious, considering the variety of dishes, I would suggest to also dine outside on one evening if you have the chance to. Elounda is a lively town and exactly what one expects of an authentic Greek seaside spot.
Breakfast the next morning is also served in the Argo restaurant on either the terrace or in the arcades. They have a buffet and all dishes can be found there along with freshly squeezed orange juice. Coffee can be ordered at the staff members, however they did not ask for any egg orders which makes me think that the freshly prepared omelets and scrambled eggs on the buffet will have to do the rest. While I am not a fan of eggs from the buffet, I have to say I absolutely liked the already-prepared omelets as well as the fresh taste of the scrambled eggs. We got to try typical cretan breakfast dishes and everything was of top quality. There were plenty of staff and filling up dishes on the buffet was not a single issue here. Therefore we thoroughly enjoyed the first feast of the morning. Other than eating we enjoyed the sun, our infinity pool as well as the majestic view of the bay and the deep blue sea that got more impressive by the afternoon when the sun began to set. Overall, I can highly recommend Elounda Gulf Villas for a family stay in the East part of Crete. During our stay (outside typical school holidays) there were quite a few families with children around and it is definitely a great place. Think of sofas that can be turned into extra beds, guest bathrooms with separate showers and plenty of space and unlimited privacy. Now consider the great value for money and here you got your next perfect family getaway: Elounda Gulf Villas it is!
PS: Thanks to the privacy of your own villa with your own stunning pool and intimate terrace (where no other guest can see you), it’s also a great place for couples on a honeymoon!
Final comment: Though I loved the One Bedroom Executive Spa Villa and the private pool, should I return to Elounda Gulf Villas, I would stay in a simple suite. After check-out we were offered a courtesy Garden View Suite and it would be totally sufficient for us staying in such and exploring the surrounding area and instead invest the fare difference in a day on a private boat.
