Domes Aulus Elounda

I arrived at this hotel with no real preconceptions. As a Hilton Honors Diamond member, I expected a comfortable stay, but I had never visited this particular property before. Although I’d been to Greece previously, this was my first time staying at the Hilton Domes Aulus in Crete, and from the moment I arrived, I was captivated. Perched on the mountainside overlooking the stunning Cretan coastline, the views alone were absolutely breathtaking.

I should start by saying that I’m not usually an all-inclusive holiday person. I normally prefer exploring the local area, experiencing the culture, and eating in different places rather than staying in one resort. However, on this occasion, I decided to spend ten days here, and I can honestly say it completely exceeded my expectations.

The food was consistently fresh and of an excellent standard across all the restaurants and bars. As Hilton isn’t traditionally known for all-inclusive resorts, I was slightly concerned that the dining might feel average, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. There was plenty of variety, the à la carte restaurants were outstanding, and even the lunch menus were impressive.

The hotel itself is built across different levels of the hillside, which gives it a unique feel. You can either enjoy the walk between the restaurants, bars, gym, and pools or make use of the resort transport if you prefer. The setting is spectacular, with incredible views at almost every turn.

The only minor downside was the familiar sunbed situation. If you wanted to secure one in a prime location, you really did need to be up around 6 a.m. However, as I’m naturally an early riser, this wasn’t a problem for me, although I appreciate it may not suit everyone.

The evening entertainment was another highlight. There were talented live musicians and performers, and thankfully it never felt overly loud or overly focused on children. The atmosphere throughout the resort remained relaxed, sophisticated, and enjoyable.

My room was beautiful and located near the top of the resort. Having my own jacuzzi on the balcony overlooking the mountains and coastline was simply incredible. Sitting there in the evenings with those panoramic views became one of my favourite parts of the holiday.

I rarely return to the same hotel because I enjoy discovering new places, but this is one of the few exceptions. The combination of the breathtaking setting, exceptional food, high-quality facilities, and warm service made this one of the best holidays I’ve had. It was genuinely an unforgettable ten days, and I have no doubt that I’ll be returning in the future. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a relaxing, luxurious all-inclusive stay in Crete.

The only thing 5* about this hotel is the view. Our private pool room was in need of some TLC, especially on the balcony. The private pool was not used as the room faced North east (as majority of rooms do here) so we only got the sun between 6 and 7.20am. You can’t just walk out of your rooms and head up or down on foot, not without good footwear and a lot of puff and muscles so you either have to time yourself for the mini bus, which isn’t running at breakfast time or call reception each time for a lift up or down. Not carefree and unscheduled. Our housekeeping lady was excellent and did a great job. The full free minibar only consisted of lager, fizzy drinks, water and a chocolate bar with a bottle of local red. This is by no definition a full mini bar which wasn’t replenished each day either as stated. Told restaurants didn’t have availability yet lots of empty tables. The dinner in the Greco Levante was good with lovely service but the wine choice/quality was poor - same bottles of wine €5/8 in local shop. Buffet dinner was awful, substandard of a 3* hotel and the other two restaurants were ok but all menus were very limited. The drinks were not premium, majority of cocktails were all pre mixed and poured from containers and made with very little spirit and lots of ice. Your only chance of getting a decent cocktail was in the main bar when it was quiet. The hotel states on their website that if you would like an upgrade in drink ie a bottle of champagne, you could order one at an extra cost. We tried to order a bottle and were told, the hotel doesn’t have any champagne to purchase or indeed any other wines. How very 5*. No egg station just a choice of powdered scrambled eggs, hard poached eggs or cold fried eggs. Not enough sun loungers around the main pool or the beach and to get a bed, you need to be out laying your towels by 6am. The cool living pool area did, however, always have spare beds but the pools were unusable in my opinion as the temperature was Baltic. Apparently the pool doesn’t warm up until August time! You pay extra to use the cool living area and they are the only pools not heated. No waiter service at the poolside either, which is unusual in a 5* hotel. We were very disappointed with this hotel to say the least and unfortunately its amazing views do not make up for it. The photos used on their website do not reflect how the areas look in reality. To save you wasting your money, calf muscles - avoid this hotel. It’s simply just rubbish.