Families will love this Crete hotel where suites come as standard
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Score 9/10Suites come as standard and each has a private saltwater pool and terrace while many also have glittering sea views. The owner is an architect, so design is close to faultless — the suites are linked by a series of paths lined with immaculately tended flowers and trees, and the 'smaller' suites (although it seems unfair to call them that) are located on a sloping hillside.
You'd be perfectly happy in entry-level accommodation. All rooms are furnished in a palette of white, taupe and navy, with a style that feels a tiny bit dated (swirly cream marble in the bathrooms and fairly chunky furniture, for instance), but the overall feel is still elegant, luxurious and calming — exactly what you'd hope for at this price point.
Families may prefer the duplex suites where the living space can be made into a bedroom each evening, or even one of the bigger villas. Some suites come with gardens filled with pomegranate trees — perhaps best suited to families with slightly older kids who know not to leap into the pool without supervision. Bathrooms are spa sanctuaries in themselves, with huge oval bath tubs, rain showers and chamomile bath bubbles for little ones.
Score 8/10The day begins high up in the hotel at Calypso, a beautiful, light-flooded room that is kept open on one side, so you can make the most of the sea views. There's a small buffet of pastries and juice, but most of your choices will come from an extensive à la carte menu, which features delicious Greek classics, healthy options and breakfast staples.Guests can grab lunch at the poolside restaurant, or the hotel's main restaurant, the waterside Il Borro — a stylish Italian, where meals begin with some of the best fresh focaccia outside Italy. You also have access to the restaurants at the other nearby Elounda hotels, reached by a two-minute whizz across the water on speedboat. At Elounda Mare, the Yacht Club offers dishes including catch-of-the-day with buttered veg, and beef fillet with potato purée; or enjoy Cretan fine dining in the romantic setting of its Old Mill, with dishes including rabbit casserole with local anthotiro cheese. The sommelier is excellent and will recommend the perfect wine to accompany your meal. Both have spectacular sea views, so it's worth opting for an earlier sitting if you can. Evening meals are expensive, so consider your board basis if you plan to eat at the hotel frequently.
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Score 10/10This is a hotel made for families and multi-gen travel. The kids' club is a huge sprawling site of toys with a shaded playground and even its own pool with two pretty big slides. It welcomes children from four months old (without you being there), which is a rarity worth making the most of — grab a morning's peace knowing your toddler is happily colouring and playing; there's even a darkened room with cots and floor beds for nap time. Slots are chargeable until children are five.
As for the adults? There's a private cinema, nine-hole golf course and a vast Six Senses spa — you'll spot the dome of its marble hammam from the beach. It's here you'll find another outdoor (infinity) pool, sauna, steam room and ice bath, plus a raft of treatments.
There are also two main beaches to choose from — both very small but lovely, with clear water and no waves — and there are various water sport options, including jet skis, pedalos and sailing trips. A shallow paddling pool is very handy for little ones, while the deeper, bigger pool has in-water loungers. Sunbeds are scattered throughout the gardens, or you may prefer to splay out on a bean bag in the shade of one of the dozens of olive trees.
Score 9/10The peninsula hotel is around an hour's drive from Heraklion airport and one of Crete's most famous ancient sites, Knossos. Elounda village is a few minutes away by car and the island capital, Agios Nikolaos, with its chemists and supermarkets, is a 15-minute drive. Buses run from near the hotel, but you'd be better off jumping in a taxi. A hire car isn't needed if you plan on mostly enjoying the hotel, popping out just for the occasional meal.
Price B&B rooms from £556Restaurant mains from £17Family-friendly YAccessible N
Hannah Summers was a guest of Elounda Peninsula (eloundapeninsula.com)
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