Elounda Residence

Elounda Residence is beautifully located on a hillside, offering incredible views from almost every area of the hotel. The location itself is fantastic, with plenty to explore in the town, as well as boat trips and warm, crystal-clear waters that make this place truly special.

The hotel offers an all-inclusive option and a great variety of rooms and apartments, including spacious options that are perfect for larger families. This makes it a particularly accessible and convenient choice for families travelling with several children.

There is plenty to keep the little ones entertained, including a children’s pool, a kids’ club, and water slides that are fun for both children and adults!

A special thank you to everyone at Elounda Residence for your warm hospitality. We truly appreciate all the care and attention you gave us and hope to come back again one day!

We stayed as a family of three in mid-September and overall had a great week here. The hotel isn’t your usual set up - the main reception and dining room are completely separate from many of the accommodation blocks, and the whole site is split into multiple areas on a steep hill - we were aware of this before arriving, but if you’re looking for accessibility or flat ground this won’t be for you! The setting is lovely - the views of the Cretan mountains are unspoilt and the sunset/sunrises are absolutely stunning. The first thing to note is the transfer time. The hotel is 30 miles from Heraklion airport and isn’t usually a long journey - however, unbeknownst to us there are currently major infrastructure updates happening and a new road being built so the only way to Elounda is through the mountains. This took an hour and 20 minutes and cost €120. Please bear this in mind if you’re about to travel as we had absolutely no idea.
On arrival, we were instructed to wait for a buggy to come and collect us and drive us and our luggage to our room. This took quite a while to arrange as the buggy driver was ending his shift and there was no one else available - after a 12 hour day travelling this wasn’t a great first impression, but as soon as we were in the room we were impressed by how modern, fresh and clean the room was. The ground floor terrace was beautiful and the bathroom in particular was stunning - modern, huge shower, separate toilet and everything was absolutely spotless. Our week was lovely and we wanted a relaxing time with plenty to do for our son, which we definitely got. A few things to note based on our experience:

Pros:

• Cleanliness of the hotel - everywhere is spotless. From the rooms to the pools, I couldn’t fault it. The cleaners here do a fantastic job.
• Shower - our room was in one of the newly built blocks and the shower was incredible. Lovely hot water, great pressure and again it was immuculately clean.
• The beds were comfortable, although our son’s camp bed did collapse on the first night but we were immediately given a replacement.
• Proximity to Elounda town - only a few minutes in a taxi for €8 or you can get the hotel shuttle bus. The bus only goes halfway though and leaves you on a very steep hill - it wasn’t doable for us with a small child so we took a taxi. The town is lovely though and well worth a visit. Lots of shops, two pharmacies and loads of restaurants, bars, a kids playground and a bakery. There’s a big taxi rank in the middle so it’s easy to get back and you can book boat trips from the harbour. We visited 3 times and really enjoyed it.
• Proximity to Agios Nikolaos. Another beautiful, much bigger town. This is 20 minutes away and cost €18 each way by taxi. Well worth a visit. Lots of jewellery shops, local Greek produce and cafes/restaurants. We had an amazing gyros at a street food cafe called Ono, highly recommend!
• There is an almost constant supply of food at the hotel - if you’re all inclusive you will not go hungry! The salads in particular were incredible - so fresh and delicious. Some of it is a bit rinse and repeat in terms of choice but we never had a bad meal and I looked forward to dinner every night.
• There is so much to do for kids here - a water park, football pitch, mini golf, basketball court. There is a kids club which we didn’t sample and a smaller child’s softplay area. All of the pools are extremely clean and tidy and there are toilet facilities at each one.
• Onsite mini market with a good selection of snacks, drinks, alcohol, gifts and essentials.
• A random point but the drying rack outside the room is super sturdy and comes with pegs - such an underrated detail when you’re swimming each day!
• You’re given your pool towels on arrival and they are changed every 3 days.
• There is wine and beer on tap each day from lunchtime. The rose was actually fairly decent.

Cons:

• Transfer time and cost. Make sure you factor this in when arranging transport back to the airport in particular. All of the taxi drivers are well aware and will make sure you get there on time. We left at 10am for a 2pm flight and got to the airport just before 11.30am.
• The hotel charges €3 per night to use the safe. I’ve never experienced a charge for a safe before, especially when going all inclusive. This felt like a bit of a con as ultimately you’re forced to give in for peace of mind and not having to keep valuables on you all the time. It’s just another cost on top of the city tax (€10 per night) and expensive transfer when you arrive.
• You get given a bottle of water each on arrival but there is none after this. This meant we were constantly spending money in the shop just to get water.
• The shop opens at 10am and shuts at 6pm. If you’re out all day and don’t collect some water before you go then you have none.
• The walls in the apartment blocks are extremely thin. We could hear our neighbours talking and whenever they turned their TV on it would switch ours on too.
• There aren’t any drawers. You have a hanging rail with a few shelves but no drawers for anything.

No dressing table mirror - if you don’t bring your own then you’ll constantly be standing at the sink to use the one mirror in the room!

• Our son’s camp bed collapsed on the first night. Luckily he wasn’t hurt but he did fall right through it.
• My husband and I had very thin duvets but my son only had a single sheet.
• We had several power cuts during our stay. The power would go off for around 20-30 minutes each time. There’s no phone in the room to call reception and you’re so far away that walking over there felt like a hassle. Luckily it came back on relatively quickly each time. It seemed to be an issue with the block we were in as all of the neighbours would go out at the same time too.
• There’s no bin in the room. Small detail but we ended up putting rubbish into carrier bags each day for collection.
• The tea and coffee in the rooms are really basic. The coffee is instant powder so if you’re after a decent brew then you’ll need to wait until breakfast!

Overall we did have a lovely time here - all that mattered to us was that we had a clean, comfortable room, decent food and our son had lots to do. All of these items were ticked off and so I can’t complain. My overall rating reflects the unforeseen transfer time and the little niggles - site logistics, lack of daily water, paying to use the safe etc. We also found that people in general were a little hostile. Not in an overtly rude way, but we found that the German and Russian customers did get slightly better treatment - this was everywhere, not just at the hotel and we put this down to it being the end of a long season and staff being tired, especially of families with children, maybe? We didn’t take it personally but it was noticeable. In the scheme of things these are minor niggles and didn’t detract from what was a great week away. Would we return? Based on location and the logistics of the hotel, probably not. If we came back to Crete then we’d probably explore the other side of the island.

A very special place – Elounda Residence ❤️🇬🇷

I’ve just returned home after another wonderful stay at Elounda Residence, and I wanted to take the time to write a proper review because, for me, this hotel is about much more than simply having somewhere nice to stay.

This was actually my second visit to Elounda Residence, having first stayed here around eight years ago. One of the things that struck me immediately this time was the welcome. The staff were incredibly friendly, warm and genuine, and I was genuinely touched that some of them remembered me from my previous visit all those years ago. That says a lot about the people who work here.

I was also delighted to see so many of the same staff still working at the hotel after eight years. In my view, retaining staff for that length of time says something really positive about Elounda Residence. It suggests that the hotel is not only a lovely place to stay, but also a genuinely good place to work, where people feel valued and happy to remain part of the team. That sense of continuity makes the welcome feel even more personal and special.

A special mention must go to Pavlos, who runs the show with such professionalism and courtesy. Theo, his brother and the barman, always showed a genuine interest in his guests and had a smile for everyone. The wonderful Maria and her husband Christos were also incredibly warm and welcoming, while Elias in the top bar kept us laughing throughout our stay. I would also like to thank all the other members of staff whose names I unfortunately can’t remember. Every single one of them contributed to making my holiday the best part of my year.

The food deserves a special mention because it was tremendous. There was something for everyone, with a really impressive variety of dishes and different styles of cuisine. Greek, Mediterranean, French and plenty more besides. The quality was consistently excellent and there was always something to look forward to at mealtimes.

The facilities throughout the resort are fantastic, but our maisonette was something else. It was ultra-modern, beautifully presented, spacious and extremely comfortable. Having now visited Greece six times, I can honestly say it was among the finest accommodation I have experienced here. It was the sort of place where you actually looked forward to going back to your room.

And then there is the view...

It is difficult to put into words just how beautiful the setting is. Looking out across Elounda, especially first thing in the morning, is something I will remember for a very long time.

One morning, I woke my nine-year-old daughter while it was still completely dark. We went out onto the balcony, sat together quietly and watched the sun slowly come up over Elounda.

There wasn't a phone, a television or anything else involved. Just me and my little girl, sitting together in the darkness and watching the day begin.

I have no doubt whatsoever that she will still be talking about that morning 50 or 60 years from now. And, for me, that is what a great holiday and a great hotel should ultimately be about. Creating memories that stay with you long after you have gone home.

If I was to offer two small suggestions, they would only be constructive ones. Firstly, make sure you take advantage of the free golf-cart shuttle service around the resort. Because the hotel is built on hilly terrain, getting up to the higher areas and moving around the resort can involve quite a lot of walking, despite the incredible views. If mobility is an issue, rest assured that the golf-cart service goes a long way towards taking the strain off and making it much easier to get around.

Secondly, as someone who doesn't drink alcohol, I would love to see a couple of good non-alcoholic beer and wine options added to the all-inclusive drinks menu. I think that would be a lovely addition for the growing number of guests who choose not to drink. It's certainly not a criticism, just a suggestion from a non-drinker who otherwise found the all-inclusive offering excellent.

Overall, though, I really couldn't speak highly enough of our stay.

From the fantastic staff, the food and the facilities, to the beautiful accommodation and that incredible view, Elounda Residence gave my family a holiday that we will remember for a very long time.

A huge thank you to everyone at Elounda Residence for making us feel so welcome once again.

Eight years after my first visit, I'm very glad I came back.

And I have a feeling it won't be my last. ❤️🇬🇷